Kim Nelson, Oregon State University, will talk about the ecology of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)and the effect of forest landscape patterns and predators on their survival. Her presentation, “Marbled Murrelets, Landscapes and Predators” is 7-9 pm Thursday, June 23, in room 184 at the UO School of Law. Nelson discusses the marbled murrelet, “a secretive seabird” that breeds in older-aged forests along the west coast of North America, including Oregon. “Marbled murrelet populations have declined over much of their range due primarily to current and historic loss and fragmentation of their breeding habitat.”
On a related note, conservation groups including Cascadia Wildlands, Oregon Wild and Coast Range Forest Watch submitted petitions June 21 asking the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the Oregon Board of Forestry to take new measures to better identify and protect important forest areas for protected marbled murrelets. According to a press release, the petition to ODFW requests that the agency “uplist” the marbled murrelet to “endangered” status under the Oregon Endangered Species Act (OESA). The petition to the Board of Forestry asks the agency to identify and protect important forest sites critical to the species’ survival. The agencies are required to work together to recover murrelets. The groups say, “While murrelets have been listed as a ‘threatened’ species for nearly 30 years, Oregon has never developed a plan to recover them or protect the old-growth forests where they live.”
POLLUTION UPDATE
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting comments through 5 pm on June 28 on the proposed issuance of Clean Water Act permit coverage to Portland-based Stratus Real Estate Developers, LLC for construction stormwater discharges from a new Yogi Tea facility to be located at W. 11th Avenue and Renne St. According to the permit application, the project is anticipated to disturb 13.3 acres of land, with discharges flowing to Amazon Creek. DEQ is also accepting comments through 5 pm on June 30 on the proposed issuance of Clean Water Act permit coverage to Land Whisperers LLC for construction stormwater discharges from Willow Run Subdivision, a 43 lot subdivision to be located at Irvington Drive and Golf Course Way. According to the permit application, the project is anticipated to disturb 8 acres of land, with discharges flowing to the A-1 Channel of the Amazon Creek System. Visit goo.gl/Yp4iAK for more info on commenting.