Marbled Murrelet Seminar

Marbled Murrelet on the next.\Photo by Brett Lovelace.

As part of the Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) Seminar Series, wildlife biologist Jim Rivers will speak on research focused on the elusive and threatened Marbled Murrelet.  Dr. Rivers speaks at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, in the Library Seminar Room in the Guin Library at HMSC (2030 S.E. Marine Science Dr., in the South Beach area of Newport).  His talk is entitled “Uncovering the hidden world of a secretive seabird.”  The talk is free and open to all.

Rivers is an assistant professor of wildlife ecology in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University.

“The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small diving seabird in the auk family that occurs from Alaska to central California along the Pacific coast of North America. Murrelets were once common in this region but have declined throughout much of their range due primarily to loss and fragmentation of nesting habitat consisting of older-aged forests. To aid in maintaining habitat for this species and providing for its recovery, the Oregon Marbled Murrelet Project has been undertaken to provide a large-scale, long-term investigation to better understand murrelet habitat needs in Oregon and provide a foundation for understanding the balance between forest management practices and the conservation of murrelet nesting habitat. This talk will provide background on the murrelet’s secretive habits, outline the challenges encountered when studying the breeding ecology of this species, and provide an overview of project findings to date.” 

For a live broadcast of the talk through Adobe Connect, go to.