Wildlife campaigner Wayne Pacelle is urging Congress to block a controversial federal owl-control plan, warning that it could reshape how the government approaches endangered species protection.

What's happening?

On his X account (@WaynePPacelle), Pacelle described the plan as "unworkable" and "diabolical."

The plan to kill barred owls never made sense. Now it's diabolical. Join our campaign to stop it. pic.twitter.com/ZWxhHPoMvH

— Wayne P Pacelle (@WaynePPacelle) May 28, 2026

At the center of the fight is a Fish and Wildlife Service strategy that critics say could lead to the killing of 450,000 barred owls in an effort to ease pressure on spotted owls, as Pacelle wrote in an opinion piece for Animal Wellness Action.

Opponents say the government is gearing up for an unprecedented wildlife-killing campaign of barred owls, a native North American species that competes with spotted owls for habitat and food.

The proposal would allow nighttime barred owl shooting in 14 National Park Service units, including Olympic, Yosemite, and Crater Lake, as Pacelle noted. He argued that this creates risks not only for barred owls but for spotted owls as well since the two species can be difficult even for enthusiasts to distinguish in the field.

Pacelle's campaign also asserts that the plan is a misuse of the Endangered Species Act, saying that the law was meant to protect rare species from people, not to permit the killing of one native species to benefit another.

The next major political test is Senate Joint Resolution 69, which would nullify the strategy.

To Pacelle, the path forward is clear.

"This plan is wrong," he concludes in the video. "It's a waste of a billion dollars. It cannot work. It's inhumane."

Why does it matter?

Critics such as Pacelle say the plan could set a troublesome precedent, allowing the FWS to kill native animals when they are viewed as competitors to endangered species.

That could have ripple effects on ecosystems, public lands, and taxpayers.

In a letter to Congress, former FWS biologist Kent Livezey wrote that killing barred owls at scale could cost roughly $3,000 per owl. He also argued that removing owls would likely prompt other barred owls to move in.

The idea of iconic parks becoming nighttime shooting zones has added to the backlash, and there's the question of whether this plan is a ruse to obscure the real threats to these owls. Pacelle sure thinks so.

"It is a diversion, cooked up by a small set of players within the timber industry to distract from the more serious threat to spotted owl habitats posed by some timber harvesting practices," he alleged in the article.

What can I do?

Pacelle urged people to contact their senators and ask them to vote for S.J. Res. 69 if they oppose the barred owl strategy. He also asked readers to discuss it with friends in person and via email to get the word out as widely as possible.

As Livezey put it, the proposal could become a "never-ending, bloody game of Whack-a-Mole."

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