Murrelets must be protected
Jun 18, 2009
Rebuffing the anti-science stance of the Bush administration, the US Fish and Wildlife Service just released a report finding that continued protection of marbled murrelets in Washington, Oregon, and California is required.
A report by the US Fish and Wildlife Service documents a 26 percent decline in the marbled murrelets of Washington, Oregon, and California since 2002. Genetically distinct central California population has declined by 75 percent since 2003.
"At this rate, murrelets will be gone from California before your kids are out of high school," said Dave Werntz, Conservation Northwest science and conservation director.
Today's report affirms the need to protect old-growth coastal forests used by this seabird to nest and raise their young – yet another in a growing list of reasons that the Obama administration should withdraw the Western Oregon Plan Revisions (also known as WOPR).
Protecting murrelet forests also helps recover salmon and spotted owl populations, clean our air from excess carbon, and prevent pollution from entering drinking water sources for communities all up and down the coast.
