Free Film Screening: “The God Squad and the case of the northern spotted owl”

Created in 1978, The Endangered Species Committee is composed of seven Cabinet-level members. Often referred to as The God Squad, this body has the authority to allow the extinction of a species by exempting a federal agency from the Section 7 requirement to consult with U.S Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service before taking action that may threaten any listed species. This film provides candid interviews with cabinet members (The God Squad), staff, lawyers, and witnesses during the 1992 Endangered Species Committee proceedings over the Northern Spotted Owl and 44 proposed federal timber sales in southwest Oregon.

In the past year, there have been efforts to delist the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, a migratory songbird that nests in Central Texas. On June 2, 2016, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, one of two federal agencies that must be consulted, denied the petition to delist the bird.

This environmental film series is sponsored by the Headwaters at Incarnate Word.