The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday it will not list the California spotted owl as an endangered species. “The Service determined that California spotted owls continue to inhabit their historic range, and the species is not in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, nor is it likely to become so in the foreseeable future,” the agency said in a release issued Thursday. The announcement drew the ire of conservation organizations that continue to insist the bird of prey’s population is dwindling due to habitat destruction in the forests of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. …The spotted owl is currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.