So there you have it.

• The Marbled Murrelet is an endangered seabird.
• The Marbled Murrelet is eaten by crows and other corvids.
• Crows associate people with food and tend to follow hikers.
• The Westwind Trail bisects what is perhaps the largest stand of Marbled Murrelet habitat left in Washington State.
• The addition of the trail closure was added to and existing project after the public comment period had passed. No public review was required by law.

The Full Explanation Arrives

A few days later I got a reply from Karen Clevenger, Records Manager with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

It said, "Brian Yearout forwarded your email below to me for response since I had recently provided a response written by Jessica Logan, one of State Parks' Environmental Specialists, for a similar request. A copy of her response is attached to this email. This concludes our response to your request for public records or information."

There was a .PDF file attached with the following: (Click to see full sized)