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The Marbled Murrelet |
| The Marbled Murrelet is a small robin-size sea bird with a
fascinating life history. From late April to early August,
they travel inland to raise their young in mature stands of coniferous trees usually
within 20 miles of the ocean. Since little coastal old-growth forest remains, the murrelet population has declined precipitously. In 1991 the Marbled Murrelet was listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is responsible for protecting Threatened and Endangered species on federal land within the Elk River watershed. Every instance of verified occupation by Marbled Murrelets results in protection of 700 acres of forest. Before logging, two years of surveys must be conducted in timber stands with suitable murrelet habitat. For years, the USFS found very few nests, and proceeded with their timber sale plans. But they weren’t looking where the murrelets were. USFS was up on the ridges. The murrelets were down in the steep-sided canyons. FOER decided to conduct our own murrelet surveys and became certified. In one region where the USFS found one nest, we found seventeen. There is more to this fascinating story. The FOER results have broad implications for murrelet habitat all along the Pacific Coast, and for other Threatened and Endangered Species the federal government is charged with protecting. It also means citizens should not assume that the government is adequately monitoring for critical habitat. |
It was a foggy dawn
in early summer before the European settlers came. The coastal Native Americans heard the
plaintive-sounding "keers" overhead. Looking up, they caught the blur of the
Marbled Murrelet flying to its nest. Streaking by at perhaps 65 miles per hour, its
destination was the old-growth forest at the ocean’s edge—and the nest for its
one single chick. Now, the Indians are gone, the murrelet is barely hanging on, and our rivers are in serious trouble.
Alaska Dept Fish & Game |
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