The Center for the Future of Forests and Society presents the second lecture in the CFFS Speaks Fall 2025 series!

The Enigma of the Pacific: When Rarity Creates Legends (and the Science That Follows)

Wednesday, Nov. 19

4-5 p.m. in PFSC 315

Reception 5-6 p.m. in PFSC Treehouse

Join Jennifer Bailey Guerrero to trace the historical search for the marbled murrelet's nest — the ultimate North American ornithological mystery for more than a century. As the elusive seabird gained near-mythological status in the Pacific Northwest, policymakers faced a critical dilemma: How could they manage a threatened species when its nesting sites were unknown? The talk will highlight how the Oregon Marbled Murrelet Project’s successful efforts to locate and study nests deepened understanding of murrelet nesting habitat while opening new and complex questions for the future.

Bailey Guerrero — who is the targeted research coordinator for the College of Forestry and has served as a program manager for the Oregon Marbled Murrelet Project, Elliott State Research Forest and Indigenous Natural Resource Office — integrates deep interdisciplinary experience into her work. Prior to coming to OSU, Jenn served in the Peace Corps in rural Paraguay, where she collaborated with the community of Pindoyu on ecocultural restoration projects. She holds a bachelors in Earth Science and Geology and a masters in Biological Oceanography and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State, connecting the geologic past, the marine present and the forest futures.