Location: Carlt
on Plaza
Presenter: Mark Rauzon and Meredith Elliott
Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) are seabir
ds known to use urban structures as nesting habitat. The old east span of t
he San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the eastern portion of the Richmond
-San Rafael Bridge have hosted the two largest colonies of this species in
the region. However, now these colonies are declining, and structures they
once used to nest on are either being dismantled or blocked off for mainten
ance activities. So it begs the question: where will the cormorants nest in
the future? Will they move to new areas of the bridges, adopt the artifici
al platforms we designed for them on the new bay bridge, or leave the centr
al bay altogether?
Come learn from the research condu
cted by Mark Rauzon and Meredith Elliott for the past three decades about t
he population dynamics of this resilient species and the efforts to study t
he Bay Area population of this adaptable, yet maligned, bird.
Mark Rauzon was with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, where he s
tudied sea birds and endangered marine mammals in Hawaii, Alaska, and Calif
ornia. He is also an expert in the effects of invasive animals and plants
on tropical islands. His latest book
Isles of Amnesia
details his experiences.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0824846796/ref=pe_825000_114660910_TE_itemMark is also a research associate with Point Blue and a Geography pr
ofessor at Laney College in Oakland.
Meredith Elliott is a Senio
r Scientist at Point Blue Conservation Science and has worked on a variety
of seabird monitoring and diet projects, as well as researching Least Terns
of Alameda, zooplankton communities in Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank
National Marine Sanctuaries.