Marbled Murrelet Washington Range

Marbled murrelet recovery depends in large part on conservation and restoration of breeding habitat on federally managed lands.

Marbled murrelet washington range.

Nests were located high above the ground and had good overhead protection but allowed easy access to the exterior forest. The washington state department of natural resources dnr is drafting a long term conservation strategy for the marblet murrelet and this esri story map presents the draft environmental impact statement deis which is a joint document produced by the dnr and u s. The breeding range of the marbled murrelet extends from bristol bay alaska south to the aleutian archipelago northeast to cook inlet kodiak island kenai peninsula and prince william sound south coastally throughout the alexander archipelago of alaska and through british columbia washington oregon to northern monterey bay in central california. All marbled murrelet nests found in washington oregon and california were located in old growth trees that ranged from 38 inches 88 cm d b h.

Red circles indicate areas where trapping occurred each year. Fish and wildlife service usfws. The california oregon and washington populations are listed as threatened under the federal endangered species act by the u s. Marbled murrelets are seabirds that forage in marine waters but nest in forests.

Marbled murrelet story map description. Birds winter throughout the breeding range and also occur in small numbers off southern california. Partners in flight estimates a global breeding population of 260 000 ranks the species a 15 out of 20 on the continental concern score and includes it on the yellow watch list for species in decline. With a mean of 80 inches 203 cm d b h.

Murrelet capture locations around washington s olympic peninsula during the 2004 and 2005 trapping seasons. In washington marbled murrelets nest in mature and old growth conifer forests and sometimes in comparatively younger forests with residual old growth trees. A juvenile marbled murrelet on its mossy nest on a tree limb. Twenty nine marbled murrelets were captured and banded in 2004 and 41 in 2005.

The marbled murrelet brachyramphus marmoratus ranges from alaska to california and is listed under the endangered species act as a threatened species in washington oregon and california. Fish and wildlife service. Radiotransmitters advanced telemetry systems model a4360 were placed on 27. A major objective of the northwest forest plan the plan is to conserve and restore nesting habitat that will sustain a viable marbled murrelet population.

Marbled murrelet populations are in decline particularly in washington oregon and california. View a map of the proposal area. Straits olympic experimental state forest south coast columbia south puget and north puget. The us fish and wildlife service added the marbled murrelet to the threatened list on october 1 1992 and defines critical habitat for this species as having 1 individual trees with potential nesting platforms and 2 forested areas within 0 5 miles 0 8 kilometers of individual trees with potential nesting platforms and with a canopy height of at least one half the site potential tree height.

Dnr is working with the usfws on a long term conservation strategy for the marbled murrelet in the six western washington planning units within the murrelet s range.