Forest Servile United States Depa~ment of the interior Bureau of Land Management General Technical Report PNW-133 September 1981 ser is a ~ildiife biologist, U.S. ~epa~rn e Interior, Bureau of La gement (stationed at Sciences Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon. Science Center, ~ewpo Sciences Laborato~, Corvallis, Oregon. T. se is a soil scientist, U.S. wa t of culture, Forest Service, Pacific rthwest Forest and ange ~xperim Station, lnst~tute of orthern Forestry, Fairbanks, Alaska. Natural History of Oregon Coast Mammals Chris Maser Bruce R. Mate Jerry F. Franklin C. T. Dyrness Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-133 September 1981 Published in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management U.S. Department of the Interior Abstract Maser, Chris, Bruce R. Mate, Jerry F. Franklin, and C. T. Dyrness. 1981. Natural history of Oregon coast mammals. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-133, 496 p. Pac. Northwest For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oreg. The book presents detailed information on the biology, habitats, and life histories of the 96 species of mammals of the Oregon coast. Soils, geology, and vegetation are described and related to wildlife habitats for the 65 terrestrial and 31 marine species. The book is not simply an identification guide to the Oregon coast mammals but is a dynamic portrayal of their habits and habitats. Life histories are based on fieldwork and available literature. An extensive bibliography is included. Personal anecdotes of the authors provide entertaining reading. The book should be of use to students, educators, land-use planners, resource managers, wildlife biologists, and naturalists. Keywords: Natural history, mammals (marine), mammals (land), Oregon coast, wildlife habitat. Foreword It is a privilege to write a foreword to Natural Hisfory of Oregon Coast Mammals. I have observed the production of this book since its inception and believe it has two qualities that especially recommend it: First, it is timely, attuned to the almost indescribable sense of frustrated urgency that environmental matters must be dealt with by a mixture of wisdom, information, and common sense that seems impossible to obtain. Second, this book is one of authority, by writers who are able to give the best and most accurate accounting of the ecosystems that make up the coastal region of Oregon. It can be looked on as a model for similar treatises, and in fact it contains much information that is applicable to other areas. Allow me to expand briefly on these two points. We are living in a schizophrenic time: There is need for wise use of our resources and there is the companion need for sensible conservation. As residents of the Pacific Northwest, a phenomenally satisfying part of the world, we see the require- ment and the push to provide an ever-better life for more and more people. This may be called the “Development Syndrome.” It is well known and self explanatory. At the same time we know the extreme preciousness of naturalness and nature, called by many terms and related to inner feelings. This may be termed simply and best as the “Concern for Nature Syndrome.” This syndrome is difficult to describe for it is different in each person. It embodies emotional requirements of feelings and perceptions. It combines remembrances with objective appraisals and hopes for the future. It is concerned with a basic need for stability in a chang- ing world, for places that are changeless from childhood memories through pres- ent experiences into plans for the future. As many writers have compellingly stated, wilderness (or varieties of wilderness as perceived by the individual) is the symbolic evidence of the concern for nature. We, each of us, have our own needs and our own interpretations, stated or not, as to how these needs may be manifested and fulfilled. Theodore Roosevelt wrote iii (Hunting Trips of a Ranchman, Century, 1885): “In the after years there shall come forever the memory of melancholy marshes-of the great breadth of the evergreen forest in summer-of all the innumerable sights and sounds of the wilderness- and of the silences that brood in its still depths.” Rachel Carson stated (The Edge of the Sea, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1955): “The shore is an ancient world for as long as there has been an earth and sea there has been this place of meeting of land and water. Each time that I enter it, I gain some new awareness of its beauty and its inner meanings, sensing that intricate fabric of life by which one creature is linked with another, and each with its own surroundings.” Vie Scheffer brings an up-to-date quote (Adventures of a Zoologist, Charles Scribners Sons, 1980): “Public attitudes are beginning to change as a result of awareness of our dependence upon, and responsibilities for, natural ecosystems, and awareness of the value of living organisms whether human or not.” Thinking people want information that allows them to arrive at decisions that may be stated with confidence and that will withstand the attacks of other persons less well informed. Whenever concerned individuals are caught between the Development Syndrome and the Concern for Nature Syndrome, as they may be in personal or business actions, in voting, or in simply making their minds up on items of personal satisfaction, there must be “best ways” of proceeding. This book allows the reader to look clearly at the ecosystems-the soil and its deter- mining contributions, the plant communities and their influencing of habitats, and the spectrum of mammalian species from the oceans into the coastal mountains. The perceiving reader will no longer believe that management for any single species of plant or animal is the proper way to evaluate programs. This reader will better understand why natural ecosystems of smaller or larger sizes are required by our fellow mammalian beings, and will thus be able to help act as a concerned citizen for the benefits of those now living and those of the future. When develop- ing or changing an ecosystem becomes necessary, as indeed it will in many par- ticular areas, our modern citizen of the Oregon coast (and other similar areas) will be able to consider the balance of destruction and preservation and make the “best” decisions. So much for my perception of the major reason for this text, as an educative and reference resource for us, the ordinary citizens. Beyond that, we are privileged to have refined for us the specialized knowledges of several distinguished scientists in special fields, Chris Maser, Bruce Mate, Jerry Franklin, and Ted Dyrness. Each is an active research scientist of stature and author of numerous significant articles. Most significant from my perspective is that they each qualify as a “resident” scientist-one who has lived in the area for a prolonged period-who has experienced the environmental stresses, the “good” and “bad” years, felt the rain and wind and freezing, the sun and salt spray, and can sense the many factors that make up the ecosystem needed by the mammals described. We have, therefore, a book that is worthy, an authoritative accurate reference book for the scientist. Many books in natural science purport to be suitable for both the scientist and the interested amateur. This is a most difficult combination, but I believe one will find that this book satisfies the criteria in an admirable way. And I would add this sug- gestion of fact: Another frequently sought attribute for a book has been ac- complished-although not written as a book to read at length, I daresay that on many occasions the reader will look for a particular subject, then be fascinated with the unfolding of the descriptive story and proceed to discover the ecosystem and its inhabitants. This is the way all books should be written! Murray L. Johnson, M.D. Curator of Mammals Puget Sound Museum of Natural History Tacoma, Washington V Preface Natural disturbances, such as wildfires and catastrophic windstorms, have always been part of the scene on the Oregon coast-creating, destroying, and altering habitats. Wind and rain of severe winter storms unleashed erosion, changing mountain slopes, streams, rivers, wetlands, and beaches. In recent times, human activity has caused rapid and extensive changes in the landscape. Forests have been cut for wood fiber and cleared for farmlands and towns. Wetlands have been drained and diked to pasture dairy herds. Fishing has removed natural stocks of salmon, steelhead, and trout, only to be substituted by stocks from hatcheries. Sand dunes have been stabilized to prevent encroachment on human developments. Recreational activities and facilities have become increasingly popular. Exotic plants and animals have been introduced. Some of the plants have displaced native organisms; others have created new habitats and ecosystems. The forest lands of the Oregon coast are among the most productive in the world. As demands for wood fiber increase, these forests will be used and managed more intensively. This in turn will affect the wildlife species in the area and will have an impact on both the species present and their numbers. As resource management becomes more and more complex, land managers will need more complete and accurate information about the wildlife and their habitats. This book is a reference for students, educators, planners, and managers. It is not simply a guide to the mammals but is an attempt to portray a dynamic picture of the habitats, the habitat requirements, and the life histories of the 96 species that inhabit the Oregon coast. Each life history is based both on our fieldwork and on information in the literature. Most of the land mammals of the Oregon coast occur throughout much of the State.