The OWCN Management Team has been busy prepping the final details for next week's big event - OILAPALOOZA 2024! If you are familiar with Network events, you will know that this is our big conference that we have every other year, and this year it will be in Bakersfield, with over 100 attendees, representing 36 out of 46 of the OWCN's Member Organizations. The first day will include an exciting mixture of speakers, panel discussions, and even a little yoga tossed in there! You can find the full line up if you go here.
Dr. Victoria Hall will join as Director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, a program within the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, effective October 16, 2024.
Despite its expanse and varied ecosystems, California has a surprising lack of diversity in its Testudines. Our state is home to just two native freshwater turtle species and only one native tortoise species. Unfortunately, all three of these species are in decline.
Despite the smoke in the air, the recent “blue sky” times at the Oiled Wildlife Care Network have allowed us to focus on advancing our level of preparation for the (unfortunately) inevitable next oil spill. One of our areas of focus, along with our colleagues at the OSPR Marine Veterinary Lab, has been the complicated world of sea otter responses.
by Dr. Flo Tseng, Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Climate at the Cummings School
My experience working in oil spills began prior to the founding of the OWCN. Soon after I began working at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) near Seattle, WA in 1991, the Tenyo Maru spill occurred, and I was enlisted to help out. The first seabirds came into the basement of the PAWS facility but soon thereafter, a formal response was set up in an old seminary as mandated by the new Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Unfortunately, the release rate was relative
by Matt Rezvani OWCN Advisory Board, Managing Partner for CalStad
As an individual who had involvement with legislation resulting in the creation and history of OWCN, I thought I might briefly share my recollection of how the organization got its start and what it has accomplished since then.
March 24, 1989 was a day of awakening for America and possibly for the world, when an oil spill from the oil tanker Exxon Valdez in Alaska covered Prince William Sound with 11 million gallons of crude oil, creating one of the largest environmental impacts in this sensitive area.
by Dr. Julie Yamamoto OSPR Acting Administrator, OSPR Deputy Administrator
When I was asked to write this blog in honor of OWCN’s 30th birthday, I admit it took a while to jog my long-term memory (yes I am of a venerable age and started my career well before the term “blog” was even coined) in order to look back on the long and prodigious history of the OWCN. Not all organizations get to be 30 years old and even those that do don’t necessarily grow and develop in positive ways, let alone become ‘world class’.
by Dr. Richard T. Golightly, Professor Emeritus, Wildlife Department, Cal Poly Humboldt
Thirty years ago today marked the beginning of my involvement with (what was to become) the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN). A friend and I, who worked for the National Park Service, were driving from Humboldt to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park to conduct an animal capture and restraint training. We stopped by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife facility in Rancho Cordova to say hi, and drop off some samples. As we were leaving, Dr. Dave Jessup saw me in the parking lot and brought over a large document.
by Dr. Pam Yochem, OWCN Advisory Board, Scientific Advisory Committee, and SeaWorld
My name is Dr. Pam Yochem and I am a member of the Advisory Board and Scientific Advisory Committee for California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN). Dr. Mike Ziccardi invited me to do a guest blog post in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the OWCN. I was happy to do so, as involvement with the OWCN has been one of the highlights of my career.
My involvement in the oil spill community has included research, teaching and service through my associations with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, SeaWorld, and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
OWCN’s mandate, as many of you know, is “best achievable proactive capture and care to oil-affected wildlife”. This means that as a Network we are always striving to do a better job. As such, there have been great advances in the way that we care for animals – from capturing them in a safe and effective way and getting them into care as quickly as possible, to providing supportive care while they are at a facility to remove the contaminant and gain their strength back prior to release.
This month is my 4th month working at OWCN. I will give you an update on some of the things I’ve done so far.
From day one I began receiving online trainings, but by my second week I started the in-person trainings and the first one was HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response). During this 40-hour course I learned about how to stay safe during responses and the correct procedures we need to follow.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) – Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) work collaboratively during California spill responses involving oiled wildlife. The OWCN and OSPR have a shared interest in protecting our State’s natural resources and wildlife and also have a genuine interest and commitment to each respective organizations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
In 2023, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) partnered with California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to provide care for birds affected by an avian botulism outbreak on Tulare Lake. From late August to November, we admitted a total of 1210 birds to our makeshift hospital at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Responders from seven OWCN Member Organizations were mobilized for this event.
As the cold, rainy season has come to a close and we welcome the 90+ degree Fahrenheit days (in Davis) I thought I’d share some “end of season” stats. For our avid readers, you may recall last year’s blog about the OWCN’s Individual Oiled Animal (IOA) Program and the influx of patients admitted to our member organizations during the winter months. If you do not have the memory of an albatross, much like me, here’s a quick refresher.
