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Summary Document, September 1998 Marbled Murrelet SurveysSharyn Boyd Becker and Jim Rogers |
| The murrelet population has dropped to a small fraction of the numbers that were present along the Oregon Coast prior to EuroAmerican settlement | 1991 – 1995
BACKGROUND
The Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus is a robin-sized seabird that nests in old-growth forests near the ocean. Although murrelets have been observed as far as 50 miles inland in northwest Washington, they are rarely found more than 25-30 miles inland here in southwest Oregon. Since there is relatively little old-growth forest remaining close to the ocean, the murrelet population has dropped to a small fraction of the numbers that were present along the Oregon Coast prior to Euro-American settlement. In 1991 the Marbled Murrelet was listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. |
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 video: "A Call for Wilderness" |
In July 1991, we observed occupied behavior by several marbled murrelets at the "Forks of Panther Creek". This record was sent to Powers Ranger District Wildlife Biologist, Sue Livingston. At that time we were certified Marbled Murrelet surveyors and were under contract to the Forest Service to search for Spotted Owls. |
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| Friends of Elk River were informed that our record of murrelet occupancy in Father Oak Unit1 would not be accepted by the USFS |
The following year, Friends of Elk River were informed that our record of murrelet occupancy in Father Oak Unit1 would not be accepted by the USFS because our surveyors were not employed by the Forest Service at the time of the observation. |
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In the spring of 1995, we decided to survey Father Oak Unit 1 for a second season and to also survey Father Oak Unit 5 which is located on Bald Mountain Creek. Beginning May 3, we visited the Forest Service survey stations which were all located on roads. We had no detections in Unit 1, but on May 13 in Unit 5 we observed a murrelet flying at tree-top level. This record was sent to the Siskiyou NF. As Unit 1 is located on Beartrap Creek which flows directly toward the ocean about two miles west, and since murrelets are known to fly along stream corridors, we reasoned it would be logical that murrelets coming into Unit 1 from the ocean would likely follow the creek. So we established a survey station near the creek at the bottom of Unit 1. On May 19, our first visit to that station, we observed occupied behavior by at least one pair of murrelets. The record was sent to the Siskiyou NF. |
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| The video tape showed the birds clearly and distinctly. | Realizing that this record would also not be accepted, we returned to the station and set up a video camera. Pointing the camera at the hole in the canopy through which we had observed the occupied behavior, we turned it on and waited. At 5:24 a.m. a pair of murrelets flew overhead. During the next six minutes several more observations were made, including a pair circling. The video tape showed the birds clearly and distinctly. We continued to search for murrelets in the two units, videotaping and documenting observations. A copy of the video tape and detailed notes of every observation of murrelets were sent to the Siskiyou NF. Lacking any response to our reports, we sent a copy of the tape and our notes to the US Fish & Wildlife Service. The Forest Service then began sending a biologist one day a week to accompany us on our surveys. By this time, the activity had died down considerably from the initial breeding activity observed in May. |
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1996 THE AWAKENING |
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| We noticed that nearly every station in the Powers RD was located on ridgetop roads rather than down in the canyons. | Some members of Friends of Elk River contract forestry and wildlife survey work with the government. Initially we didn’t bid on the Forest Service murrelet survey contract because it required that one contractor do all of the Marbled Murrelet, Spotted Owl and Great-gray Owl surveys on the Siskiyou NF, Rogue River NF, and Medford District BLM. However, in 1997, the contract was altered to allow bidding on a single item and we requested bid materials. In studying the contract we noticed that nearly every station in the Powers RD was located on ridgetop roads rather than down in the canyons. We had learned from the Father Oak experience, and had emphasized to the Forest Service, that the murrelets are mostly down in the canyons, not up on the ridgetop roads. We submitted a bid for the Powers District murrelet surveys with a cover letter stating that the location of the survey stations was not conducive to finding murrelets and offering to work with the Forest Service to find more appropriate locations. We bid $100 per station. The contract was awarded to Galea Wildlife Consulting for $240 per station. |
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| Our expression of concern was answered with the advice to "get used to the fact that all of the Matrix will be logged!" | Shortly thereafter, we met with the Siskiyou’s Acting Forest Supervisor and the three Westside District Rangers to discuss mutual concerns. Again we brought up our concern that the ridgetop road Marbled Murrelet survey stations were unlikely to find the murrelets that we knew were in the Panther Creek canyons as evidenced by our 1991 observation at the "Forks of Panther Creek" and our Father Oak experience. Our expression of concern was answered with the advice to "get used to the fact that all of the Matrix will be logged!" We then realized that to find out what was really taking place in our watershed, Friends of Elk River would have to conduct our own murrelet surveys. |
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| Since murrelets fly into the forest around sunrise, it is necessary to access stations in the dark. |
In March 1997, we began studying old-growth maps we prepared from Forest Service Ortho Photos. Reasoning that creeks flowing through the old-growth stands were the most likely places to find murrelets, we located possible stations on the map. We then searched for these locations on the ground, finding spots where a hole in the canopy would allow us to see murrelets traveling up or down the creek. We brushed out trails to these locations, flagging the trails with white ribbon to enable following them with a flashlight in the dark. Since murrelets fly into the forest around sunrise, it is necessary to access stations in the dark. While preparing our trails, we were also seeking funding from allies and foundations. Thanks to numerous contributions, we were able to contract Rogers & Associates Forestry Consultants to conduct a thorough, scientifically credible Marbled Murrelet survey of the Panther Creek drainage. All survey personnel would be officially "certified" and all surveys were to be conducted in accordance with the Pacific Seabird Group Protocol, except that excessive water noise would not be a factor in selecting station locations. |
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| We faxed the record of the sighting to the Powers Wildlife Biologist together with a letter detailing the observation and describing how to locate the station. |
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| Recorded twenty-five detections of murrelets including occupied behavior (circling and flying below canopy). |
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| We commented that we had seen no sign of the Forest Service contract murrelet surveyors. | In early June, a letter summarizing our May surveys and copies of all survey forms were sent to the Siskiyou Forest Supervisor, the Powers District Ranger, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. We commented that we had seen no sign of the Forest Service contract murrelet surveyors. Copies of our summary letter were sent to Kim Nelson and our attorney. |
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No further observations of occupied behavior occurred during June. Again, our records were sent to the Siskiyou Forest, Powers R.D., and USFWS. We also sent a copy of a graph illustrating patterns of seasonal variation of activity which is found on page 119 (Fig 2) of USFS document Ecology and Conservation of the Marbled Murrelet published by the Forest Service February 1995 (General Technical Report PSW-GTR-152). This graph illustrates a pattern of activity similar to what we seemed to observe with our periodic visits to Station 1A. There was little activity observed during the first week of July, but the second week marked the beginning of a period of considerable activity.
Again, all of our survey records were sent to the Siskiyou National Forest, Powers RD and USFWS. Letters were sent to these agencies, OSU, and our attorney.
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| We documented that approximately two-thirds of the Panther Creek drainage is occupied by nesting murrelets. |
During 1997, we documented that approximately two-thirds of the Panther Creek drainage is occupied by nesting murrelets. A total of fourteen occupied stations were recorded. We found murrelets in the mainstem and all three forks of Panther Creek as well as Lost Creek and the West Fork of Blackberry Creek. |
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Ten of the fourteen stations are entirely or mostly within the Matrix land allocation. |
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| Again our offer was rejected in favor of Galea Wildlife Consulting for double our price | 1998 BLACKBERRY CREEK SURVEY We again bid on the Forest Service Wildlife Survey, and again our offer was rejected in favor of Galea Wildlife Consulting for double our price. We again successfully sought foundation grants, contracted with Rogers & Associates Forestry Consultants (who now had four surveyors certified through the Mad River Biologists’ training program) and made preparations for a complete survey of the entire Elk River Matrix. Again, we located potential survey stations on our old-growth maps, situated these stations at optimum on-the-ground locations, and brushed and flagged routes to them. Again, most of our stations were located in creek bottoms. |
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No further occupied detections were recorded during May. As previously established, copies of our May records were sent to the Siskiyou Forest Supervisor, the Powers District Ranger and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Letters detailing the past month’s activity were sent to these three agencies as well as OSU, and our attorney. We also began sending the monthly summary letters to Grant Gunderson, the Forest Service Threatened & Endangered Species authority in the Regional Office, and to our funding foundations. Continuing through June, we recorded the following:
As observed in previous years, most of June was a period of low murrelet activity. Again, all survey records for the month were sent to the three agencies and the letter detailing these observations was sent to the formerly-noted parties. Continuing into July:
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| Visiting Station 1A, we recorded 33 detections, many of which were occupied behavior |
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No further occupied detections were recorded during the remainder of July. Our records and letter were sent to the previously named parties. During August, one more occupied site was located:
Summary of 1998 Survey Season A total of seventeen occupied stations were located during 1998. We found nesting murrelets in the East and West Forks of Blackberry Creek, the Middle Fork of Panther Creek, Milbury Creek, and the South Fork of Elk River. Forest Service biologists were able to verify seven of these areas. Most of the unverified sites were only visited once by biologists. |
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| Two stands of old-growth forest ... that were clearcut during the Salvage Rider, were actually inside occupied circles, constituting "takings" under the Endangered Species Act | Our 1998 survey also revealed that two stands of old-growth forest (Toastberry Units 3 & 4) that were clearcut during the Salvage Rider, were actually inside occupied circles, constituting "takings" under the Endangered Species Act. Additionally, timber falling and road construction on the B’Berry Thin Sale began about July 26, within ¼ mile of occupied sites. These activities constitute "incidental takings". |
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| Roughly 90% of the Matrix land in the watershed is currently occupied by nesting murrelets |
Two years of scientifically sound Marbled Murrelet surveys in the Elk River watershed, conducted by certified murrelet surveyors, show that roughly 90% of the Matrix land in the watershed is currently occupied by nesting murrelets (see Figure 1). The surveys demonstrate that all units and 90% of the area in the B’Berry Thin Timber Sale are in occupied territory, that is, within ½ mile of occupied sites (see Figure 2). |
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It appears that all BBerry units except 1 and 10, contain suitable habitat for nesting murrelets. Murrelets were actually found nesting in Unit 3. |
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| We found a total of thirty-one occupied sites in two years of surveys. In four years of surveys in the same vicinity, the Forest Service contractors have found only four. | We found a total of thirty-one occupied sites in two years of surveys. In four years of surveys in the same vicinity, the Forest Service contractors have found only four. One of the reasons for this disparity is that most of our stations were located down in the canyons and most of theirs were on ridgetop roads. Another reason is that in 95, 96, and 97, Galea Wildlife Consulting didn’t begin their surveys until mid-June when the nesting season was already half over. This missed all the May breeding activity. The failure to locate nesting murrelets has resulted in several "takings" under the Endangered Species Act. |
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| Under the Forest Service contract, if a possible sighting was made, or presence detected ... It was simply considered not occupied. | The 1998 Forest Service Wildlife Survey contract had murrelet stations in better locations on the map than did the previous year’s contracts; however, each station was allotted only one visit. This resulted in inferior on-the-ground station location, as we observed on several occasions. We employed far fewer stations, taking the time to find the best spots and brushing trails to these locations (see Figure 4). This enabled us to return to each station periodically until occupied behavior was observed. Whenever we saw what might have been a murrelet, we would return to the station until we could be certain whether or not it was occupied by murrelets (see Figure 5). Under the Forest Service contract, if a possible sighting was made, or presence detected, there was no allowance for additional visits to determine the true status of the site. It was simply considered not occupied. |
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| Our surveys in the Elk River watershed show that they missed most of the nesting murrelets in the areas they surveyed. | To the best of our knowledge, all Forest Service Marbled Murrelet surveys in the Elk River watershed have been performed by Galea Wildlife Consulting. Our surveys in the Elk River watershed show that they missed most of the nesting murrelets in the areas they surveyed. Perhaps this phenomenon is limited to the Elk or perhaps it is limited to the Powers Ranger District. On the other hand, it may encompass the entire area contracted by the Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests and Medford BLM. |
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| Friends of Elk River are willing to assist the government in locating the most advantageous survey stations. |
With the above evidence in mind, before any area can be considered murrelet-free, it is now apparent that all suitable habitat within thirty miles of the coast that has been surveyed for marbled murrelets in preparation for timber harvest, must be surveyed for at least another two years, with stations located primarily in old-growth stands along the streams. Friends of Elk River are willing to assist the government in locating the most advantageous survey stations. |
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