Marbled Murrelet Dodges Several Threats, But Other Challenges Still Looming

Marbled Murrelets nest in the tops of old growth trees. Photo: Steve Holmer

In February, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) should keep the Marbled Murrelet listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The decision was in response to a suit by the American Forest Resource Council, representing the timber industry, which sought to have protection for the species lifted to permit increased logging in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.

The Marbled Murrelet, a small seabird that nests in old-growth trees up to fifty miles inland from the Pacific coast in Washington, Oregon, and California, is on the American Bird Conservancy/Audubon WatchList of birds of conservation concern. A 2004 status review found Marbled Murrelet populations to be declining, and declared that within 100 years the species will be extinct throughout the Northwest region, except in the Puget Sound Area. Larger populations in Alaska and Canada are also in decline.

In March, citing uncertainties resulting from pending changes to management plans under the Northwest Forest Plan, FWS also withdrew a proposal to reduce Critical Habitat for the Marbled Murrelet by 94% in Washington, Oregon, and California. As a result, protections will remain in place for 3.9 million acres. However, FWS staffers say another proposal to eliminate Critical Habitat for the murrelet in southern Oregon may be released later this year.

FWS initiated their plan to eliminate nearly all of the Marbled Murrelet’s Critical Habitat as part of a court settlement resulting from an earlier case also brought by the American Forest Resource Council. The settlement agreement also calls for the government to prepare new management plans for the federal forests managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southern Oregon. To comply with the settlement, BLM has released the Western Oregon Plan Revisions’ draft Environmental Impact Statement, which would eliminate protection for much of the old-growth habitat in the area, including the coastal region occupied by Marbled Murrelets.

Western Oregon Plan Revisions Moving Ahead Despite Flawed Science

The draft Western Oregon Plan Revisions (WOPR) proposes to eliminate protection for most of the 2.2 million acres of old-growth forests managed by BLM in southern Oregon. The region is a Spotted Owl stronghold that provides important connecting habitat between Oregon’s Coast and Cascade ranges. The coastal portion of this area is also designated as Critical Habitat for the Marbled Murrelet.

Marbled Murrelet. Photo: USFWS

The plan has been heavily criticized by scientists and other government agencies for not applying the best available science. American Bird Conservancy and other conservation groups submitted comments during the official comment period urging that the plan be withdrawn. Despite this opposition, BLM has announced it plans to move ahead and issue a final decision later this year.

In April, a review of the WOPR’s draft Environmental Impact Statement, conducted by seven independent government scientists, confirmed that the proposed actions do not reflect the best available science. The Western Oregon Plan Revisions is based on the draft Spotted Owl Recovery Plan. A government-sponsored review of the draft owl Plan by the Sustainable Ecosystems Institute found that it is “deeply flawed” in its method of protecting habitat for the Spotted Owl. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criticized the plan saying it could cause long-term harm to water quality, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded the plan fails to protect salmon and steelhead trout stocks.

American Bird Conservancy and other conservation groups recently sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, urging him to require BLM to withdraw the WOPR draft Environmental Impact Statement because it is scientifically indefensible, and if enacted, poses a serious threat to the old-growth habitat of the Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet. Unless the agency changes course, a final plan is expected to be released in the fall.