Critter Geek

An oil spill tragedy in San Francisco Bay will have have effects on local wildlife for years. But what can we do for affected wildlife now? As satisfying as it might be to head out to the beaches and pick up oiled birds, it’s not what you want to do.

The fuel that has spilled into the bay is toxic to marine life, AND to humans. You don’t want contact with this material yourself. Birds are perhaps most visibly affected because the oil coats their feathers. This makes them unable to thermoregulate; then they preen in an attempt to clean the oil, and ingest it.

Most articles and posts I’m seeing list Oiled Wildlife Care Network as the central source for volunteer information. Check their site in coming days for ways to help. Bay Keeper is asking potential volunteers to send them email.

We’re fortunate in the Bay Area to have both International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRCC) and the Marine Mammal Center as resources to help with the spill. You’ll find an interesting FAQ on IBRRC’s site about the process of rehabilitating an oiled bird. Visit both web sites for information and ways you can help with this spill. While hands-on rescue requires training, there may be ways you can help by transporting birds, preparing food, build cages, and answering phones. Check IBRRC’s wishlist for items you might have around the house that you can donate. What’s the most effective way you can help? Probably by making and asking for donations of money for these organizations, so they can do what they do best. Will you donate to IBRRC?

For a “historical” view of this oil spill, you can visit the San Francisco Coast Guard web site…they seem to be running about a day behind on everything related to this emergency. Another fine service from your department of homeland security. Maybe we should start praying that they don’t bring in FEMA.

Update: This information, posted to local bird lists by Tom Rusert of SonomaBirding.org, contains excellent details about what can help the most right now:

In addition, I’d like to issue a special plea for birders please to try and get to “places less traveled” where you know there to be birds. We got over 40 calls yesterday reporting one oiled surf scoter at Crissy Fields; one call reporting 40 oiled clapper rails in Anderson Marsh would really help sort out rescue triage.

The sooner, the better. The faster we can get these birds stabilized and washed, the higher their chances of recovery and survival.

Calls from the general public wanting to volunteer outnumbered bird reports yesterday by about 5-1. Volunteer opportunities for untrained members of the public are going to be very limited over the next few days but here’s a critical one: please make a special effort to look for oiled birds in places where the general public doesn’t go. Don’t approach or touch the birds but call 877-823-6926 and provide the location (be very specific, GPS coordinates are great), the species, number of birds seen, whether dead or alive, and percentage of oiling.

Please leave your name and a contact phone number. We are inundated and most of my veterinary and administrative coworkers have left Davis; of the ones of us still here who are answering this number, I’m the only one who’s likely to know what a clapper rail is, so please be patient if you get through to a live person.

Under no circumstances should people touch or approach an oiled animal unless they have HAZWOPER training and are properly equipped. If you see someone doing this, please remind them that this is toxic material.

Many thanks.
Alison Kent
Davis, California
Oiled Wildlife Care Network
Wildlife Health Center
(530) 752-3809
To Report an Oiled Bird: (877) 823-6926

It sounds like a good rule of thumb is DO call to report oiled wildlife, but watch web sites and mailing lists for announcements about other ways to help.