No More Trees?
A lot of people love going to national parks and forests to see the amazing and small traces of undestroyed wildlife that still exists. Old-growth forests are a huge attraction for many. The tall trees that reach high into the sky where you can barely see the tops, and the misty fog that rolls in giving it a surreal, almost unworldly feel. Those very forests, and the memories that come with them, could disappear along with the Marbled Murrelets.
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The Marbled Murrelets use the old-growth forests to nest in and live. Marbled Murrelets can be found in the forests along the coast of California, Oregon, and Canada. Typically the Murrelets will be found in protected national old-growth forest parks in California. Additionally, they fertilize both terrestrial and aquatic vegetation with their excrement. That role might sound small and insignificant but Marbled Murrelets are an indicator species as well. Marbled Murrelets need very specific nesting areas. The trees must be tall with a lot of canopies for the Marbled Murrelets to hide in, which requires a high functioning ecosystem. If the trees fail to meet these requirements the Marbled Murrelets will leave. This would be very alarming, to humans, in that area. (Kaufman, 2019).