Grantee Research Project Results
Marbled Murrelet Use of Landscapes in Southern Oregon and California
EPA Grant Number: U914997Title: Marbled Murrelet Use of Landscapes in Southern Oregon and California
Investigators: Meyer, Carolyn B.
Institution: University of Wyoming
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: January 1, 1996 through January 1, 1999
Project Amount: $102,000
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1996) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Academic Fellowships , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Fellowship - Ecology
Objective:
The objective of this research project was to develop a predictive landscape-level habitat model of marbled murrelet occupancy and abundance within potential nesting habitat in a region extending from southwestern Oregon to central California. Specifically, I determined the important spatial sea and landscape variables that affect nesting use in old-growth forests and offshore bird densities.
Approach:
I centered overmore than 1,000 circular plots of varying radii (0.4, 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 km) on murrelet survey stations, and quantified landscape fragmentation indices on the vegetation polygons within the circles. Climatic and topographic variables were determined for each station. Distance to important marine features, roads, and streams were calculated from the center of the plots. Mean tree size (dbh) of the central stand also was also recorded. I regressed these variables against probability of occupancy and number of murrelet detections in occupied sites.