31.   Dwindling sockeye salmon runs and spotted owls may find their protection minimized by Congress even before lawmakers target endangered federal agencies.

32.   Early on, Clinton appeared to be mishandling green politics, focusing on marginal issues like spotted owls and ancient-growth forests.

33.   Environmental battles sparked by efforts to protect the northern spotted owl were on the minds of many in the group.

34.   Employees grumbled Monday about logging restrictions in the national forests to protect the threatened northern spotted owl.

35.   Environmentalists argued that the Forest Service has failed to protect the Mexican spotted owl by refusing to develop a regionwide plan to save the species.

36.   For example, regardless of conflicting views between loggers and environmentalists, scientists uniformly agree the spotted owl population in the ancient Northwest forest is dwindling.

37.   For the spotted owl, which nests in old-growth forests, the agency urged landowners to negotiate with biologists.

38.   He was putting together a final operating plan when the area was found to be within the habitat of the threatened Mexican spotted owl.

39.   If they can ever get the spotted owl situation settled, maybe they can get a shipment of lumber in here.

40.   In a sweet victory for the environment Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld a regulation used to protect the northern spotted owl and the red-cockaded woodpecker.