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Proposed research station threatens murrelets in Butano State Park
by Lennie Roberts

More than four years ago, California State Parks purchased a beautiful property containing extensive redwood forest land along Gazos Creek on the San Mateo County Coast, as an addition to Butano State Park. Funds for the purchase came in part from the settlement over the 1986 Apex Houston oil spill — which killed countless seabirds and other wildlife, including endangered marbled murrelets.

This 120-acre property includes a stand of old growth redwoods that are used by the secretive seabird as nesting habitat, which State Parks intended to protect and conserve with this purchase. Ironically, this redwood grove is now the center of a storm of controversy surrounding a proposed research station-which may inadvertently attract predators to the murrelets' habitat.

Murrelet protected by stealthy behavior
The natural history of the marbled murrelet has been elusive ever since their discovery on Captain Cook's voyage to Alaska in 1778. Only in the past twenty-five years, through intense scientific sleuthing, has the life cycle of this reclusive seabird become at least partially understood. A remarkable new book, Rare Bird, by Maria Mudd Ruth, chronicles the strange and fascinating adaptations of murrelets.

Today the murrelet finds itself way out on a precarious limb of the evolutionary tree. Spending their lives primarily at sea, they come inland to nest. The female lays a solitary egg on a flat spot of a wide, mossy, protected branch of old growth (unlogged) redwood, Douglas fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, or cedar trees. The parents trade incubating duties, carefully avoiding detection as they fly in from the ocean in pre-dawn hours.

Once the chick hatches, it must remain absolutely still and silent so as not to attract the attention of its chief predators - ravens and crows - until it fledges and flies back to the ocean. The parents continue their quiet flights before dawn to bring small ocean fish to the hungry chick. When it is ready to fledge, it waits until just after dusk, spreads its wings, and flies through the forest towards the ocean, where it immediately begins to swim, to dive, and to catch fish.

Threats to the survival of the murrelet are so numerous that in 1992 it was declared threatened by the USFWS, and the State of California has declared it endangered. At sea, murrelets can become entangled in fishing nets, and oil spills can decimate their numbers when their feathery insulation becomes fouled. On land, destruction of old growth forests by logging has eliminated all but about 10 percent of their original nesting habitat; most of the remaining ancient trees they depend upon are in public ownership.

Human presence attracts predators
One might think that protecting at least a small portion of murrelet's old growth habitat will enhance their chances of survival. But more recently, scientists have found that, unwittingly, humans may be having a dramatic deleterious effect upon murrelet populations.

Careful observations of nests have confirmed that nest predation is a major cause of murrelet mortality. Of all the murrelet's predators, the common raven and Steller's jay seem to be the most problematic. Members of the corvid family, these birds are opportunistic, smart, and highly adaptable. Corvids also have learned that humans are a likely source of food.

When humans are out in the woods, jays and ravens are conspicuously nearby. Just as with bears, it only takes one incident of feeding the bold and aggressive jay or ravens for these birds to be attracted to any areas where people live or visit.

Scientists have found that corvid populations have increased dramatically in the last decade, while at the same time murrelets have declined. It's believed that the mere presence of humans can draw corvids to an area, which in turn leads to more predation of murrelet eggs and chicks. It has become increasingly important for murrelets to have the opportunity to nest without humans nearby.

Research station could cause decline in bird population
State parks has leased 12 acres of the Gazos Creek property, for many years a summer camp, to the Pescadero Conservation Alliance. The organization proposes to operate a year-round research station in the grove, to study, among other things, the habits of the murrelets. The station would include accommodations for 24 people and day use for as many as 63 people.

After San Mateo County approved this project more than a year ago, the decision was appealed to the California Coastal Commission by Committee for Green Foothills, the Center for Biological Diversity, Coastside Habitat Coalition and coastside resident Jim Rourke. We believe that the proposed uses at this sensitive site could adversely affect the endangered bird.

State Fish and Game has strongly confirmed these concerns. In a letter to the Coastal Commission, Regional Manager Robert W. Floerke states: "Projected levels of human activity in occupied murrelet habitat, regardless of the proposed human control measures, jeopardize the expected benefits of the acquired parcel. The proposed level and timing of activity poses an inherent risk to marbled murrelets by increasing chances of nest failure or preventing this area from serving as suitable nesting habitat."

The Coastal Commission is expected to make a decision on the proposed research station in December. While CGF fully supports the purpose, mission, and programs of the Pescadero Conservation Alliance, these programs do not need to be located at this remote site, where the mere presence of humans could jeopardize the continued existence of the murrelet.

For more information, read Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet, by Maria Mudd Ruth.