Emily is awesome!

The title of Becky’s last blog was so true I thought I would use it again.  We’re very proud of her!  She showed off her awesomeness again this past weekend, when she helped teach a wetlab to the UC Davis veterinary student Wildlife, Avian, and Aquatic Medicine club.

Apparently, it was a rough week of exams for first, second, and third year veterinary students, but nonetheless, 13 students got up early on Saturday, drove out to Cordelia, and participated in a lecture and hands-on workshop on oiled bird care.  A major focus of the workshop was avian anatomy as it relates to physical examination, and the students were able to practice some exam skills on seabird carcasses, saved for us by International Bird Rescue staff.

It was a great group of students – they asked plenty of good questions and really got into the lab.  They get a lot a information thrown at them in veterinary school, so it’s pretty impressive that these students came out on a weekend to get some more.  After practicing their physical exam skills, they practiced some basic clinical skills, performed mock intake and processing on the carcasses, and even applied protective wraps.  During the next spill, maybe we’ll see their smiling faces helping oil-affected birds.

Thanks to all the students who came out last weekend!  We applaud your energy, enthusiasm, and dedication.  Now have a great weekend and relax a little . . . . you deserve it!

Christine

Emily is Awesome…and some other OWCN News

Exciting news on the OWCN home-front – our own Emily Whitmer was nominated for, and won, a 2013 Citation of Excellence award from the UC Davis Staff Assembly!  These awards go to UC Davis staff who have shown outstanding achievement in general contributions, campus service, or supervision.  Congratulations to Emily from the whole OWCN team!

Registration is now open for our upcoming live webinar, Avian Cleaning, which will cover the stages and techniques of washing and rinsing oiled birds.  This webinar will be presented on May 29th by Curt Clumpner of International Bird Rescue.  If you are an OWCN Member Organization or Affiliated Agency staff member or volunteer, and wish to participate in this webinar, please contact your organization for the registration link.

And finally, registration for this year’s Oilapalooza conference will be available mid-summer.  This event is open to staff and key volunteers from OWCN’s Member Organization.  If you are interested in attending, you should speak with the OWCN representatives from your organization.  Please remember that completion of the OWCN Online Training Series will be required prior to registration for this event.

-Becky

Recorded Webinar – Avian Pre-Wash Care

Hello Everyone,

In case you missed Emily’s webinar, “Avian Pre-Wash Care”, it is now available to view as a recording.  Please contact the volunteer coordinator at your member organization for registration details.

Coming up next will be “Avian Cleaning”, followed by “Avian Pre-Release Conditioning”.  Check back with us in the next few weeks for the registration announcement.

Also, stay tuned for the 8-hr HAZWOPER refresher, which will be available to our Member Organizations during the month of June.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Becky

Jam-Packed Week in the World of Wildlife!

Hello all-

Wow!  What a busy week for wildlife issues and events – some good and some not so much. To keep this blog post at Kaiti-approved length (for those of you who are old like me and remember our former Volunteer Coordinator-turned-ecolawyer), here are the highlights:

 

Deepwater Horizon Spill (Courtesy Wikipedia)

Apr 20th = 3rd year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Spill. It’s hard to believe that it has been three years since that event rocked the oil spill world. Efforts are still underway to understand the impacts to the Gulf of Mexico from this blowout, with some info just now being released on marine mammal issues (see below). On the readiness side, the OWCN is finalizing a first draft of new and expanded national Oiled Marine Mammal Guidelines for NOAA-NMFS that will hopefully help address some of the key issues this spill raised.

Apr 21 = Oiled wildlife training for the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM) conference, hosted by The Marine Mammal Center. Christine, Nancy and I gave a day-long course to over 40 international marine animal professionals (mostly marine mammal vets, but several others of various ilk). The course was long on Powerpoints (cramming oil spill info on mammal and birds species over a short time period), but did include a great hands-on portion where TMMC allowed us to do “processing and intake” on four juvenile elephant seals. Overall, it was a great enthusiastic group – special thx to Frances Gulland and Tenaya Norris for organizing, as well as the entire TMMC vet/husbandry staff for pitching in during a very busy day!

Platform A Oil Spill (courtesy MSNBC)

Apr 22nd = Earth Day. In 1970, the concept of Earth Day was developed by Gaylord Nelson, US Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the effects of the 1969 Platform A blowout in Santa Barbara. He felt that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Since that time, Earth Day has held a special place in our hearts within the oil spill community, as it led to the formation of the USEPA, the Clean Water Act, and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90). For more info on this event and its history, please visit http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement.

Apr 22nd – 25th = IAAAM Conference at Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito. This international meeting brought together more than 440 wildlife professionals from 25 countries to discuss issues and research findings pertinent to our marine species. The setting was gorgeous, the papers and posters fascinating, and the discussions and networking capabilities were thought-provoking and exciting. Especially relevant was presentations by Drs. Stephanie Venn-Watson and Cynthia Smith of the National Marine Mammal Foundation on health affects being seen in bottlenose dolphins from the coastal Louisiana region. Fascinating work that may assist us in better understanding the unusual mortality event that continues to rage there, and the possible effects that the DWH spill had on this species. More info on the conference can be found at http://www.iaaam.org.

Oiled little blue penguins (Courtesy Maritime NZ)

Apr 25th = World Penguin Day. To round out a crazy busy week, we took a day to appreciate and better understand the amazing animals that are penguins. As we are all aware, penguins are key animals for us to describe the horrific effects of oil on animals (as the Treasure and Oliva oil spills) as well as the significantly positive results that can be seen with effective and professional rehabilitation (as SANCCOB/IBRRC/IFAW and Massey University have shown). Further, these birds have led to significant research on the long-term effects of oiling on marine species and given us great data to base arguments on the merits of intervention after oil spills. Lastly (and something I did not know before), they can tell us a lot about our own personality types! If you haven’t yet done so, go take the Pew Charitable Trust Penguin Personality Quiz (as well as learn about the conservation efforts for “your” species). BTW – Adelie penguins rule!

OK, so much for “highlights”! I hope everyone has a great restful and oil-free weekend!

- Mike

 

Field Stabilization Level 2 Training

Last Tuesday was the first ever Field Stabilization Level 2 training, which took place at the San Francisco Bay Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center in Cordelia, CA. Seventeen people attended this all-day training representing four OWCN organizations.  Activities included performing intake exams and administering common Field Stabilization treatments (of course with the associated paperwork…), organization of maintenance care for oiled birds at a mobile Field Stabilization Center and practice setting up the Field Stabilization trailer, also known as the MASH (Mobile Avian Stabilization Hospital).  The next round of Field Stabilization Level 2 trainings will start this fall. We are looking forward to bringing the training to a neighborhood near you.

Kyra.

Nancy showing how to set up the MASH.

Recorded Webinar – Avian Processing & Intake

Hello All,

In case you missed Wednesday’s live webinar, Avian Processing & Intake is now available as a recording.  For registration information, please contact the volunteer coordinator at your member organization.

Have a great weekend!

Becky

Hero Beavers and Tarry Rivers

Two recent spills highlight the importance of preparedness, and remind us that not all spills are in marine environments.  The spill that Nancy mentioned in her blog last week involved a pipeline in Utah that leaked about 27,000 gallons of diesel into Willard Bay Reservoir.  Fortunately for the reservoir (and those that depend on the drinking water it provides), the spill was largely contained by a beaver dam.  Unfortunately for the beavers, they got heavily contaminated with diesel.  Six beavers –one adult and five juveniles–were taken into care at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (wrcnu.org).

Diesel fuel is volatile petroleum product that causes skin burns and damage to sensitive tissues of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.  The beavers were drenched in diesel and arrived at the center with damage to their skin, mouths, gastrointestinal tracts, and nasal passages. They are getting excellent care and all of them are now eating on their own, but they have a long way to go before they are back to normal.  That’s the thanks they get for building the dam that protected the bay! The Center’s website has links to various videos and articles about the spill: http://wrcnu.org/view/full_story_4testing/22157004/article-Six-Beavers-arrive-at-the-Wildlife-Rehabilitation-Center-of-Northern-Utah?instance=homefeatured

A larger pipeline spill in Arkansas has gotten more press, perhaps partly for the dramatic photos of “rivers” of oil flooding the suburban community of Mayflower.  Twenty-two homes were evacuated and numerous species of wildlife have been affected, although total numbers of live animals in care have not been reported.  The pipeline was carrying a heavy product similar to that which is likely to run through the proposed–and highly controversial–Keystone XL pipeline. Inevitably, this spill has added fodder to the objections raised against the Keystone XL pipeline; one interesting article can be found here: http://www.salon.com/2013/04/04/6_things_you_need_to_know_about_the_arkansas_oil_spill_partner/

Over 200,000 gallons of petroleum were spilled in Arkansas, and they are still investigating the cause. If you want to follow the official news releases from the Mayflower Incident Unified Command, click on this link and look for the pdfs in the lower right hand corner: http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/safety_response_arkansas.aspx

Christine