The owl as a symbol

Regarding the article "Split Decision On Spotted Owl Is Inconclusive," May 18: In our neck of the woods near Yosemite, we are aware that logging during the past 150 years has decimated more than just the old-growth forest. It has also decimated the habitat for the pileated woodpecker, the Yosemite skink, and the flying squirrel. In fact, though largely ignored by the press, logging can be given credit for the current infestation by the 40 different kinds of pine beetles wiping out whole areas of Ponderos a pines.

When will it become clear to non-ecologists that the spotted owl is a symbol standing for a host of birds, mammals, insects, and other trees and shrubs that compose the ecological balance of our forest lands? Allan Shields, Mariposa, Calif.

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