GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- A federal oil spill fund has been tapped for more than $15 million Tuesday to buy nesting habitat for the threatened sea bird, the marbled murrelet.

The marbled murrlet.

Officials said it was harmed by the 1999 grounding of the New Carissa.

The nearly 4,000 acres, where logging was already restricted to protect nesting trees for the birds, was bought from Forest Capital Partners and Plum Creek Timber Company.

It was turned over to the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz.

The 660-foot freighter New Carissa ran aground at the entrance to Coos Bay and spilled 25,000 to 140,000 gallons of fuel oil.

Authorities estimated that about 2,500 sea birds were killed or injured, including 262 marbled murrelets. Their threatened species status has forced reductions in logging old-growth forests where they nest.