Oregon wildlife biologist Eric Forsman has been at the forefront of protecting the northern spotted owl for a half-century. His groundbreaking research on how logging Pacific Northwest forests impacted the raptor turned spotted owls into champions of the environmental movement. Despite his legacy, Forsman, 77, is among those questioning a plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to save the imperiled birds by sanctioning the potential killing of 450,000 barred owls in Washington, Oregon and California. Like in much of Western Washington, barred owls have become a predominant predator on the Whatcom County landscape, often seen perched atop trees in  Bellingham parks, neighborhoods or soaring over farm fields. Longtime local birders say they’ve never seen a spotted owl.