We're all connected

[kambriel]

I know it's "a drop in the ocean" (or Gulf, in this case), but it's heartwarming to see those who are actively trying clean and rehabilitate birds in the region. I sent an email to Michael Ziccardi, a UC Davis veterinarian coordinating sea turtle and marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the Gulf as to the possibilities of volunteering, but understandably got an auto-response, since he is hard at work on location now. **EDIT - Please see the bottom of this post for a response I just received.**

I also looked into the International Bird Rescue Research Center which isn't coordinating volunteers at this time, but they do have links to individual local state websites for volunteers, some of which include:

Louisiana ~ Oil Spill Response You can also call 800-755-5175 for more information.

Florida ~ Deepwater Horizon Volunteer Response

Alabama ~ Locals can report oiled wildlife to the listed phone #, and they will check messages hourly

If you're local to these areas (or even planning a trip to any of them in the near future), please follow the links and see if there might be some way to be of service.

Also, there is the:

National Wildlife Federation

Audubon Society Oil Spill Response Volunteer Registration


The detergent that apparently cleans oiled wildlife best, and what you see being used in the above rehab video, is simply Dawn dishwashing liquid. Pity it comes in plastic bottles (please be sure to recycle them), but you can get updates on their current efforts to save wildlife here: http://www.facebook.com/dawnsaveswildlife

Update: I just received this response from the email I sent this morning:

"Hello Kambriel,
I appreciate your concern and desire to offer any assistance you can. I believe that at this time they are attempting to use volunteers from the general geographic area of the spill. The best thing for you to do would be to call the volunteer hotline and give them your information so that in the event they need additional volunteers they would be able to reach you. The hotline phone number is 1-866-448-5816."

And last, but not lease, here is an excellent post with suggestions of other things we can do to help:
http://www.cheriepriest.com/2010/06/04/things-you-can-do-about-the-oil-spill/

Comments

[gothindulgence.livejournal.com]

THanks for this... after seeing your previous post, I was on the net looking for ways on how to help. A couple of years back we had a nasty oil spill, which really messed up the wildlife along the western cape coast line. A friend and I spent every free day we had at the Penguin sanctuary, we were on the food line after they had been cleaned up, to force feed them fish. Half of them didn't survive, oil also gets inside their guts ... was heartbreaking ... It took ages to clean up the mess - we even has to scrub down all the rocks along boulders beach.. and this was nothing compared to the mess now happening in Gulf... very very sad

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness half of the penguins *did* survive, in large thanks to all the care they received from people like you and your friend.

It's pretty overwhelming to think of how much oil is out there in the water now, and how much of it will keep coming ashore. I'm hoping with a massive volunteer effort it can keep being cleaned as best as possible as it happens, but it kind of makes me think of trying to shovel your sidewalk in the midst of a blizzard.

The birds that are being cleaned and rehabilitated are the lucky few, but I'm so grateful for every one that may be able to have a second chance. One of my biggest concerns though is the ones that are being released ~ they're releasing them farther away, but I wonder if they may just fly back to their original nesting areas, or if the oil may simply come ashore in the new area as well. In perfect idealism, I'd love to believe that those who were coated in it once, might somehow remember how it happened and what the oil looked like, and avoid diving into it if they see it again. A bit of wishful thinking...