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Alder Creek
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Alder Creek
(Updated October 2002)
Lower Alder Creek is a high gradient stream surrounded by steep rocky slopes with many windswept and deformed trees. Portions of lower Alder Creek contain patches of old growth redwood and Douglas fir that serve as habitat for marbled murrelets. Many of the mature second-growth conifers, particularly Douglas fir, are deformed from disease and storm damage and may also contain nesting platforms suitable for marbled murrelets. Much of the suitable habitat in Alder Creek is atypical compared to what is commonly described as murrelet nesting habitat elsewhere in the murrelet's range (e.g. moss covered, decadent old growth trees). The unique growing conditions, rugged topography, relatively short distance to the coast, and minimal logging activity in many stands have allowed a murrelet population to persist in Alder Creek over the years. Additionally, because few murrelets have been detected outside of Alder Creek in Mendocino county, it appears that lower Alder Creek represents one of the last remaining historical refuges for the marbled murrelet within the county.
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