BREMERTON — State land managers are weighing five long-term strategies aimed at saving a small threatened seabird that nest in old-growth trees.
The Kitsap Sun says the proposals range from maintaining the status quo to protecting more than 730,000 acres for the marbled murrelet. The bird was listed as threatened in 1992 after decades of logging and development stripped away much of its nesting habitat.
The proposals by the Department of Natural Resources focus on state trust lands in Western Washington with old-growth forests and near marine waters. The agency says it can maintain timber revenues while also balancing conservation goals.
The agency’s next step is to develop environmental impact statements for the proposals.
