Clean Rivers Cooperative delivered a presentation with International Bird Rescue at the 14th Effects of Oil on Wildlife (EOW) Conference in Long Beach California. The conference, co-hosted by International Bird Rescue and Brazil-based Aiuká, was held 26-30 September, 2022. This event is the only global meeting focusing on the planning, response, rehabilitation, and research aspects of oil spills and their impacts to wildlife. More than 160 individuals from 13 countries, representing 60 wildlife organizations, state agencies, universities, and oil industry groups, attended the conference.
The delivered presentation focused on the activation, activities, challenges and lessons learned. Wildlife is a large and very public aspect of oil response which can be relatively unknown by the Responsible Party in terms of what is required for a successful wildlife response. The space and facility requirements for Wildlife Staging Areas, supporting logistics for food and equipment to rehabilitate wildlife, duration of response, and specialized requests from wildlife responders are just some of the areas in which sufficient education and planning are needed.
A special thanks to Maritime Fire & Safety Association for partnering with Clean Rivers Cooperative to sponsor a coffee session for the event.
Opportunities like these allow the Cooperative to participate in building understanding with stakeholders and partners on the many facets of response. The networking, planning and coordination ensure we are ready for response.