Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report

Apex Houston Trustee Council 

Final Report 

March 2011 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE 

Members of the Apex Houston Trustee Council 

United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

Daniel Welsh, Chair of Trustee Council, 1995-2007 

Janet Whitlock, Chair of Trustee Council, 2007-2011 

Jean Takekawa 

Joelle Buffa 

Toby McBride 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

Ed Ueber 

Maria Brown 

Jennifer Boyce 

Miles Croom 

Beth Mitchell 

Katherine Pease 

California Department of Fish and Game 

Don Lollock 

Paul Kelly 

Steve Hampton 

Scientific Team 

Common Murre Restoration Project 

United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

Michael Parker 

Gerard McChesney 

Humboldt State University 

Richard Golightly 

Harry Carter 

National Audubon Society 

Stephen Kress 

Marbled Murrelet Habitat Protection at Gazos 

Creek 

Steven Singer Environmental & Ecological Services 

Steven Singer 

Hamer Environmental 

Thomas Hamer 

Cassin’s Auklet Habitat Restoration, Farallon

 National Wildlife Refuge 

United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

Joelle Buffa 

Jesse Irwin 

Rhinoceros Auklet Habitat Enhancement, 

Año Nuevo State Reserve 

Oikonos - Ecosystem Knowledge 

Michelle Hester 

Other Contributors and Participants 

(partial list) 

Año Nuevo State Reserve 

Armand and Eliane Neukermans 

Cabrillo Unified School District 

California Coastal National Monument 

California Department of Fish and Game 

California Department of Parks and Recreation 

California Department of Transportation 

Carter Biological Consulting 

Duks Dekes 

Filmmakers Collaborative 

Fremont Unified School District 

Fullframe Productions 

Hostelling International USA 

Huck Finn Sportfishing 

Laguna Salada Unified School District 

Mad River Decoy 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

National Park Service 

Pacifica, California Chamber of Commerce 

Pillar Point Harbormaster 

Point Reyes Bird Observatory 

Robin Kohn Glazer 

Roger Helm 

San Leandro Unified School District 

SeeMore Wildlife Systems 

Sempervirens Fund 

Telephone Pioneers 

Union School District 

United States Bureau of Land Management 

United States Department of Agriculture – 

Wildlife Services 

United States Department of Justice 

United States Forest Service 

United States Geological Survey 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

CONTENTS
 

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
 

Apex Houston Oil Spill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
 

Apex Houston Trustee Council 3
 

Common Murres 4
 

Marbled Murrelets 4
 

The Common Murre Restoration Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
 

Scientific Program Overview 6
 

Devil’s Slide Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
 

San Pedro Rock 10
 

Monitoring of Other Colonies 10
 

Additional Actions and Overall Benefit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
 

Environmental Education Program 12
 

Other Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
 

Marbled Murrelet Nesting Habitat Protection At Gazos Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
 

Other Projects 16
 

Cassin’s Auklet Habitat Restoration, Farallon Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
 

Rhinoceros Auklet Habitat Enhancement, Año Nuevo Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
 

In Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
 

Financial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
 

Literature Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
 

Apex Houston Publications, Reports, Theses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
 

Published manuscripts to date (as of January 2011) 22
 

Published media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
 

Unpublished Reports, Theses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
 

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Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Figure 1 . Map of Apex Houston oil spill trajectory from Carter et al . 2003 .
 

Reprinted with permission from Marine Ornithology. 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

OVERVIEW 

In 1995, the Apex Houston Trustee Council began the work of implementing the first seabird 

restoration program in California to repair injuries to seabirds from an oil spill. The Trustee Council, 

comprised of federal and state agencies, was charged with the task of using the funds to achieve the 

greatest possible benefits for seabirds affected by the spill and continued its work for a period of 

over 15 years. This document is the final report of the Trustee Council and provides an overview of 

ground-breaking restoration work benefiting thousands of seabirds. 

In 1986 the Apex Houston oil spill impacted much of the central coast of California. The central 

coast is a dynamic, highly productive environment that is rich in marine life and home to diverse 

populations of seabirds, marine mammals, and fisheries. It includes many natural areas: national 

marine sanctuaries; national wildlife refuges; a national monument; state and national parks, 

seashores, reserves, and beaches. This region also includes a biosphere reserve and is a key area on the 

Pacific flyway of North America. 

Biologists estimated that the oil spill killed over 9,000 birds with greatest mortality to a species of 

seabird known as the Common Murre (Uria aalge). In addition, endangered seabirds called Marbled 

Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) were killed. Concerned public agencies, non-governmental 

organizations, and local citizens took action and helped to catalog, rescue, and rehabilitate as many 

of the oiled birds as possible. On behalf of the public, state and federal agencies sued the company 

responsible for the spill. The responsible party eventually agreed to settle the lawsuit for $6.4 million, 

including $5.4 million for restoration efforts to benefit seabirds. 

The Apex Houston Trustee Council used these funds to implement programs designed to directly 

benefit species injured from the spill. The restoration work included the first successful use of social 

attraction techniques to restore a Common Murre colony. This colony, at Devil’s Slide Rock, was 

extirpated by the spill. Other projects included purchase of 120 acres of redwood forest habitat 

for the endangered Marbled Murrelet, seabird educational programs, and restoration to protect 

seabird nesting habitats at the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge and Año Nuevo State Reserve. The 

program also provided a tremendous amount of data regarding the impacts of human activities on 

seabirds. These data sets were used by the State of California to support increased restrictions of a 

gill-net fishery that caused substantial mortality to Common Murres and also to support agency 

efforts to reduce disturbance to seabird colonies. The efforts to reduce disturbance to seabirds 

continue and are funded by trustee councils for other oil spills. Since the time of the Apex Houston 

oil spill in 1986, the central California population of Common Murres increased from less than 

50,000 breeding pairs to over 150,000 breeding pairs in 2006. 

The restoration actions resulted from the work of many people who gathered information on 

the effects of the spill, worked to achieve settlement, served on the Trustee Council, and worked 

1
 
 

 

Oiled 


Common Murre .
 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

on restoration efforts in the field. It is because of their efforts and belief in the need to provide 

restoration for dwindling populations of seabirds that the Trustee Council has completed its mission. 

APEX HOUSTON OIL SPILL 

In early 1986, the oil barge Apex Houston discharged an undetermined amount of San Joaquin Valley 

crude oil while in transit from San Francisco Bay to Long Beach Harbor, California. In late January 

1986, the crew neglected to place an ill-fitting hatch cover on an oil tank of 

the barge while it was docked at the Shell Oil Company refinery in Martinez. 

The unmanned Apex Houston was under tow by the tugboat Inca when it left 

the refinery and passed through the Golden Gate of San Francisco Bay. When 

the barge was near Long Beach, the Inca crew boarded the Apex Houston and 

discovered the hatch cover lying loose on the deck. Oil coated the deck and 

floated in the water around the barge. At least 616 barrels of oil, or 25,800 

gallons, had been lost (Carter et al. 2003). 

In early February, state and federal agencies and non-governmental 

organizations began receiving reports of dead and dying oiled birds and 

tarballs on beaches in central California. The oiling extended from Salmon Creek 

Beach in Sonoma County to Point Lobos in Monterey County (Figure 1). Biologists 

surveyed beaches and ocean waters for oiled and at-risk seabirds and other wildlife. federal and state 

agencies and concerned citizens moved to action and worked to clean up the oil and rehabilitate 

oiled birds. Thousands of live oiled birds were recovered and transported to wildlife rehabilitation 

centers in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, but large numbers of birds died. 

Close to 9,000 birds were killed by the oil spill and included approximately 6,300 Common Murres, 

1,300 Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), 12 Marbled Murrelets, and close to 1,400 other 

birds including alcids, loons, grebes, scoters, cormorants, shorebirds, and gulls (Carter et al. 2003; 

able 1). In addition, several wildlife areas of significance had been oiled including Gulf of the 

arallones International Biosphere Reserve; Farallon National Wildlife Refuge; Gulf of the Farallones, 

Cordell Banks, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries; Point Reyes National Seashore; USFWS 

Golden Gate National Recreation Are

Año Nuevo and Point Lobos State Res

beaches. 

a; California Islands Wildlife Sanctuary; 

erves; and several other state parks and 

T

F

USFWS 

Oiled Common 

Murre . 

In 1989, state and federal agencies filed a natural resource damages claim against 

the responsible companies pursuant to the Clean Water Act; Marine Protection, 

Research, and Sanctuaries Act; and various state statutes. After years of litigation, 

the case was settled in 1994 for approximately $6.4 million, including $5.4 

million for seabird restoration. 

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Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Table 1 . Estimated Numbers of Birds Injured by Apex Houston Spill from Carter et al . 2003 . 

Reprinted with permission from Marine Ornithology. 

1 For a detailed species list, see Page et al . 1990 . 

2 Sum of four left hand columns . 

3

 Sum of first, third and fourth columns . 

Estimated numbers of seabirds injured by the Apex Houston oil spill, February 1-11, 1986. 

Species1 

Oiled and Collected Live Dead Oiled Total 

Died 

Survived 

>6 Months 

After 

Release 

Washed 

Ashore Lost At Sea Oiled2 Oiled and 

Dead3 

Loons 106 35 133 Unknown 274 239 

Grebes 156 53 412 Unknown 621 568 

Scoters 52 17 187 Unknown 256 239 

Common Murre 2,259 753 3,001 1,027 7,040 6,287 

Small Alcids 6 2 118 56 182 180 

Marbled Murrelet 2 0 10 Unknown 12 12 

Rhinoceros Auklet 22 8 904 367 1,301 1,293 

Other Species 31 10 129 Unknown 170 160 

TOTAL 2,634 878 4,894 1,450 9,856 8,978 

Apex Houston Trustee Council 

In 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

and California Department of Fish and Game entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that 

established the Apex Houston Trustee Council, the governing body that would oversee the use of 

settlement funds and restoration work. Each agency would appoint a voting member to the Trustee 

Council, each voting member would have equal authority in all decision-making, and all funding 

decisions would be unanimous. 

The Trustee Council was charged with developing a restoration plan to determine how to best 

compensate for injuries to seabirds through restoration projects. The plan focused on projects for 

Common Murres and Marbled Murrelets, the seabird species most heavily impacted in the spill zone 

and of greatest concern. Following public review of the draft Restoration Plan, the plan was revised 

and made final by the Trustee Council (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1995). 

The Trustee Council, also charged with managing the settlement funds for restoration, invested the 

funding not immediately needed for restoration. Over the years, the funds earned over $2 million in 

interest. As a result, the Trustee Council was able to extend the duration of the projects benefitting 

Common Murres, fund development of management guidelines and monitoring for Marbled 

Murrelets at the Gazos Creek property, and fund additional restoration work to benefit Cassin’s 

Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) and Rhinoceros Auklets, species that were also killed in the spill. 

3
 
Aerial photo of Devil’s Slide Rock in 1986 

after the Apex Houston oil spill, when the 

murre breeding colony was extirpated . 

Aerial photo of Devil’s Slide Rock in 1980


 prior to the Apex Houston oil spill, showing colony 


of nearly 3,000 Common Murres (dark shaded areas) .
 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Common Murres 

The Common Murre is a relatively large seabird of the family Alcidae. In the Northeast Pacific 

Ocean, they breed from Alaska to central California. A highly social species, murres typically breed 

in large, dense colonies on offshore rocks, islands, and cliffs. Birds lay only one egg per year, which is 

laid directly on bare ground with no nest. Common Murres have high fidelity to their breeding sites 

year after year and typically return to breed at the colony where they were born. Murres forage in 

coastal waters on schooling fish, krill, and other prey. The central California population has several 

breeding colonies located from Point Reyes to Point Sur, with the largest colonies at the offshore 

Farallon Islands. 

During the time of the Apex Houston oil spill, the central California Common Murre population 

was in sharp decline from a variety of factors, including high mortality from gill-net fishing, low 

productivity from a strong El Niño event in the early 1980s, and mortality from earlier oil spills. The 

Apex Houston spill exacerbated these declines and contributed to the loss of the breeding colony at 

Devil’s Slide Rock as well as decline of the colonies at Castle Rocks & Mainland, Hurricane Point 

Rocks, and other colonies. After the oil spill, the Devil’s Slide Rock colony, which held close to 

3,000 breeding murres in the early 1980s, was extirpated as a breeding colony (Takekawa et al. 1990, 

Carter et al. 2001). 

USFWS USFWS 

Marbled Murrelets 

The Marbled Murrelet is a small seabird found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California. At 

sea, it feeds by diving for small fish in nearshore waters, typically within 5 km of the coastline. The 

Marbled Murrelet is a long-lived, slow-reproducing species, laying only one egg per year. It nests 

inland, typically in old-growth coniferous forests. In California, Marbled Murrelets nest almost 

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Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

exclusively in coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) trees 

greater than 200 years old (Nelson 1997). Fewer than 5,000 birds nest in Humboldt and Del Norte 

Counties in northern California, while a small population of about 500 birds nests in the Santa Cruz 

Mountains just south of the San Francisco Bay area. It is this population that was impacted by the 

Apex Houston oil spill. 

The Marbled Murrelet was listed as a California State Endangered Species in 1991 and a federal 

Threatened Species in 1992 due to dwindling populations from loss of old-growth forest breeding 

habitat, mortality from entanglement in gill nets, and effects from oil spills. The listings increased 

concern regarding injury from the spill to the small, remnant 

central California population which did not have the capacity 

for recovery and is threatened with extirpation. Coastal areas 

between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz were heavily oiled 

during the spill, especially in the vicinity of Año Nuevo Bay 

where murrelets concentrate. The entire central California 

population breeds in coastal old-growth redwood forests 

adjacent to the spill zone. 

Rich MacIntosh 

Marbled Murrelet . 

THE COMMON MURRE RESTORATION PROJECT 

The Trustee Council allocated over $6.7 million to the restoration of Common Murres. The 

primary goals were to restore Common Murre colonies at Devil’s Slide Rock and San Pedro Rock 

and included two components, a Scientific Program and an Education Program. The U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service–San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex was chosen to lead the 

project. The Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

hosts the largest seabird colony in the contiguous United States and the largest Common Murre 

colony in California. Because of declines noted on the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge in the mid1980s, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was involved in documenting the extent and causes of murre 

declines in central California and had considerable experience working with central California murre 

population. 

The project included many collaborators including the National Audubon Society, Humboldt State 

University, Carter Biological Consulting, U.S. Geological Survey (Biological Resources Division), 

and Point Reyes Bird Observatory. The National Audubon Society’s Seabird Restoration Program 

developed the social attraction techniques that were used to restore the Common Murre colony 

at Devil’s Slide Rock. Staff at Humboldt State University and Carter Biological Consulting had 

extensive expertise on the biology and population monitoring of Common Murres and other 

seabirds in California, including factors leading to declines and issues that would affect restoration. 

Humboldt State University staff assisted with development of initial study design, project 

5
 
Common Murre decoys on 


Devil’s Slide Rock .
 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

implementation, assessment of project success, and development of adaptive management strategies. 

Additional assistance was provided by California Department of Fish and Game, National Park 

Service (Point Reyes National Seashore), Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine 

Sanctuaries, several local school districts, and many others. 

Figure 2 . Map of the study area showing locations of the Common Murre 


Restoration Project study colonies and colony complexes .
 

Scientific Program Overview 

The primary goal of the Scientific Program was the restoration of extirpated Common Murre 

colonies at Devil’s Slide Rock and San Pedro Rock (Figure 2). Social attraction was used to 

recolonize these sites. The technique utilized decoys, recorded vocalizations, and mirrors to mimic 

an active seabird colony with the purpose of encouraging live birds to visit the area. If visiting birds 

remain long enough to encounter other live birds, they may begin to attend regularly, select breeding 

sites, find mates, and breed. Common Murres that have hatched, attended, or previously bred at the 

location are most likely to be attracted during 

the early stages of recolonization. Immature 

birds prospecting for breeding sites are also 

likely to be attracted to the restoration site. 

Additional components of the Scientific 

Program included using other techniques to 

help restore other depleted central California 

colonies, comparison of restoration sites with 

reference colonies, and assessing the changing 

status of the central California population. 

USFWS 

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Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Devil’s Slide Rock 

During January 1996, social attraction 

equipment consisting of life-sized adult 

murre decoys, mirrors, and sound systems 

was installed on Devil’s Slide Rock. Less than 

24 hours following installation, a murre was 

observed visiting the former colony. Four 

murres were present within 48 hours. In April 

1996, wooden eggs and chick decoys were placed among the adult decoys to complete the illusion 

of an active colony. Although biologists expected it to take up to several years to establish breeding, 

six pairs of Common Murres laid eggs and raised chicks that season, the first breeding on the rock 

in over 10 years (Parker et al. 2007). This core group of birds re-established Devil’s Slide Rock as a 

breeding site and breeding has continued every year since 1996. 

USFWS 

Crew unloads gear for decoy deployment . 

USFWS

Social attraction methods were continued until 2005 to help assure 

that established birds returned each year and to help recruit new 

breeding birds. Each year following the breeding season, the decoys 

were removed from the rock, cleaned, and re-painted, and the sound 

system was turned off. Equipment was re-installed each winter in a 

way to encourage colony growth in core, dense breeding groups and so 

equipment could be gradually removed over time. 

Decoy deployment on Devil’s Slide Rock . 

USFWS 

USFWS 

7
 
Close-up view of study plot with adult, chick, 

and egg decoys on Devil’s Slide Rock . 

Aerial photo of Brandt’s Cormorants with nests and 

Common Murres on Devil’s Slide Rock in 2007 . 

Observers monitoring Common Murres

 on Devil’s Slide Rock . 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

After the initial recolonization, numbers of breeding pairs and other birds visiting the rock increased 

nearly each year. An initial goal of establishing 100 breeding pairs in 10 years was reached in 2000, 

the fifth year of the project. Numbers increased 

to 190 breeding pairs by 2004 and close to 400 

pairs in 2007 (Figures 3 and 4). Breeding success 

and production of young were also high during 

most of the period (Figure 5). These and other 

measures showed that the re-established colony was 

functioning much like other colonies in the region. 

In addition to the Devil’s Slide Rock restoration 

site, in 2005 murres began breeding on the adjacent 

mainland where breeding had never before been 

documented. By 2007, the mainland subcolony had increased to 50 breeding pairs. This raised the 

number of murres restored to the Devil’s Slide colony to nearly 450 pairs of breeding birds. 

As the Devil’s Slide colony grew in size and density, tracking the history and success of murre 

breeding pairs from distant vantage points became more difficult. In 2005, a remote-controlled video 

system was installed on the rock to provide close-up views of all parts of the colony. This high-quality 

system allowed more effective monitoring of the colony and additional data collection. The video 

was also available live on the World Wide Web, allowing viewers to see the restored colony closeup. Live and archived video was also available for public viewing at the Point Montara Lighthouse 

Hostel and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor’s Center, where interpretive 

displays educated visitors about the project and 

about what they saw on screen. 

Lisa Eigner 

USFWS 

USFWS 

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Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Figure 3 . GIS maps showing Common Murre breeding sites on Devil’s Slide Rock in 1996, 1999, and 2007 .
 

Figure 4 . Number of Common Murre breeding and Figure 5 . Number of Common Murre chicks fledged 

territorial pairs at Devil’s Slide Rock, 1996–2007 . from Devil’s Slide Rock, 1996–2007 . 

9
 
Installing decoys on 


San Pedro Rock .
 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

San Pedro Rock 

Attempts also were made to restore a Common Murre 

colony at San Pedro Rock, located just one mile north 

of Devil’s Slide Rock. The San Pedro Rock colony was 

extirpated in the early 20th century from commercial 

collection of murre eggs (Carter et al. 2001). Although 

it was not impacted by the Apex Houston oil spill, 

recolonization of this site 

was identified as a goal to 

help restore murres impacted 

by the spill. 

Social attraction techniques were 

initiated at San Pedro Rock in April 

1998. Over three hundred adult decoys 

were deployed along with mirror boxes 

and sound systems. Observations 

conducted after deploying decoys 

documented murres attending the 

rock, with a peak count of 26 birds. 

Social attraction equipment was installed in a similar fashion for seven 

consecutive seasons. Like Devil’s Slide Rock, decoys were removed at 

the end of most seasons and re-installed the following winter. Despite 

intensive efforts, murres only occasionally visited the rock, and no breeding was recorded. To help 

document murre visitation, a remote-controlled video system was installed on San Pedro Rock in 

2003. This system greatly assisted monitoring efforts by providing much better and more frequent 

viewing of the social attraction area. At distances of one kilometer from mainland vantage points, 

viewing previously was often prohibited by fog. However, because of a lack of success attracting 

breeding murres and difficult working conditions, social attraction efforts were suspended following 

the 2004 season. 

USFWS 

Common Murre and Brandt’s Cormorant 

decoys on San Pedro Rock . 

USFWS 

USFWS 

Hauling solar panels used to 

power the sound system on 

San Pedro Rock . 

10
 

Monitoring of Other Colonies 

The Common Murre Restoration Project included monitoring of other established murre colonies 

in central California to make comparisons to the restoration sites, to assess the potential need for 

restoration at other colonies such as the Castle–Hurricane Colony Complex, and to examine the 

broader-scale effects of murre restoration efforts. The monitoring included intensive efforts at Point 

Reyes and the Castle–Hurricane Colony Complex. In addition, special studies were conducted at 
Murre study plot at 


Castle Rocks and Mainland .
 

Murre colony on Lighthouse Rock, Point Reyes— Castle Rocks and Mainland . 

dark shading indicates dense murre breeding areas . 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

the South Farallon Islands by Point Reyes Bird Observatory to provide information on murre winter 

and breeding season attendance patterns, colonization behavior, and to refine monitoring techniques. 

Aerial photographic surveys of murre colonies throughout California were conducted to document 

broader-scale success of restoration efforts and identify other 

potential population issues that may need to be addressed. 

Annual monitoring demonstrated that murres at Devil’s Slide 

Rock behaved similarly, and with similar breeding success, to 

nearby reference colonies (Parker 2005, Kappes et al. 2011; 

Figure 6). These comparisons with reference colonies were 

important measures of the success of restoration efforts. 

Monitoring also showed that the Castle–Hurricane Colony 

Complex was recovering at a slower rate than most other 

central California colonies, likely a result of continued 

mortality of murres in a commercial gill-net fishery (Forney 

et al. 2001), high levels of human disturbance from low-flying aircraft and close-approaching boats 

(Rojek et al. 2007), and disturbance from Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) and Common 

Ravens (Corvus corax). 

USFWS

USFWS 

USFWS 

USFWS 

Murre study plot at Point Reyes . 

11
 
Seabird education at 

local schools . 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Additional Actions and Overall Benefit 

Data gathered for the Trustee Council 

showed impacts to murres from a local 

gill-net fishery. These data sets were used 

by State of California resource managers 

to adopt stronger restrictions on gill-net 

fishing in central California waters in 2002 

to protect murres and other affected species. 

Outreach, education, and enforcement 

efforts were employed to successfully reduce 

human disturbance at the Castle–Hurricane 

colonies. These early outreach and education 

efforts led to the formation of a broaderscale program called the Seabird Colony 

Protection Program, established in 2005 

with funds from the Command Oil Spill 

Trustee Council. The overall restoration 

efforts helped lead to an increase in size 

of the central California Common Murre 

population from just under 50,000 breeding

pairs in 1986, the year of the Apex Houston 

spill, to over 150,000 pairs by 2006. 

Environmental Education Program 

Figure 6 . Long term murre productivity at Devil’s Slide Rock, 


Castle–Hurricane, and Point Reyes .
 

USFWS 

12
 

The environmental education component of the Common Murre 

Restoration Project was implemented to provide education about seabirds 

to local children and assist the restoration project with maintenance 

of murre decoys. Over 6,000 students from the San Francisco Bay area 

(Montara, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Fremont, San Jose, and 

San Leandro) participated in the program from 1996 to 2005. Over the 

years, the program reached 73 teachers from 15 schools and included 

classes from Kindergarten to 7th grade. This successful program was 

highly praised by teachers as an essential part of curriculum. Students 

learned about seabirds and marine conservation while directly helping 

the project by repainting murre decoys. Objectives of the program were 

accomplished through classroom instruction and activities that focused on: 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

1) natural history, ecology, biology and physiology 

related to seabirds, especially Common Murres; 

2) the 1986 Apex Houston oil spill and its impact on 

the Common Murre colony at Devil’s Slide Rock; 

3) current and historical pressures affecting seabirds; 

and 4) the social attraction restoration efforts at 

Devil’s Slide Rock and San Pedro Rock. Participating 

teachers were provided educational materials including 

videos, a seabird slideshow, books and posters for the 

classroom, and other resources recommending workshops and field trips. Murre Project educators 

visited each classroom on two separate occasions. The first classroom presentation included an 

activity which helped students explore seabird adaptations and a slideshow of the Common Murre 

Restoration Project. The second presentation included a review of seabird adaptations, an activity 

emphasizing the importance of coloring for camouflage, decoy painting, and a group activity 

involving the role of Common Murres in the ocean food web. 

With the success of the restoration work for Common Murres on Devil’s Slide Rock, biologists no 

longer needed to deploy decoys and could no longer offer decoy painting to schools. However, in 

2005, environmental educators from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a new program 

to extend the education component of the Common Murre Restoration Project. This new coastal 

marine educational program, entitled “Webs under Waves”, explores the food webs of the central 

California coastal marine environment and teaches students about the habitats of the Farallon 

National Wildlife Refuge, Devil’s Slide Rock, and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. 

The program includes information on adaptations of the Common Murre and instructs students on 

how they can help protect the marine 

environment. “Webs under Waves” 

provides on-line activities for teachers 

to use as a supplement to their ocean 

education programs. Over 10 years, the 

environmental education component 

of the Common Murre Restoration 

Project has provided outreach for the 

project and helped foster community 

involvement and awareness of seabird 

conservation issues. 

Murre decoys painted in a local classroom . 

USFWS 

Seabird education at local schools . 

USFWS 

13
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Other Outreach 

Sponsored in part by the Apex Houston Trustee Council, the 

documentary Returning Home: Bringing the Common Murre Back 

to Devil’s Slide Rock chronicles the history of the Common Murre 

Restoration Project. The film was first produced in 1999 by Full Frame 

Productions and updated in 2006 by Filmmakers Collaborative with 

new footage to show the progression of the project. The 2006 version 

was featured on the Emmy Award-winning Public Broadcasting 

System series Natural Heroes, has been shown at several environmental 

film festivals, and is available on DVD. 

Other education efforts around the San 

Francisco Bay area included interpretive 

displays about Common Murres and the 

Common Murre Restoration Project at 

the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce, Point 

Montara Lighthouse Hostel, Monterey Bay 

Aquarium, and the Gulf of the Farallones 

National Marine Sanctuary. 

Returning Home film . 

Lisa Eigner 

Murre display at Point 


Montara Lighthouse Hostel .
 

MARBLED MURRELET NESTING HABITAT PROTECTION AT GAZOS CREEK 

14
 

In 1998, the Apex Houston Trustee Council contributed $500,000 to the Sempervirens Fund for the 

purchase of Marbled Murrelet breeding habitat in the Gazos Creek Watershed of the Santa Cruz 

Mountains (Figure 7). Combining these funds with other contributions, the Sempervirens Fund 

was able to purchase the Gazos 

Mountain Camp property for 

about $1.5 million. The 120-acre 

parcel includes a mix of old-growth 

and second-growth trees, all to be 

managed for Marbled Murrelet 

nesting habitat. The property 

also contains a 12-acre developed 

camp area with buildings and 

other facilities. In 2000, the 

Sempervirens Fund conveyed 

Figure 7 . Map Showing Gazos Mountain Camp . the property to the California 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Gazos Mountain Camp . Truck with radar equipment . Radar used for detecting 

murrelets . 

Department of Parks and Recreation as an addition to Butano State Park. The developed portion 

of the property is now leased to the Pescadero Conservation Alliance and is used for environmental 

ducation and scientific studies in accordance with a set of habitat management guidelines funded 

y the Apex Houston Trustee Council and prepared by the Sempervirens Fund and the Trustee 

ouncil (Singer 1999). 

e

b

C

Steven Singer 

Steven Singer 

Steve Hampton 

In addition to the purchase of the Gazos Creek property and development of management guidelines 

for the acquired habitat, the Trustee Council funded a murrelet monitoring program. Two types of 

Figure 8 . Mean number of murrelet detections from Audio/Visual 


Survey 1999–2009 (Error bars represent 1 standard deviation) .
 

surveys have been conducted: 

audio/visual surveys at the parcel 

Figure 8) and radar surveys within 

the larger Gazos Creek Watershed 

Figure 9). The audio/visual surveys 

were funded through 2004. The 

radar surveys were conducted every 

other year and continued through 

010. Together, the surveys have 

shown relatively steady murrelet use, 

especially when compared to the 

drastic declines documented at other 

locations in the Santa Cruz Mountains 

e.g., Suddjian 2008). Although 

breeding is very difficult to confirm, 

murrelet behavior in the area has 

been consistent with local breeding. 

(

(

2

(

15
 

Figure 9 . Mean number of murrelet detections from Radar Survey 

2000–2008 (Error bars represent 1 standard deviation) . 
Auklet burrow between 

boards of boardwalk . 

Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Attendance patterns of Marbled Murrelets at the Gazos Creek property indicative of breeding show 

the importance of protecting this habitat for this declining species. Benefits of the acquisition should 

grow over the coming decades and centuries as the second-growth portions of the property develop 

more of the old-growth characteristics used most by the murrelets. 

OTHER PROJECTS 

Cassin’s Auklet Habitat Restoration, Farallon Islands 

The Cassin’s Auklet is a small seabird of the family Alcidae. These 

colonial breeders nest in underground burrows or rock crevices 

on offshore rocks and islands. The colony on the South Farallon 

Islands, which are part of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, is 

the largest in California and one of the largest in the contiguous 

United States (Carter et al. 1992, Manuwal and Thoreson 1993). 

However, this colony has declined considerably since the early 1970s 

from a combination of factors including increased predation by gulls, 

degradation of habitat, and possibly declines in prey (Carter et al. 1992, 

Lee et al. 2007). 

Most of the Farallon auklet colony is on the largest island of the group, Southeast Farallon, where 

auklets are found in soil and rocky habitats. This island hosts a permanent research station and is 

used by biologists and land managers. To conduct monitoring of breeding seabirds and maintain 

facilities, the biologists and managers must traverse unpaved portions of the island including 

sensitive habitat used by the burrow-nesting auklets. To avoid trampling of burrows, a boardwalk 

system is used in certain highly traveled areas. However, the boardwalks were decades old and in a 

dilapidated state resulting in trampling of burrows underneath when old wooden boards failed. 

To protect and enhance auklet nesting habitat on Southeast Farallon 

Island, over 800 feet of dilapidated wooden boardwalks were replaced 

with heavy duty recycled plastic lumber. These boardwalks were 

constructed by the Telephone Pioneers in 2000 with funding support 

from the Apex Houston Trustee Council, Farallon Islands Foundation, 

San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society, and University of California 

Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. Since auklets often burrow under 

rocks and other structures, the boardwalks were designed to allow 

researchers and caretakers to traverse these auklet nesting areas and also to provide auklet habitat. 

New boardwalk sections were constructed with a “trough” design that leaves space for auklets to 

crawl underneath and excavate burrows. 

USFWS 

Farallon Auklet boardwalk . 

USFWS 

16
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

The success of the new boardwalks in providing habitat enhancement for auklets was monitored 

from 2001 to 2009. The study included monitoring the numbers of burrows and rate of auklet 

occupancy in those burrows (which is more indicative of breeding by auklets) under boardwalks 

(Figure 10). Auklets began nesting under the new boardwalks the very first breeding season following 

construction, when 52 burrows were counted. Since then, numbers have increased dramatically, 

reaching a peak of 138 burrows in 2004 with 67% confirmed as used for breeding. The numbers of 

occupied burrows reached near 

peak level in 2008–2009. While 

most active burrows are used by 

Cassin’s Auklets, some are used by 

Rhinoceros Auklets. Monitoring 

indicates burrow densities are 

considerably higher under the 

boardwalks than in similar 

adjacent habitats, making this 

project successful in improving 

auklet nesting habitat. 

Figure 10 . 2001–2009 auklet boardwalk survey on Southeast Farallon 


Island . RHAU=Rhinoceros Auklet . CAAU= Cassin’s Auklet .
 

Rhinoceros Auklet Habitat Enhancement, Año Nuevo Island 

The Rhinoceros Auklet is a relatively large member of the family Alcidae which is most closely related 

to the puffins. Much like the Cassin’s Auklet, they are colonial breeders that nest in underground 

burrows or rock crevices on offshore rocks and islands. Año Nuevo Island, part of Año Nuevo State 

Reserve, is one of only three significant breeding colonies for Rhinoceros Auklets in California. 

Biologists and land managers were concerned about the continued existence of the nesting habitat 

at Año Nuevo Island as it was eroding away over time. In 2001, a successful, collaborative effort 

began to stabilize the underground nesting habitat through native plant restoration and erosion 

control. However, in 2006 the restored nesting habitat was 

in jeopardy when high numbers of California sea lions 

(Zalophus californianus) began hauling out in the restoration 

area. Sea lions can cause extensive habitat degradation for 

nesting auklets because they disturb top soil, trample plants, 

crush burrows, and alter soil nutrients. When they depart 

in early winter to return to their pupping beaches further 

south, the soil is unprotected and rapidly erodes from wind 

and rain. 

Oikonos 

Working on a section of the temporary 

fence . 

17
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

In 2006–2008, to prevent further damage to the habitat, California sea lions were excluded from 

hauling out in the burrow nesting area with a temporary fence. For three months during the peak of 

California sea lion attendance (August to October), a temporary fence was installed and successfully 

prevented high numbers of sea lions from entering a small one-acre plot, prime habitat for nesting 

auklets. The Apex Houston Trustee Council helped fund installation of the fence. 

Oikonos 

A section of the temporary sea lion fence . 

IN CONCLUSION 

The Apex Houston Trustee Council and its partners have restored the Common Murre colony at 

Devil’s Slide Rock, protected important nesting habitat for Marbled Murrelets in the Gazos Creek 

watershed, and enhanced nesting habitat for Cassin’s Auklets and Rhinoceros Auklets at the Farallon 

Islands and Año Nuevo Island, respectively. Through the work of the Apex Houston Trustee Council, 

we have gained a better understanding of human impacts to seabirds and an understanding of how 

we can benefit seabirds when human actions cause injury. From the time of the 1986 Apex Houston 

Oil spill to 2006, numbers of breeding Common Murres increased from less than 100,000 breeding 

birds to nearly 400,000 breeding birds, an increase greatly influenced by the work of the Apex 

Houston Trustee Council. Today, the existence of some of our most important seabird colonies are 

assured and enhanced due to the restoration efforts described above, and we have helped with the 

critical task of educating children, the future stewards of our precious coastal resources. 

18
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

FINANCIAL SUMMARy 

Income: 

Settlement Restoration Funds: 

Seabird Restoration $4,916,460 

Marbled Murrelet Habitat Acquisition $500,000 

Interest Earned: 

Seabird Restoration $2,089,000 

Habitat Acquisition $60,000 

Total Funding Available $7,565,000 

Expenditures: 

Common Murre Restoration Project $6,781,000 

Marbled Murrelet Habitat Acquisition $560,000 

Cassin’s Auklet Project $48,000 

Rhinoceros Auklet Project $37,000 

Trustee Council Oversight $139,000 

Total Allocations $7,565,000 

19
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

LITERATURE CITED
 

Carter, H.R., G.J. McChesney, D.L. Jaques, C.S. Strong, M.W. Parker, J.E. Takekawa, D.L. Jory, 

and D.L. Whitworth. 1992. Breeding populations of seabirds in California, 1989-1991. Vols. 

1 and 2. Unpublished draft report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northern Prairie Wildlife 

Research Center, Dixon, California. 

Carter, H.R., U.W. Wilson, R.W. Lowe, D.A. Manuwal, M.S. Rodway, J.E. Takekawa, and J.L. 

Yee. 2001. Population trends of the Common Murre (Uria aalge californica). Pp. 33-133 

in Manuwal, D.A., H.R. Carter, T.S. Zimmerman, and D.L. Orthmeyer (eds.), Biology 

and conservation of the Common Murre in California, Oregon, Washington, and British 

Columbia. Volume 1: Natural History and population trends. U.S. Geological Survey, 

Information and Technology Report, USGS/BRD/ITR-2000-0012, Washington, D.C. 

Carter, H.R., V.A. Lee, G.W. Page, M.W. Parker, R.G. Ford, G. Swartzman, S.W. Kress, B.R. Siskin, 

S.W. Singer, and D.M. Fry. 2003. The 1986 Apex Houston oil spill in central California: 

seabird injury assessment and litigation process. Marine Ornithology 31:9-19. 

Forney, K.A., S.R. Benson, and G.A. Cameron. 2001. Central California gillnet effort and bycatch 

of sensitive species, 1990-1998. Pp. 141-160 in E.F. Melvin and J.K. Parrish (eds.), Seabird 

bycatch: trends, roadblocks, and solutions. University of Alaska Sea Grant, Fairbanks, Alaska. 

Kappes, P.J., G.J. McChesney, M.W. Parker, H.R. Carter, S.W. Kress, and R.T. Golightly. 2011. Use 

of time-activity budgets to measure early progress of a social attraction restoration project. 

Biological Conservation 144:620-626. 

Lee, D.E., N. Nur, and W.J. Sydeman. 2007. Climate and demography of the planktivorous Cassin’s 

Auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus off northern California: implications for population change. 

Journal of Animal Ecology 76:337–347. 

Manuwal, D., and A. C. Thoreson. 1993. Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus). In The Birds 

of North America, No. 50 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds). The Academy of Natural Sciences, 

Philadelphia, PA and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 

Nelson, S.K. 1997. Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). In The Birds of North America, 

No. 313 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA and 

The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 

Page, G.W., H.R. Carter, and R.G. Ford. 1990. Numbers of seabirds killed or debilitated in the 

1986 Apex Houston oil spill in central California. Pp. 164-174 in Sealy, S.G. (ed.), Auks at 

sea. Studies in Avian Biology 14. 

Parker, M.W. 2005. Comparison of breeding performance, co-attendance, and chick provisioning 

rates of breeding Common Murres (Uria aalge) as early indicators for ecological monitoring. 

Unpublished M.S. Thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. 

Parker, M.W., S.W. Kress, R.T. Golightly, H.R. Carter, E.B. Parsons, S.E. Schubel, J.A. Boyce, G.J. 

McChesney, and S.M. Wisely. 2007. Assessment of social attraction techniques used to 

restore a Common Murre colony in central California. Waterbirds 30:17-28. 

20
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Rojek, N.A., M.W. Parker, H.R. Carter, and G.J. McChesney. 2007. Aircraft and vessel disturbances 

to Common Murres Uria aalge at breeding colonies in central California, 1997-1999. 

Marine Ornithology 35:61-69. 

Singer, S.W. 1999. Murrelet habitat management guidelines for the Gazos Mountain Camp property. 

Unpublished report, Steven Singer Environmental and Ecological Services, Santa Cruz, 

California. 

Suddjian, D.L. 2008. Summary of 2007 Marbled Murrelet monitoring surveys in the Santa Cruz 

Mountains. Unpublished report prepared for the Command Oil Spill Trustee Council. 

Takekawa, J.E., H.R. Carter, and T.E. Harvey. 1990. Decline of the Common Murre in central 

California 1980-1986. Pp. 149-163 in Sealy, S.G. (ed.), Auks at sea. Studies in Avian Biology 

14. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1995. Notice of availability, final Apex Houston oil spill restoration 

plan. Federal Register 60(81):20739-20749. 

21
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

APEX HOUSTON PUBLICATIONS, REPORTS, THESES 

Published manuscripts to date (as of January 2011) 

Capitolo, P.J., H.R. Carter, G.J. McChesney, and M.W. Parker. 2005. Common Murres prospecting 

within cormorant colonies in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties, California, 1996-2004. 

Northwestern Naturalist 86:144-150. 

Carter, H.R., V.A. Lee, G.W. Page, M.W. Parker, R.G. Ford, G. Swartzman, S.W. Kress, B.R. Siskin, 

S.W. Singer, and D.M. Fry. 2003. The 1986 Apex Houston oil spill in central California: 

seabird injury assessment and litigation process. Marine Ornithology 31:9-19. 

Jones, N.M., G.J. McChesney, M.W. Parker, J.L. Yee, H.R. Carter, and R.T. Golightly. 2008. 

Breeding phenology and reproductive success of the Brandt’s Cormorant at three nearshore 

colonies in central California, 1997-2001. Waterbirds 31:505-519. 

Kappes, P.J., G.J. McChesney, M.W. Parker, H.R. Carter, S.W. Kress, and R.T. Golightly. 2011. Use 

of time-activity budgets to measure early progress of a social attraction restoration project. 

Biological Conservation 144:620-626. 

Manuwal, D.A., H.R. Carter, T.S. Zimmerman, and D.L. Orthmeyer (Editors). 2001. Biology 

and conservation of the Common Murre in California, Oregon, Washington, and British 

Columbia. Volume 1: Natural history and population trends. U.S. Geological Survey, 

Information and Technology Report USGS/BRD/ITR-2000-0012, Washington, D.C. 

McChesney, G.J., H.R. Carter, and M.W. Parker. 2000. Nesting of Ashy Storm-Petrels and Cassin’s 

Auklets in Monterey County, California. Western Birds 31:178-183. 

Murphy, M., N. Jones and M.W. Parker. 2005. Common Murre egg recovery. Waterbirds 28:402­

403. 

Parker, M.W., S.W. Kress, R.T. Golightly, H.R. Carter, E.B. Parsons, S.E. Schubel, J.A. Boyce, G.J. 

McChesney, and S.M. Wisely. 2007. Assessment of social attraction techniques used to 

restore a Common Murre colony in central California. Waterbirds 30:17-28. 

Rojek, N.A., M.W. Parker, H.R. Carter, and G.J. McChesney. 2007. Aircraft and vessel disturbances 

to Common Murres Uria aalge at breeding colonies in central California, 1997-1999. 

Marine Ornithology 35:61-69. 

Published media 

Returning Home: Bringing the Common Murre Back to Devil’s Slide Rock. 1999 (original version). 

Full Frame Productions (Produced by K. White). Available on VHS. 

Returning Home: Bringing the Common Murre Back to Devil’s Slide Rock. 2006 (updated version). 

Filmmakers Collaborative (Produced by K. White). Available on DVD. 

22
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Unpublished Reports, Theses 

Capitolo, P.J., H.R. Carter, and M.W. Parker. 2002. Protocol for identification of areas used 

for counting seabirds from aerial photographs at the South Farallon Islands, California. 

Unpublished report, Humboldt State University, Department of Wildlife, Arcata, California; 

and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 

Newark, California. 

Capitolo, P.J., H.R. Carter, R.J. Young, G.J. McChesney, R.T. Golightly, and F. Gress. 2004. 

Changes in population size of Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormorants in California, 1975­

2003. Unpublished report, Humboldt State University, Department of Wildlife, Arcata, 

California; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge 

Complex, Newark, California. 

Capitolo, P.J., G.J. McChesney, H.R. Carter, M.W. Parker, J.N. Hall, R.J. Young, and R.T. Golightly. 

2006. Whole-colony counts of Common Murres, Brandt’s Cormorants and Double-crested 

Cormorants at sample colonies in northern and central California, 1996-2004. Unpublished 

report, Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California; and U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, 

California. 

Carter, H.R., P.J. Capitolo, M.W. Parker, R.T. Golightly, and J.L. Yee. 2003. Population impacts 

to Common Murres at the Drake’s Bay Colony Complex, California. Pages 43-67 in H.R. 

Carter, and R.T. Golightly (eds.). Seabird injuries from the 1997-1998 Point Reyes Tarball 

Incidents. Unpublished report, Humboldt State University, Department of Wildlife, Arcata, 

California. 

Coffman, Z., and J. Irwin. 2007. Boardwalk burrow study, Farallon National Wildlife Refuge: 2007 

monitoring results and project summary. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, Newark, California. 

Eigner, L.E. 2009. Spatial and temporal variation in prey use of Common Murres at two disjunct 

colonies in the California Current System. Unpublished M.S. thesis, Humboldt State 

University, Arcata, California. 

Hastings, K., M. Hester, J. Nusbaum, P. Pyle, and W. Sydeman. 1999. Common Murre (Uria aalge) 

attendance patterns on the South Farallon Islands during the non-breeding season, 1996­

1999. Unpublished report, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, California. 

Hester, M.M. and W.J. Sydeman. 1999. Common Murre breeding season attendance patterns at 

Southeast Farallon Island, California, 1996-1998. Unpublished report, Point Reyes Bird 

Observatory, Stinson Beach, California. 

Hester, M.M. 2009. Año Nuevo Island seabird habitat restoration resource protection: Temporary 

fence 2008 report. Unpublished report, Oikonos - Ecosystem Knowledge, Benicia, 

California. 

23
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Irwin, J. 2004. Cassin’s Auklet under the boardwalks. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, Newark, California. 

Irwin, J. 2005. Boardwalk burrow study, Farallon National Wildlife Refuge: 2005 monitoring results 

and project summary. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Farallon National 

Wildlife Refuge, Newark, California. 

Irwin, J. 2006. Boardwalk burrow study, Farallon National Wildlife Refuge: 2006 monitoring results 

and project summary. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Farallon National 

Wildlife Refuge, Newark, California. 

Knechtel, H., N.M. Jones, M.A. Murphy, A.H. Robinson, K.J. Vickers, G.J. McChesney, M.W. 

Parker, J. Buffa, H.R. Carter, S.W. Kress, R.J. Golightly, and K.A. Peluso. 2003. Restoration 

of Common Murre colonies in central California: Annual Report 2002. Unpublished 

report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 

Newark, California. 

McChesney, G.J., H.R. Carter, M.W. Parker, J.E. Takekawa and J.L. Yee. 1998. Population trends 

and subcolony use of Common Murres and Brandt’s Cormorants at Point Reyes Headlands, 

California, 1979-1997. Unpublished report, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources 

Division, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, California; Humboldt State University, 

Department of Wildlife, Arcata, California; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San 

Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

McChesney, G.J., H.R. Carter, M.W. Parker, P.J. Capitolo, J.E. Takekawa, and J.L. Yee. 1999. 

Population trends and subcolony use of Common Murres and Brandt’s Cormorants at 

the Castle/Hurricane Colony Complex, California, 1979-1997. Unpublished report, U.S. 

Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Western Ecological Research Center, 

Dixon, California; Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California; 

and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 

Newark, California. 65 pp. 

McChesney, G.J., A.H. Robinson, J.S. Koepke, H.A. Knechtel, N.M. Jones, C.M. Caurant, R.T. 

Golightly, H.R. Carter, S.W. Kress, and J. Stankiewizc. 2004. Restoration of Common 

Murre colonies in central California: Annual report 2003. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

McChesney, G.J., N.M. Jones, T.B. Poitras, K.J. Vickers, L.E. Eigner, H.R. Carter, R.T. Golightly, 

S.W. Kress, M.W. Parker, K. Studnicki, P.J. Capitolo, and J.N. Hall. 2005. Restoration of 

Common Murre colonies in central California: Annual report 2004. Unpublished report, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 

Newark, California. 

24
 
Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

McChesney, G.J., L.E. Eigner, T.B. Poitras, P.J. Kappes, D. Le Fer, L.T. Nason, P.J. Capitolo, H. 

Beeler, C.E. Fitzpatrick, R.T. Golightly, K.S. Bixler, H.R. Carter, S.W. Kress, and M.W. 

Parker. 2006. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central California: Annual report 

2005. Unpublished report, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National 

Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

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. 

McChesney, G.J., L.E. Eigner, P.J. Kappes, T.B. Poitras, D.N. Lontoh, S.J. Rhoades, N.J. Metheny, 

R.T. Golightly, P.J. Capitolo, H.R. Carter, S.W. Kress, and M.W. Parker. 2008. Restoration 

of Common Murre colonies in central California: Annual report 2007. Unpublished report, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 

Newark, California. 

McChesney, G.J., D.N. Lontoh, S.J. Rhoades, K.A. Borg, E.L. Donnelly, M.E. Gilmour, P.J. Kappes, 

L.E. Eigner, and R.T. Golightly. 2009. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central 

California: annual report 2008. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San 

Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

r, N. and W.J. Sydeman. 2002. Statistical analysis of the ‘k’ correction factor used in population 

assessments of murres: implications for monitoring. Unpublished report, Point Reyes Bird 

Nu

Observatory, Stinson Beach, California. 

Parker, M.W. 2005. Comparison of breeding performance, co-attendance, and chick provisioning 

rates of breeding Common Murres (Uria aalge) as early indicators for ecological monitoring. 

Unpublished M.S. Thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. 

Parker, M.W., E.B. McLaren, S.E. Schubel, J.A. Boyce, P.J. Capitolo, M.A. Ortwerth, S.W. Kress, 

H.R. Carter, and A. Hutzel. 1997. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central coastal 

California: Annual Report 1996. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San 

Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

arker, M.W., E.B. McLaren, J.A. Boyce, V. Collins, D.A. Nothhelfer, R. J. Young, S.W. Kress, 

H.R. Carter, and A.M. Hutzel. 1998. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central 

California: Annual Report 1997. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San 

Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

P

Parker, M.W., J.A. Boyce, E.N. Craig, H. Gellerman, D.A. Nothhelfer, R.J. Young, S.W. Kress, H.R. 

Carter, and G. Moore. 1999. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central California: 

Annual Report 1998. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay 

National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

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Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report 

Parker, M.W., J.A. Boyce,R. Young, N. Rojek, C. Hamilton, V. Slowik, H. Gellerman, S. Kress, H. 

Carter, G. Moore, L.J. Cohen. 2000. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central 

California: Annual Report 1999. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San 

Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

Parker, M., C. Hamilton, I. Harrald, H. Knechtel, M. Murphy, V. Slowik, H. Carter, S. Kress, 

R. Golightly and S. Boehm. 2001. Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central 

California: Annual Report 2000. Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San 

Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

arker, M.W., H. Knechtel, M. Murphy, N. Jones, C. Hamilton, C. Caurant, B. Acord. 2002. 

Restoration of Common Murre colonies in central California: Annual Report 2001. 

P

Unpublished report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife 

Refuge Complex, Newark, California. 

Singer, S.W. 1999. Murrelet habitat management guidelines for the Gazos Mountain Camp property. 

Unpublished report, Steven Singer Environmental and Ecological Services, Santa Cruz, 

California. 

Singer, S. 2007. Gazos Mountain Camp murrelet monitoring program. Unpublished report, Singer 

Environmental & Ecological Services, Santa Cruz, California.* 

Singer, S. 2009. Results of 2009 Marbled Murrelet surveys at Gazos Mountain Camp. Unpublished 

report, Singer Environmental & Ecological Services, Santa Cruz, California.* 

Singer, S., and T. Hamer. 2004. Gazos Creek Marbled Murrelet monitoring program: Biannual 

report 2004. Unpublished report, Singer Environmental & Ecological Services, Santa Cruz, 

California, and Hamer Environmental, Vernon, Washington. 

Singer, S., and T. Hamer. 2006. Gazos Creek Marbled Murrelet monitoring program: Biannual 

report 2006. Unpublished report, Singer Environmental & Ecological Services, Santa Cruz, 

California, and Hamer Environmental, Vernon, Washington. 

Singer, S., and T. Hamer. 2008. Gazos Creek Marbled Murrelet monitoring program: Biannual 

report 2008. Unpublished report, Singer Environmental & Ecological Services, Santa Cruz, 

California, and Hamer Environmental, Vernon, Washington. 

Sydeman, W.J., J.A. Thayer, M.M. Hester, and N.P. Fairman. 1998. Colony formation and nest 

site selection of Common Murres on Southeast Farallon Island, California, 1984-1997. 

Unpublished report, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, California. 

*Reports not funded by Apex Houston but associated with the Apex Houston funded project. 

26
 
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Apex Houston Trustee Council Final Report

 

 

 

Additional Credits: 

Design:

 Sandra Rhoades 

Contributors:

 Janet Whitlock, Gerard McChesney, Lisa Eigner, 

 Sandra Rhoades, Steven Singer, Thomas Hamer,

 Steve Hampton, Michelle Hester, Jennifer Boyce 

Front Cover Photos (top to bottom, left to right): 

Lisa Eigner, USFWS, Nick Metheny 

Inside Back Cover photo: 

USFWS 

GIS Maps:

 Gerard McChesney (Figure 2)
 

Lisa Eigner (Figure 5)
 

Judd Muskat (Figure 7)
 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

2800 Cottage Way 

Sacramento,CA 95825 

Printed on Recycled Paper
 

(Inside pages 100% post-consumer; Cover 30% 


post-consumer)