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

 

Uncommon Murres

Our last blog mentioned that we were preparing to head out to start captures for our common murre dispersant study.  As all of you who work with wildlife know, wildlife doesn’t always care about your carefully laid plans.  Emily and Kyra, joined by Curt Clumpner of International Bird Rescue, headed out in an OWCN boat to do some recon, and saw very few birds.  By very few birds, I mean they saw about 15 common murres between all of Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay.  Needless to say, not enough for us to go ahead and launch in March.  The actual capture of the birds is done at night, and requires us to capture around the time of a new moon, which limits when we can actually go out to capture.  Left with our next potential capture period being around April 10th, we decided it is a little too close to the breeding season, so we will delay our study until the coming fall.  Stay tuned for murre study updates…

-Becky

OWCN Research: Effects of Dispersant on Common Murres

The OWCN staff has been busy the past month preparing to launch a study for part of our in-house research program.  Our study is centered on investigating the effects of chemical dispersant and chemically dispersed oil on the waterproofing of Common Murres.  A previous study using Common Murre feathers, showed that dispersant did affect the individual feather structure, so phase 2 of our study will focus on the effects on live birds.

This study will examine whether there are any physical effects to the birds, such as feather structure and temperature change, as well as behavioral effects, such as more time spent preening, when birds are exposed to various concentrations of chemical dispersant or chemically dispersed oil.  The birds will receive the best possible veterinary care while in captivity, and they will be washed, and released back to the wild as soon as possible.

As always, the OWCN research program is focused on applying the best available science to oiled wildlife issues, and we hope that our results will help to provide sound information for oil spill response personnel to utilize when determining whether to use chemical dispersant at a spill.

-Becky

Birds and Nail Polish

OWCN has been painting bird beaks with nail polish over the past few weeks….and we actually have a good reason!  We have been investigating non-invasive methods to mark birds in captivity – something that will allow us to identify individuals, even when other marking methods, such as leg bands, might be hidden from view, or without actually handling the animal.  We also wanted to utilize a method that didn’t require us to put anything on the feathers, thereby avoiding potential waterproofing issues, and also something that would not come off in the water.  Nail polish is of course commonly used on humans, but is successfully used to mark wild animals for studies, and even in rehabilitation centers on occasion.  We used a fast drying, low scent polish on the birds, and have a no-odor, acetone free remover to take it off, approved by our veterinarians.  Preliminary results showed no adverse effects to the birds, and we will be examining our method more in depth next month.

A common murre sporting “Lively Lilac”, as we test out marking methods on birds at International Bird Rescue.

The ability to identify individuals opens up many possibilities for the OWCN.  For example, during a spill we could potentially mark all animals that need to be medicated daily with a certain color, making it easy to pull those individuals out.  Additionally, the OWCN has two research studies lined up where we intend to use this marking method in order to identify birds by video camera.

We look forward to sharing more results with you all soon!

-Becky

Sea otter captures

Amid planning for Oilapalooza, a number of OWCN staff members have been heading down to the central coast to participate in a multi-agency/university/institution project designed to investigate the health of the southern sea otter.  It seems especially appropriate this year that Oilapalooza is going to be held at the “otter Taj Mahal,” as we sometimes call the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center.  Nancy, Kyra, Emily, and me all spent time in the Morro Bay area this month to provide expertise to the project, as well as enjoy time with friends and colleagues on this gorgeous section of the California coast.

The shore at San Simeon

Although the project is not explicitly about oil spill response, the scientists, students, and technicians involved in the project would all fill key roles in a response should the need for one arise (quick, find some wood for me to knock on!), so it is essential that we all work well together and practice our sea otter capture, handling, and medical skills.  This effort is being led by Dr. Tim Tinker of the US Geological Survey (that’s the research branch of the federal government), with plenty of help from UCSC, Monterey Bay Aquarium, CA Fish & Game, NOAA, and UC Davis folks, among others.  It’s a great example of multi-institutional cooperation (yes, we all CAN get along!) and represents a supreme exercise in organization, especially by Tim and also Michelle Steadler of the Aquarium.

Michelle hauling an otter up the beach for processing.

Marissa and Emily with their flowers.

Speaking of organization, once they arrived on shore the otters went through a carefully choreographed process to get weighed, anesthetized, measured, sampled, and instrumented.  Without the veterinary technicians, Marissa from the Aquarium, Summer from the Santa Barbara Zoo, and our own Emily, we would all have been lost.  We try never to take them for granted, but as this was National Veterinary Technician Week, we tried especially hard to show them how much we appreciate them!

The best part of working with animals is sending them home, and this was no different: watching the otters swim away was always the most exciting part of the process!  Although the team is not quite finished with captures, at last check all the animals who had been handled and released for the project had been sighted and appeared to be doing well.  Over the next couple of years, we’ll be learning an enormous amount from these sea otters; let’s hope we gain this knowledge before it’s too late to save the species.

A sea otter is released back to her habitat.

The OWCN staff is excited to head down to Santa Cruz and see all our Network friends.  Oilapalooza in T-9 days!

Christine

Historical Data Entry

Over the past two months, we have embarked on a project to compile all of our historical oiled animal records into an electronic database. Unfortunately, oil spills generate massive amounts of data, but not much time to put the information into a searchable format! Until now, much of our in-depth animal care data from the 1990’s and early 2000’s was relegated to dusty file cabinets in our offices. Our newest OWCN staff member is now hard at work bringing that information into the digital age. Esther joins us as a temporary employee who has jumped into this task with impressive enthusiasm, and is rapidly rendering the old file cabinets unnecessary. Esther is entering detailed processing logs with information such as percentage and depth of oiling, as well as medical data collected through the course of rehabilitation including body weights, laboratory values, and wash information. These data, along with detailed disposition information, will enable us to mine for detailed answers about the effects of oiling on wildlife.  Looking back at these old records is an impressive reminder of the many people who have contributed to the OWCN and cared for oiled wildlife over the past two decades. We have recently updated our website with a complete list of oil spill responses managed by the OWCN since its inception in the early 1990’s, and this long list is a testament to all of this hard work.

- Emily

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Two Years and Counting…

Last year, on this date, I noted that the DWH spill was still very much in everyones minds and hearts through retrospective media reports, images and personal stories.  Now that we are at two years after the start of the incident, media (and public) interest once again has peaked about the spill, but for more troubling reasons from an environmental perspective.

Reports have begun to surface related to potential impacts on the flora and fauna of the Gulf of Mexico – impacts that scientists are attempting to carefully determine whether they may be associated with the more than 200 million gallons of crude oil and the more than 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersant applied. These (with appropriate links) include:

• Unexplained lesions in finfish;
• Extensive damage to corals;
• Malformed invertebrates, including shrimp; and
• A continued Unusual Mortality Event in dolphins, including findings of brucellosis and animals in “severe ill health”, among other stories.

However, there is some good news on this front. Scientists, with sizable funding support, are attacking these questions with a voracity that is rarely seen with environmental issues, attempting to ascertain the root causes of these (and other) problems. While it is easy to point the finger and blame the spill outright for such impacts, without using sound scientific principles, the ultimate outcomes can become muddled due to little baseline (pre-spill) information, the possibility of several “smoking guns” causing sick animals, and other confounding issues. With the skills of the folks working these problems, I have little doubt that we will get better results than is often seen after other disasters.

You may say “who cares?” a bit to all this science-speak; the environment is still messed up. And shouldn’t we concentrate on other more important issues, such as increasing prevention and better understanding how to care for oiled animals in the future? Well, I would say: why not do all three? In addition to the Natural Resource Damage Assessment projects going on, we have basic science occuring, with organizations such as the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to better understand the impacts of oil and dispersant on the GoM ecosystem. We also have significant efforts occurring at the Federal level to minimize the risks of incidents such as the DWH occurring in the future, with new innovations on blowout prevention and control coming forward and a newly-aligned MMS focusing on the risks.

On the oiled wildlife front, most oiled wildlife response organizations I know of have taken the time to evaluate their own processes and methods to see how they can do things better. Just this past week, Emily gave a webinar on changes to the OWCN protocols for animal care, and a fully revised version of both the oiled bird as well as mammal protocols, are on the horizon. On the international front, a newly-energized effort has been taking place trying to better develop a method to provide worldwide oiled wildlife response capabilities through a organized collaboration of key organizations. In all, these are exciting times!

This is not to say we should become complacent. The best clean-up effort, after all, is prevention of oiling of our wildlife in the first place. Both Nationally as well as Internationally, we have a long way to go to be able to be comfortable with our plans and systems. On the oiled wildlife side, while we have come a long way in the past decades, we always have things to learn and plans to develop and test to ensure rapid, efficient and effective collection and care, should animals become affected.

In closing, I would like to conclude this blog/discussion/soapbox asking you to join me in remembering the 11 crewmembers of the Deepwater Horizon rig who perished on this day. I wish everyone a safe and healthy April 20th.

- Mike

On the road

Hello, Emily here.  I’m writing from the road as I spend a couple of weeks traveling in California.  This week, Christine, Tim, Nancy, Megan (a UCD 4th year vet student extern), and I have had the pleasure and the privilege of helping with the initial efforts of a research project on sea otters in southern California.  The project is a collaboration among biologists, veterinarians, and researchers from the US Geological Survey, CA Department of Fish and Game, Monterey Bay Aquarium, University of Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara Zoo, and others.   Researchers are working here to understand the life of an otter at the southern extent of the range.  For a few pictures of our work, you can visit OSPR’s Facebook site.

Next week, I’m headed to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center in San Pedro to work with International Bird Rescue.  Winter weather often brings oil to the surface of the ocean especially in southern California, and this year is no different.  Over the past week, we’ve seen tarballs and oil patties on the beaches and in the water, likely from these seeps.  A large number of birds, especially common murres, have been affected by natural seep oil over the past few months.  OWCN Member Organizations work hard to rehabilitate these animals and return them to the ocean.  They also report them to the OWCN so that we can monitor trends in space and time.  Feather samples can be analyzed by the California Department of Fish and Game’s Petroleum Chemistry lab to determine the source, and if the oil is determined to be from an anthropogenic source, rather than a natural seep, the OWCN is activated to respond.  The OWCN is not activated for animals affected by natural seeps; instead, we work to support our Member Organizations by helping to offset costs and by providing our time.  I’m looking forward to my time at LAOBCEC next week – it will be a fantastic learning opportunity for me, and I’m eager to help out.  For some more information about natural seep oil, check out this site by USGS.

-Emily

Research Request For Proposals and Mentor Projects Out!

Put on your thinking caps and start coming up with new and innovative ideas! The Oiled Wildlife Care Network has just released its annual call for research proposals and ideas for mentorship projects.

Every year, the OWCN allocates up to $250,000 for scientific projects that further promote its mission to provide the best achievable capture and care to oiled wildlife. These projects are funded from two separate types: Small Grant proposals, which require $10,000 or less and can be done in a single year (and require only a relatively short application) and Full proposals, which are not upper funding limited and can be up to three years in duration, but undergo more intensive scientific review.

The second research program we are proud to offer (only to OWCVN Member Organizations, however) is Mentorship Program awards. These projects allow our members to work in concert with OWCN staff to develop and conduct a research project, and provides support and funds to write up and present/publish the results.

We encourage all interested people to further explore these opportunities on our website. More info can be found on the Mentor program by clicking here; the Competitive Grants program info can be found by clicking here. The application form for the Mentor program can be found here, while the complete RFP for the Competitive Grant program can be found here.

Good luck, and we look forward to hearing about your ideas very soon!

- Mike

 

Sea otter research

Last week, a few of us had the opportunity to help out with a large, collaborative study on sea otter biology.  Led by Tim Tinker of USGS (United States Geological Survey), biologists, divers, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and graduate students converged in Big Sur to capture, sample, tag, and remove instrumentation from sea otters involved in a long-term study.  I said it was a collaborative effort, and I wasn’t kidding . . . . besides USGS and OWCN, there were folks from UCSC, California Dept. of Fish & Game, US Fish & Wildlife Service, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz (yes, a lot of acronyms!).

Kyra helping out with the boats.

There were people assigned to help with identifying otters from shore, divers to capture the animals, boat drivers to bring animals to shore, a veterinary team to anesthetize and examine the otters, and perform surgery for implant removal, biologists for taking measurements and samples, and enthusiastic assistants to scribe and generally run to and fro, ensuring that things went smoothly.  Kyra helped on one of the boats, and Emily and I were on shore at the mobile vet lab.  Although fortunately none of these otters were oiled, it was a great opportunity for OWCN staff to increase our sea otter capture and handling skills, as well as a way to get to know sea otter experts (who would be a huge resource in the case of a spill!).

Monterey Bay Aquarium staff bringing a sea otter from the shore to the mobile vet lab.

We successfully captured five sea otters, two of whom had surgery to have implants removed and three of whom were new animals who just needed sampling and flipper tagging.  It was a great chance for Emily and me to get more comfortable anesthetizing sea otters, and for all of us to get a better feeling for how sea otters are captured and processed.

Sunset at Big Creek beach

It took a lot of dedicated people to make it work, but aside from some minor boat breakdowns (which I’ve come to learn are inevitable whenever boats are involved!), everything went incredibly well.  It was a privilege to spend a few days in such a gorgeous place, even if we did have to survive without cell phone reception!  A spill involving sea otters would be devastating, but we are much better prepared now that we have participated in this effort last week.

Christine