Get In the Picture This Summer!

All summer long, grab your camera and head outdoors to become part of an online image mosaic being compiled from thousands of photos.

Get outside and celebrate freedom and independence from being indoors by visiting a National Wildlife Refuge, a National Fish Hatchery -- or even a stream or woods in your own neighborhood. Then share your best photo of you and your family enjoying nature with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its "Let's Go Outside" photo project. Submissions for the image mosaic are being accepted from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Here's all you have to do >

Algae Bloom Along Washington Coast

Beginning October 19, 2009, distressed seabirds began coming ashore along the Washington and Northern Oregon coasts. In Washington, the most birds have been found along the Long Beach Peninsula and the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

The birds appear to be wet and hypothermic. Many birds are dead upon arrival on the beach and others die soon after.

This event appears to be similar to a September 2009 event along the northern Washington coast that claimed thousands of seabirds. That event was associated with a harmful algae bloom. At this time, the biologists believe the current event is a natural occurrence associated with climatic conditions.

Biologists believe foam created during the breakdown of the algae through wave action interferes with the ability of the bird's feathers to shed water. Once the water penetrates the bird's feathers they are no longer able to stay warm or afloat and they drown or suffer hypothermia. Birds that reach shore are sometimes able to clean themselves and restore their buoyancy and heat retention.

Biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology, and Washington's coastal tribes are conducting an ongoing scientific investigation. The USFWS contracted for aerial surveys of the coastal area on October 28 to assess the scope of the incident, including extent of the algae foam's distribution and the distribution of birds that could be affected. Biological samples have been collected and are under examination at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Biologists are also collating numbers and species of potentially-involved birds and other animals. Investigation results will be reviewed and used to determine appropriate responses to any future events. Numbers of distressed birds and foam distribution appear to have declined in the last few days but biologists are continuing to monitor the situation.

The public is encouraged, for their own safety and that of the birds, to stay away from the birds. Approaching or attempting to assist stressed wildlife only further increases the danger to both wildlife and humans. Please keep all pets, especially dogs, away from distressed wildlife.

Marbled Murrelet Remains Threatened

Completion of 5-year status review confirms that the tri-state population of marbled murrelets is a valid Distinct Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today the completion of a 5-year status review of the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), a rare seabird native to the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

In conducting the review, Service biologists considered more than 100 studies completed since the agency's last 5-year review in 2004. These documents, and other information, revealed that the marbled murrelet population in Washington, Oregon and California continues to decline and faces a broad range of threats, such as nesting habitat loss and fragmentation and predation.

"Our review shows this remarkable bird remains in trouble," Berg said. "The Service is committed to working with our partners to stop this downward population trend and get this species on the road to recovery."

The 5-year status review and other related information can be found at:

5-Year Review (pdf) (880kb) - 6/12/09

News Release - 6/17/09

Learn more >