The state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to reclassify the marbled murrelet seabird as endangered after a marathon daylong meeting in a ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel near Portland International Airport.

Commissioners voted 4-2 to support the uplisting proposal in response to a petition from several environmental groups. The decision kick-starts a recovery plan for the seabird, which was first listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1992. The commission will meet again in June, when it is expected to hear a survival plan for the bird.

The vote also puts Oregon on the same page as neighboring California and Washington, which both uplisted the seabird from threatened to endangered in recent years. It’s unclear what the decision would mean for the timber industry, though large and small interests lobbied against the vote Friday.

The commission, appointed by the governor, deliberated for more than an hour after hearing approximately 90 minutes of testimony from both supporters of the effort and detractors. Commissioners spent much of the morning being briefed by wildlife staff, Oregon Department of Forestry officials and Oregon State University researchers who are undertaking an extensive study of the bird’s range and nesting habits.

Bob Sallinger, conservation director for the Audubon Society of Portland, seemed stunned by the decision, which came after commissioners were initially deadlocked at a 3-3.

“This is a really exciting day,” Sallinger said moments after the vote, “but it’s also a sad day that we’ve now recognized that this species is on the brink of extinction.”

Sara Duncan, director of public affairs for the Oregon Forest & Industries Council, issued a statement saying the group was disappointed.

“Decisions of this magnitude that come at staggering costs to rural Oregon communities should be informed by contemporary science,” she said, citing an ongoing study by Oregon State University researchers, “and we’re disheartened that doesn’t appear to be the case in today’s decision.”

The vote now puts the state on a fast-track to approve new rules and regulations to protect the seabird. The state’s forestry board is working on a separate track to approve rules governing private forested lands, but those rules may still be nearly two years from being finalized.

Murrelets are diving seabirds that nest in older-growth forest along the coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and parts of northern and central California.