By Rick Kedenburg
On January 20, 2007, seven North Fork Auduboners and I arrived at the Miller Environmental Group in Calverton for training in the basics of helping distressed wildlife, particularly birds, in case of an oil spill in the LI area. The training was conducted by Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research of Delaware, which has been in existence since 1976. They are one of two such organizations in the US able to manage this type of effort in an emergency. The other is located on the west coast. These organizations are on call 24/7 to be first responders to the unthinkable. There are a number of oil spills each year that we the public are unaware of, yet the clean-ups go on.
In the morning, we learned that success depends on the cooperation of all parties: the responsible party (the spiller), contractors engaged for the clean up, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the USCG spill strike team. After getting an alert from the spiller, Tri-State sends an assessment team to the scene. If a response is necessary, then an Integrated Command System is created work begins.
The response to a spill is three pronged. The primary response is containment of the spill. The secondary is aimed at keeping unaffected wildlife from the oil. This secondary effort, also known as deterrence or hazing only works for a short period of time as the birds will return. That is why the primary response is so important; both efforts are concurrent and time is of the essence. The third or tertiary response is rehabilitation of affected wildlife. Each spill is different in habitat, type of oil product, and weather. We learned some of the effects of oil on wildlife . Thermal (loss of waterproofing) and medical (dehydration, irritation of eyes and skin, and organ failure to name just a few.) Animals already killed by the oil must be collected for two reasons. First healthy wildlife may try to eat them as food thereby becoming oiled themselves. Second they are part of the legal evidence against the polluter.
Since an oil spill is a crime scene, we learned of the statutory force behind the clean-up. The spiller will almost always be willing to pay for the clean-up because if it does not, punitive damages would be astronomical. The USCG investigates the crime and Tri-State and volunteers assist them in gathering evidence concerning wildlife. It’s hard for the responsible party to escape detection because the oil itself is easily traced. Each shipment of oil has it’s own chemical fingerprint and the Coast Guard uses this to track down the source. The authority to respond to a spill devolves from The Clean Water Act and The Oil Pollution Act of 1990. These were enacted in response to the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. Did you know that spill was only the 51st in amount of oil spilled?
Our afternoon offered more hands-on experience, as we received the equivalent of four hours of OSHA safety training. We learned how to perform the oiled bird exam and treatment. Then we watched a demonstration of how to de-oil a ‘formerly alive’ bird as it would be too stressful to use a live bird. It takes 45 minutes and 200-300 gallons of heated water to de-oil a duck. Bottle washers take note, Tri-State and Proctor & Gamble, meet yearly to test newly developed de-oiling agents and so far none has been found better than Dawn dishwashing liquid. Following de-oiling birds receive food and treatment for 7-10 days before release. Because they have tried to preen themselves while oiled and their intestinal tracks have become inflamed a tried and true family favorite comes to the rescue- Pepto Bismol.
Dr. Heidi Stout, VMD, ended the day with a riveting lecture about the response to an oil spill two years ago off South Africa. 20,000 oiled African Penguins were saved so successfully that almost all are now breeding. Another 20,000 unaffected penguins were relocated to another part of the country to keep them from becoming oiled. The effort was monumental and makes one thankful that these organizations and caring citizens can make a difference. The people of South Africa gained a lot from this effort. Rich and poor, black and white, worked together for a common purpose and gained an understanding of each other as a result.
We hope never to have to use the training we received in Calverton that day. But if it be so, then all of us came away with a feeling of camaraderie and a confidence that with teamwork we can really make a difference to distressed animals.