Northwest Forest Plan Marbled Murrelet Effectiveness Monitoring: 2000 Annual Report

Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) range from Alaska to California and are federally listed as threatened in Washington, Oregon, and California. Throughout the listed range of the species, the Northwest Forest Plan (Forest Plan) Federal land-base and standards and guides are expected to make substantial contributions towards conservation and recovery.

Specific monitoring requirements have been outlined to ensure the Forest Plan is effective in maintaining and recovering this species over the long term. This report represents the results and the status of the Marbled Murrelet Effectiveness Monitoring Program to date. The Program has two distinct components, one designed to monitor population trends and the other to define and monitor nesting habitat. Each component was developed by separate interagency teams.

Population Monitoring
The population team developed a new sampling design and standardized survey methods to be implemented throughout the Forest Plan area. The sampling design was implemented during the 2000 field season, and its results represent the first year of murrelet population data for the entire Plan area. The population of marbled murrelets in the range of the NFP is estimated to be18,097, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 12,991 to 23,202 birds. This report describes the sampling design and the survey and analysis methods; it also identifies future steps for the monitoring program. We emphasize that this is the first year of sampling that used a consistent protocol applied throughout the majority of the murrelet's listed range. Because these methods have not been used before, comparing the results with past population estimates is not valid.

Nesting Habitat Monitoring
The nesting-habitat team developed two approaches to assess the nesting habitat baseline for murrelets: a map created from satellite images, and a quantitative estimate of nesting habitat based on vegetation data collected from ground plots. The team also updated and reconfigured murrelet data sets so that they can be analyzed for this effort. This report describes the team's approach, outlines progress to date, and identifies future steps.