Research Technical Report

Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central California: annual report 2006

McChesney, G.J., L.E. Eigner, T.B. Poitras, P.J. Kappes, N.M. Jones, D.N. Lontoh, P.J. Capitolo, R.T. Golightly, D. Le Fer, H.R. Carter, S.W. Kress, and M.W. Parker (December 2007)

Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (partial)

This report summarizes the eleventh year of seabird restoration and associated monitoring in central California conducted by the Common Murre Restoration Project (CMRP) in 2006. These efforts began in 1995 to restore breeding colonies of seabirds, especially Common Murres, harmed by the 1986 Apex Houston oil spill, gill net fishing, and other factors. Our initial primary goal was to restore the extirpated Devil's Slide Rock murre colony, as well as to monitor and restore other colonies impacted by the spill. In 2005-06, the CMRP was augmented with restoration funds from the 1998 Command oil spill, with the goal to restore affected breeding colonies mainly through reduction of human disturbance.

Citation: McChesney, G. J., L. E. Eigner, T. B. Poitras, P. J. Kappes, N. M. Jones, D. N. Lontoh, P. J. Capitolo, R. T. Golightly, D. Le Fer, H. R. Carter, S. W. Kress, and M. W. Parker. 2007. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central California: annual report 2006. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California.