Pacific Southwest Research Station

Pacific Southwest Research Station
800 Buchanan Street
West Annex Building
Albany, CA 94710-0011

(510) 559-6300

Research TopicsWildlife & Fish: Bird Monitoring

Marbled Murrelet and Other Seabirds Research Projects:

We began our research on the Marbled Murrelet in 1987 after we observed murrelets in coastal old-growth forests during early morning landbird point counts. Murrelets have the unique strategy of utilizing both the marine and terrestrial environments. They forage at sea and nest in large trees primarily in old-growth forests, while most seabirds nest on cliffs and offshore rocks and islands.

Over the past 100 years the murrelet population has been in decline and, in 1992, was listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.

We have focused our research on inland and offshore monitoring methods and habitat relationships. We have provided research and expertise to the Northwest Forest Plan since 1992 to inform resource management decisions. We are actively involved in the NWFP's Marbled Murrelet Monitoring Team, assessing the species' status and habitat requirements.

During the course of our research, two marine oil spills occurred in Humboldt Bay which is in our study area. This has afforded us the opportunity to develop new techniques for offshore monitoring of the impact of oil spills on seabird populations.

Projects

• Forest Monitoring Methods
• Offshore Monitoring Methods
• Marine Oil Spill Monitoring Methods
• Marine and Terrestrial Habitat Relationships

Cooperators include:

• California Department of Fish and Game
  • Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR)
• California Redwood Company
• California State Parks
  • Humboldt Redwoods State Park
  • Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
• Crescent Coastal Research
• Pacific Lumber Company
• Redwood National and State Parks
• Sustainable Ecosystem Institute
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Arcata Field Office
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office

Selected Publications

• Ralph, C.J., G. Hunt, J. Piatt, and M. Raphael (Eds.). 1995. Ecology and conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-152. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 420 pp.
• Long, L.L. and C.J. Ralph. 1998. Regulation and observations of human disturbance near nesting Marbled Murrelets.
• Long, L.L., C.J. Ralph, and S. Miller. 2001. A new method for ageing Marbled Murrelets and the effect on productivity estimates. Pacific Seabirds 28(2):82-91.
• Meyer, C.B. and S.L. Miller. 2002. Use of fragmented landscapes by Marbled Murrelets for nesting in Southern Oregon. Conservation Biology 16(3):755-766.
• Miller, S.L., C.B. Meyer, and C.J. Ralph. 2002. Land and seascape patterns associated with Marbled Murrelet abundance offshore. Waterbirds 25(1): 100-108.
• Huff, M.H., M.G. Raphael, S.L. Miller, S.K. Nelson, and J. Baldwin, tech. coords. 2006. Northwest Forest Plan - The first 10 years (1994-2003): Status and trends of populations and nesting habitat for the Marbled Murrelet. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-650. Portland, OR: Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Raphael, M.G., J. Baldwin, G.A. Falxa, M.H. Huff, M. Lance, S. L. Miller, S.F. Pearson, C.J. Ralph, C. Strong, and C. Thompson. 2007. Regional population monitoring of the Marbled Murrelet: Field and analytical methods. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-716. U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. 70 pp.

Additional publications can be found in our Publications List .

Last modified by L.L. Long

Research Contact:

• C.J. Ralph