OREGON ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SEABIRD TRACKING TO UNDERSTAND MARINE HABITAT UTILIZATION”

Project ID: F24AC00685

Federal Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Partner Institution: Oregon State University

Fiscal Year: 2024

Initial Funding: $59,000

Total Funding: $59,000

Principal Investigator: Orben, Rachael

Agreement Technical Representative: Meier, Julianne

Abstract: THE OREGON ISLANDS AND THREE ARCH ROCKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE REFUGE IS HOME TO 1. 2 MILLION BREEDING SEABIRDS OF 15 SPECIES THAT NEST ON CLIFFS HEADLANDS AND OFFSHORE ROCKS REEFS AND ISLANDS. ANNUAL BREEDING SURVEYS ARE CONDUCTED FOR SURFACE NESTING SPECIES BUT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT MARINE HABITAT UTILIZATION. INFORMATION FOR NOCTURNAL AND BURROW NESTING SPECIES IS ESPECIALLY LACKING. AS CLIMATE CHANGE AND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY OWE DEVELOPMENT RAMPS UP ALONG THE OREGON COAST INFORMATION ON MOVEMENTS WHILE AT SEA IS CRITICALLY NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND AND REDUCE THE IMPACTS OF THESE STRESSORS ON OREGONS SEABIRDS. SEABIRDS HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED A GLOBAL DECLINE OF ALMOST 70 PERCENT PALECZNY ET AL. 2015 AND OWE DEVELOPMENT COULD FURTHER NEGATIVELY IMPACT SEABIRDS THROUGH DIRECT MORTALITY HABITAT DESTRUCTION AND HABITAT MODIFICATION. AN ONGOING STUDY RECENTLY DOCUMENTED TAGGED LEACHS STORM PETRELS HYDROBATES LEUCORHOUS FLYING THROUGH THE COOS BAY WIND ENERGY AREA WEA DURING PROVISIONING TRIPS TO FEED THEIR YOUNG YAKOLA 2023 UNPUBLISHED DATA. THIS RECENT INSIGHT HIGHLIGHTS HOW LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE OFFSHORE MOVEMENTS OF LEACHS STORM PETREL AND OTHER SEABIRD SPECIES BREEDING ON THE OREGON COAST INCLUDING THE RHINOCEROS AUKLET CERORHINCA MONOCERATA AND TUFTED PUFFIN FRATERCULA CIRRHATA A BIRD OF CONSERVATION CONC