BLM OR/WA: National Landscape Conservation System/Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area Seabird Study

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This study will investigate the ecological mechanisms affecting productivity and population dynamics of seabirds at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (YHONA). The recipient will study the reproductive biology, foraging ecology, population dynamics of breeding seabirds nesting at YHONA, as well as the impacts of seabird predators such as increasing populations of bald eagles. The recipient will work closely with YHONA staff and USFWS personnel from the Oregon Coast Refuge Complex (who have jurisdiction over most seabird colonies in Oregon) to understand why remarkable population changes have taken place and what future changes might be expected. These strategic partnerships also will ensure that results are communicated to key resource management entities in a timely fashion. Field staff working on this project will provide weekly research updates to BLM and USFWS interpreters at the lighthouse and directly to the public through regular interactions.

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