Marbled Murrelet Critical Habitat

This data layer depicts lands designated as critical habitat under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act for the Marbled Murrelet in California. Critical habitat is the specific area within the geographic range of the species, occupied by the species at the time it was listed, that contain the physical or biological features that are essential to the conservation of endangered and threatened species and that may need special management or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that were not occupied by the species at the time of listing but are essential to its conservation. This species is only found in the Northern and Central California Regions.

Critical habitat designations affect only Federal agency actions or federally funded or permitted activities. Critical habitat designations do not affect activities by private landowners if there is no Federal "nexus"'€”that is, no Federal funding or authorization. Federal agencies are required to avoid "destruction" or "adverse modification" of designated critical habitat. The ESA requires the designation of "critical habitat" for listed species when "prudent and determinable."

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated January 17, 2025, 06:42 (UTC)
Created January 17, 2025, 06:42 (UTC)
category /Biodiversity Conservation/Focal Species/Birds
collection_name California Landscape Metrics
creation_method Polygon layer from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife BIOS downloaded and converted to raster by the CLPM team. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) determined that the critical habitat for the marbled murrelet ( _Brachyramphus marmoratus_ ), as designated in 1996 and revised in 2011, meets the statutory definition of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The current designation includes approximately 3,698,100 acres (1,497,000 hectares) of critical habitat in the States of Washington, Oregon, and California. Final rule published at[ 61 FR 26256](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/61-FR-26256) and effective on June 24, 1996, as revised at[ 76 FR 61599](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/76-FR-61599), and effective on November 4, 2011. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service originally proposed to designate critical habitat for the marbled murrelet ( _Brachyramphus marmoratus marmoratus_ ) in Washington, Oregon, and California on January 27, 1994 (59 FR 3811). Based on comments received on the original proposal and additional information, the Service published a supplemental proposed designation of critical habitat for the marbled murrelet on August 10, 1995 (60 FR 40892). The marbled murrelet is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Act). It is a small seabird of the Alcidae family that forages in the near-shore marine environment and nests in large trees in coniferous forests. Located primarily on Federal land, and to a lesser extent on State, county, city, and private lands, this final critical habitat rule would provide additional protection requirements under section 7 of the Act with regard to activities that are funded, authorized, or carried out by a Federal agency. Section 4 of the Act requires the Service to designate critical habitat for listed species on the basis of the best scientific information available and to consider the economic and other relevant impacts of including particular areas in the designation.
data_units Binary, 0/1
data_vintage 01/2011
encoding utf8
file_name MarbledMurreletCriticalHab_201101_202401_T2_v5
format GeoTiff
harvest_object_id f996fe50-9b1f-4d85-ba21-40874e850c3d
harvest_source_id a2637971-af12-457f-ae4a-831d2202a539
harvest_source_title WIFIRE Commons
maximum_value 1.0
metric_definition_and_relevance This data layer depicts lands designated as critical habitat under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act for the Marbled Murrelet in California. Critical habitat is the specific area within the geographic range of the species, occupied by the species at the time it was listed, that contain the physical or biological features that are essential to the conservation of endangered and threatened species and that may need special management or protection. Critical habitat may also include areas that were not occupied by the species at the time of listing but are essential to its conservation. This species is only found in the Northern and Central California Regions. Critical habitat designations affect only Federal agency actions or federally funded or permitted activities. Critical habitat designations do not affect activities by private landowners if there is no Federal "nexus"'€”that is, no Federal funding or authorization. Federal agencies are required to avoid "destruction" or "adverse modification" of designated critical habitat. The ESA requires the designation of "critical habitat" for listed species when "prudent and determinable."
minimum_value 0.0
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-124.61412304098114, 36.63499645639327], [-121.74450628614979, 36.63499645639327], [-121.74450628614979, 42.112310838144175], [-124.61412304098114, 42.112310838144175], [-124.61412304098114, 36.63499645639327]]]}
tier 2