The marbled murrelet saga: climbing to new heights
The story of the Upper Carmanah, more than anything else, is the story of how expert (and dedicated) rock climbers adapted modem climbing techniques to scale the towering old-growth Sitka spruce, western redcedar and western hemlock. They climbed for two reasons: to carry out the canopy insect research, and to search for marbled murrelet nests
John Kelson was one of the first climbers to appear in the Upper Carmanah, and he was instrumental in establishing the original research platforms. But he is best remembered as the climber who scaled tree after tree in the Carmanah and neighbouring Walbran Valley hunting for a most elusive goal--the nest of a marbled murrelet. Fewer than 30 such nests have been found worldwide, and until Kelson began his quest, none had been found in British Columbia, although thousands of marbled murrelets living in the offshore waters are observed flying in and out of the old growth forest at dusk and dawn -during nesting season.
Now virtually non-existent south of the border--almost all of their old growth coastal forests are logged--the marbled murrelet is found primarily along the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska. The bird is officially designated as "threatened", which is just one step away from "endangered". The Carmanah and the neighbouring Walbran valleys appear to be the nesting area of the densest populations of marbled murrelets in all of British Columbia.
University of Victoria seabird biologist Dr. Alan Burger, supported with funds from the World Wildlife Fund and a number of other benefactors, has supervised marbled murrelet study teams in the Carmanah Valley for four summers, trying to learn more about the kinds of old-growth habitat the marbled murrelets prefer.
"The Carmanah is basically an intact watershed," says Dr. Burger, "making it one of the few places where we can carry out a comprehensive study of marbled murrelet behaviour."
Because the marbled murrelet is dependent on old-growth forests for its survival, says Burger, the little seabird acts as an indicator of the health of the forest as a whole. As the old-growth continues to be logged, the number of marbled murrelets is likely to decrease.
In 1990 John Kelson, together with marbled murrelet researcher Irene Manley, climbed over 40 trees in the Carmanah and adjacent Walbran Valley looking for one tiny marbled murrelet nest. Being careful neither to damage the trees nor disturb potential nests, they finally found what they were looking for high in an old Sitka spruce tree in the Walbran.
It turned out to be little more than a small depression in a mat of green moss blanketing a thick branch of the tree. It was not occupied at that time; the only clear indication Kelson had that he had truly found a bird's nest was the little circle of bird dung surrounding the nest's perimeter. Later in the laboratory it was confirmed to be marbled murrelet poop.
A year later Kelson and Manley returned to the same area and found another nest in a nearby tree, re-enforcing the point that the Walbran is a rich nesting habitat for the marbled murrelet. Yet all around these two nesting trees the ancient forest of the Walbran Valley kept falling to the chainsaw.
Although researchers regularly-viewed marbled murrelets flying up the adjacent Carmanah Valley, they were never able to find an actual nest in the forest canopy of the Carmanah until last year. It turned out to be hidden away in a western hemlock tree located Upper Carmanah foot-bridge In winter a short walk from the research station itself.
Upper Carmanah foot-bridge in winter.
Clearly, marbled murrelet nests are not easy to find--even though they can be all around you. Alan Burger has been trying to get across the significance of this point to government and industry for years now.
"I find it disgraceful," say Dr. Burger, "that we have a seabird species designated as threatened, and yet we continue to allow its prime nesting habitat in the Walbran--and possibly in the Upper Carmanah--to be destroyed by logging".
WCWC continues to battle in court to get the federal government to do an environmental assessment of the area because of its obligation to protect nesting migratory birds. Under the International Migratory Birds Convention, federal regulations make it illegal to disturb nesting Marbled Murrelets. So far the federal government has refused to do the assessment and the Federal Court at trial ruled against WCWC. The committee waited over two years to get a written decision, an unprecedented amount of time. Meanwhile, suspected nesting sites were destroyed by clearcut logging. The apparent disinterest expressed by the court discourages those who seek resolution of environmental disputes through the legal channels.
The Committee recently filed notice of appeal. This is another expensive endeavour that taxes the limited funds of the Committee.
