Preface 



The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) has 

 long been regarded as a bird of mystery in the Pacific Northwest 

 because its nesting habits have remained largely unknown to 

 ornithologists, and its nearshore feeding habits made it difficult 

 to survey. This small, dove-sized seabird inhabits coastal 

 areas of North America from Alaska to central California. 

 Throughout most of its range it nests in forests within about 

 25 to 50 miles of the coast, and feeds in nearshore marine 

 waters on small fish and invertebrates. In contrast to most 

 alcids, which nest colonially on rocky cliffs or relatively 

 barren islands, the Marbled Murrelet nests inland throughout 

 most of its range in solitary pairs (or perhaps loose 

 associations), on the wide, upper branches of old, coniferous 

 trees. This retiring habit delayed the discovery of its nest in 

 North America until 1974, when one was found in central 

 California (Binford and others 1975). Since then, despite 

 many thousands of person-days of effort over the past decade, 

 fewer than 60 nests have been located through the 1993 

 breeding season (Nelson and Hamer, this volume a). 



In the 1980s, field biologists discovered evidence 

 suggesting that many, if not most, individuals nest in 

 unharvested coniferous old-growth forests. Further research, 

 much of it presented for the first time in this volume, has 

 provided additional information on habitat use, on their 

 relatively low reproductive rates, and on the high predation 

 they experience at the nest. 



In at least some areas, evidence also began to accumulate 

 that the Marbled Murrelet population has declined in recent 

 years. This decline has been attributed to reduction and 

 fragmentation of old-growth forests, increased predation, 

 pollution (especially oil spills), and mortality from fishing 

 nets. This potential decline heightened management sensitivity 

 to assure the maintenance of healthy interacting populations 

 throughout its range. At present, the murrelet is classified as 

 threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service in Washington, Oregon, and California, as well as 

 by the State of California and the Province of British 

 Columbia. For most land management agencies, these listings 

 require inventories and analyses of potential impacts of 

 proposed projects on the species. If adverse impact on murrelet 

 habitat is found, it may result in mitigation measures, project 

 modification, delays, and possible cancellation. 



Issues 



Several issues faced land management agencies in the 

 United States and Canada in 1992 when the effort on this 

 volume began. 



Timber harvest The legal status of the species was 

 beginning to prevent or delay timber harvest activities 

 throughout most of its range on the Pacific Coast of North 

 America. No forest management standards and guidelines to 

 maintain murrelet habitats existed, because documentation 

 of the full range of the species' habitat was unknown. 



Survey and monitoring efforts Surveys to determine 

 the species' presence or absence in forest stands throughout 

 its range required substantial financial and personnel resources. 

 Due to a lack of knowledge of its distribution and abundance, 

 costly efforts often included surveys in areas that were 

 unsuitable or of marginal value to the species. 



Other resources It seemed probable that the species 

 occupied habitats containing large amounts of economically 

 valuable timber. 



These stands also functioned as reservoirs of biological 

 diversity, and had great values as watersheds and as sources 

 of a variety of wildlife and fishery resources. While at sea, 

 the bird coexisted with large numbers of commercially im- 

 portant fish, especially salmon, the harvesting of which may 

 result in significant murrelet mortality. 



Consolidation of information It was apparent that a 

 need existed to consolidate available information, and to 

 synthesize knowledge of population trends, distribution, 

 habitat associations, and potential management alternatives. 

 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service appointed a Marbled 

 Murrelet Recovery Team early in 1993 to determine the 

 status and mode of recovery of the species. They needed a 

 rapid production of scientific background material for 

 their deliberations. 



Goals of the Assessment 



To meet these issues, the USDA Forest Service began a 

 "Marbled Murrelet Conservation Assessment" in late 1992 

 with the following mandate. The Assessment would 

 consolidate the available information concerning Marbled 

 Murrelet ecology and evaluate current habitat conditions to 

 determine the likelihood of long-term persistence of healthy 

 populations throughout its current range. The Assessment 

 would include monitoring and research recommendations, be 

 a primary source of information for the Recovery Team, and 

 provide information that would enable agencies to make 

 management plans. 



This work would be accomplished by the following 

 methods: 



1. Identify patterns of habitat use in the forests and 

 marine environments occupied by the murrelet, and develop 

 an understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of 

 these habitats and murrelet populations, by using a compilation 

 of existing survey data. 



2. Summarize and synthesize existing information from 

 throughout the range about the life history, status, and trends 

 of the murrelet and its utilized habitats, and provide the 

 information gathered to all interested parties. 



VI 



USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-152. 1995. 



