For Immediate UseContact: Garrison Frost
November 11, 2007(323) 951-9620

Richardson Bay, Tiburon, CA – Staff and volunteers Sunday continued to respond to the growing threat of pollution from last week’s oil spill in San Francisco Bay. As oil penetrated the edges of the bay and began washing up in small amounts on the Sanctuary’s beaches, increased numbers of oiled birds were found onshore at the Sanctuary.

“We’re starting to see more and more oil and effects of oil in the Sanctuary today,” said Center Director Brooke Langston. “We have a lot of people here today working to track the slick’s progress and reduce the negative impacts to the extent we can. We want to avoid a disaster here.”

Langston added that people who are untrained should stay off affected beaches and avoid handling oiled birds. “The bunker oil from this spill is harmful to all living things,” she said. “You don’t want it on you and you don’t want to step in it and track it elsewhere and make the problem worse.”

As oil approached the Tiberon Center Saturday, Coast Guard officials decided that it wasn’t feasible to set an oil-blocking boom across the entire mouth of the bay. The Coast Guard was investigating the feasibility of saving nearby inlets using booms.

Throughout the weekend, Richardson Bay staff received numerous calls from concerned people wanting to pitch in and volunteer. On Sunday, staff was working with Marin Humane officials to train a small number of volunteers in the handling of oiled birds.

Those who come across oiled birds should not touch them. Instead, they should call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at (415) 701-2311, and leave a short message with the bird’s exact location.

As Sunday continues, staff from Richardson Bay and Audubon California will be monitoring the situation closely, going out into the bay in boats and walking the beaches to track the movement of the slick and locate any wildlife that can be helped. Another important aspect of the work this weekend will be collected pre-spill samples of water and plant life from the bay ecosystem so that researchers will have a baseline to use if eventual damage is extensive.

With the situation at Richardson Bay becoming more critical, representatives repeated their call for a thorough investigation into both the cause of the spill and the appropriateness of the initial response.

“It is clear now that this is an unfolding disaster that will have a number of dire short- and long-term effects on wildlife and habitat,” said Graham Chisholm, director of conservation for Audubon California. “Not only do we need to make sure that there is an extensive clean-up of this oil spill, but we need to ensure that this never happens again.”

The entire San Francisco Bay was designated an Important Bird Area by Audubon California in 2004, and an Important Bird Area of Global Significance by the National Audubon Society. It was given this high designation because major concentrations of migratory and wintering shorebirds and waterfowl – many of which are threatened or endangered species – come to the bay each year. San Francisco Bay is host to the largest shorebird concentration in the West. 

About Audubon California

Audubon California is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. With more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 48 local Audubon chapters, Audubon California is a field program of Audubon. This relationship links Audubon California to a national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engaging millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.