Information on Marbled Murrelets in California

The Marbled Murrelet is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in California, Oregon, and Washington. It is also listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act.Habitat destruction through forest harvest is generally regarded as the main cause of population decline, although mortality in gill-nets, in oil spills, or as a result of predation are also thought to play significant roles.
The distribution of Murrelets in California is disjunct. The Marbled Murrelet recovery team has identified six conservation zones, three of which are in California. Zone 4 (Southern Oregon and Northern California, including the study area) includes perhaps 4,000 Murrelets in Del Norte and nothern Humboldt County. These birds are mainly associated with Redwood National Park. There are also 1,300 to 1,700 Murrelets in the 'bioregion' that includes Humboldt State Park and Pacific Lumber lands. Zone 4 comprises the area from North Bend, Oregon, to the southern end of Humboldt County, California. Few birds are found south of this in zone 5 (Mendocino County), but zone 6 (Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties) host 700-900 birds.
Work by scientists at Redwood Sciences Lab and elsewhere have provided a wealth of information on the species in California, but much more information is needed.
The Draft Recovery Plan states that recovery actions in this area should 'be focused on preventing the loss of additional occupied nesting habitat'.

Bibliography
Redwood Science Lab Murrelet page

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