Five Northwest conservation groups have joined the federal government in defending a program to kill barred owls in the Pacific Northwest to protect the threatened northern spotted owl. These environmental groups have joined the government’s side, in opposition to animal rights groups. Tom Wheeler of Arcata, a California-based conservation nonprofit EPIC, said that like animal rights groups, they also believe that individual lives of wild animals are precious, but, “We also hold that ecosystems are real and important and that species are real and important. And that the preservation of ecosystems and species are really important and worth protecting.” …Wheeler said it’s necessary to remove invasive barred owls from the region to give researchers more time to come up with a long-term solution to the growing threat of extinction for northern spotted owls. …The animals rights groups say the government is violating federal environmental law.