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A friend of mine sent a message to the volunteers in Alaska and
got this response. I thought you might be interested in hearing
about the cleanup from their point of view.
>>AL<<
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Thank you for sending a message to the THANKS mailbox. So
far we have received several hundred messages in THANKS from
around the U.S. and the world. We have made it a public mailbox
now, so that volunteers working with the animal rescue efforts in
Cordova, Seward, Homer, and Kodiak can read THANKS mail, as well
as the volunteers here in Valdez.
My name is L.J. Evans, and I am managing the THANKS mailbox in
Valdez. I was the first volunteer to walk in the door of the
animal rescue center, and maybe I will be the last to walk out!
It has been a tremendously rewarding experience at the same time
that it has been heartbreaking. Here follows a brief update on
the animal rescue efforts in Prince William Sound following the
Exxon Valdez oil spill of March 24, 1989.
There are two main animal rescue efforts: marine birds and sea
otters. These programs are separate, as the skills and
techniques required for each are very different. In both cases,
however, the ultimate goal is the same - to remove the oil from
the animal's fur or feathers and release it, healthy, back into
the wild. We have been releasing the sea birds as they are
cleaned, in all cases tagging them with U.S. Fish and Wildlife
bands so that we can track them if they should be recaptured or
die. We feel confident that the birds will not go back into the
oil as we are releasing most of them close to Valdez, which is
about 25 miles from the original spill site, and many more miles
from the present location of the slick.
The otters are quite another story. No one is exactly certain
whether or not they will go back to their original capture
locations, which are still heavily oiled in many cases. A test
release of six radio-tagged otters is planned soon. The results
of that release will provide information about whether we should
release the rest of the animals or continue to hold them in the
sea water pens they currently occupy for the rest of the summer.
Despite all our best efforts, the survival rate for all of these
animals is not particularly good. You must remember that they
are WILD animals, and we are not able to catch them until they
are already sick and in a somewhat weakened condition. Both
birds and otters stop eating and drinking to work feverishly to
attempt to clean their feathers or fur of the oil. In the case
of the birds, the oil disrupts the ability of their feathers to
lie smooth and resist water, and they get wet to the skin. In
our cold Alaskan waters, this is quickly life-threatening. They
preen and preen to try to take the oil off, and quickly become
dehydrated, starved, and endanger their health because of
ingesting oil. The otters maintain a layer of air within their
fur, next to the skin. Healthy otters can even be seen blowing
bubbles into their fur! This layer of air bubbles provides
additional insulation and flotation. They also work at grooming
themselves to remove the oil, in the process licking off the oil
and swallowing it. Scientists and veterinarians working with the
otters have never before been confronted with a situation like
this. They have cleaned oil from otter pelts before, and have
learned techniques to remove it quickly and safely, but they did
not realize how immediately and massively toxic the oil would be.
Virtually all of the animals which were brought into the Otter
Rescue Center early on have died, from chemical emphysema (lungs
filling with fluid, caused by inhaling toxic fumes) and from
liver and kidney failure. Bird mortality early on was also very
high, with similar causes.
To date the Valdez Bird Rescue Center has received a total of 418
birds, mostly Cormorants, Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Harlequin
Ducks and Scoters. We have received 8 Bald Eagles, one of which
died (autopsy revealed his gut was full of oil - he was eating a
dead, oiled sea otter when captured). Smaller numbers of birds
have been received at the other bird centers, but the
distribution of species is similar. As of this time, 126 birds
have been released from the Valdez Bird Rescue Center, and 277
have either died or been euthanized because it was apparent they
were not going to survive much longer. At the present time we
have one Black-Legged Kittiwake, on Greater Scaup, and on Bald
Eagle in the Valdez Center. The Kittiwake and the Scaup will
probably be released soon, the Bald Eagle will be sent on to a
temporary center in Anchorage in a few days. She is weak and
heavily oiled. First we have to feed her up and hope that she
gets stronger, then after a couple of days she will be washed.
Now THAT has to be a team effort! Washing a Bald Eagle is pretty
tricky and takes experienced people to accomplish without injury
to man, woman or beast.
If you heard publicity from the oil spill cleanup which occurred
in Ocean Shores, Washington, U.S.A. during December of 1988, you
may have heard that they cleaned 3,000 birds after that spill.
Why are our numbers so much smaller in Alaska? It is NOT because
there are so many fewer birds. The logistics of catching the
birds is a tremendous problem. The beaches where they are located
are rocky, steep, and far from roads - and far from the Rescue
Centers. Access to these areas can only be from small boats. In
most cases live birds, kept warm and secure in cardboard boxes,
are collected at the end of each day by people in float planes
which can land on the water near the boats. If the weather is
bad - and it often is this time of year - the boats must seek
safe harbor and the planes cannot fly. Exxon has contracts with
a fleet of fishing boats carrying personnel who have been trained
to catch birds and deliver "first aid." They are all doing the
best they can.
The same logistical problems have hampered capture of sea otters,
with the added problem of mouthfulls of sharp teeth attached to
wiry bodies that do NOT want to be captured. The otters must be
handled by persons who are thorougly experienced with handling
wild animals, and the animals must be carefully sedated prior to
washing. Current numbers on otters in Valdez are: 152 animals
have been delivered to the Otter Rescue Center, 64 survive. Of
those surviving, 44 are good candidates for eventual release, but
7 are still in intensive care and their prognosis for recovery is
not good. Thirteen otters from Valdez have been sent to care
facilities outside of Alaska. There are 42 otters at the Seward
Otter Rescue Center, and they all appear to be relatively lightly
oiled, which bodes well for their future.
Here are the sad numbers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is
collecting all dead animals in order to keep a census, and to
keep the oiled carcasses from being eaten by bears, eagles, and
other scavengers. As of Thursday, May 25, totals from all of
the collection stations look like this:
Seabirds - all species - total dead = 19,214
Bald Eagles total dead = 46
Sea Otters total dead = 721
I also heard today that brown bears are eating the oil - it is a
fat, and bears MUST eat LOTS of fat during the summer to renew
their reserves for winter hibernation. Bears have remarkable
digestive systems, and they do not seem to be dying from the
toxins in the oil - now. The person who told me about this
suggested that later, when the bears start to use those reserves
of fat for nutritional needs, THEN the toxin levels in their
blood will be high enough to cause death. And of course, that is
during the winter, when they are in their dens hibernating. Next
spring they just won't come out.
In addition, 3 Grey whales and 8 harbor seals (6 of which were
pups) have been found whose deaths MAY be oil-related - further
tests will tell.
Keep in mind that these numbers only reflect the total number of
dead animals that have been FOUND. We estimate hundreds, maybe
thousands more may have slipped beneath the water or crawled off
in the bushes - we will never know the total. Some scientists
suggest that we may be finding only one-third of the total dead
animals.
Volunteers have made the difference. We have had more than 150
volunteers register with the Bird Rescue Center here in Valdez,
and a similar number have worked with the Otter Rescue Center.
Volunteers are working at all the other animal rescue sites, and
in fact, the Bird Rescue Centers in Cordova and Homer are being
run entirely by volunteers. Presently the need for volunteers
has dwindled considerably, and there is no call for more
volunteers to come to Alaska from Outside. When things were
hectic, there was so much activity going on in the Rescue Centers
it was hard to think straight in the midst of the cacaphony! We
have received cards and letters from people of all ages and from
all places, and every one has been taped up on the wall of the
respective Center where it was received. The first computer messages
we received were also put on the wall, but it was quickly
apparent that we would be papering all the walls if we kept that
up, so now I print new messages out daily and staple them
together for the volunteers and staff to read. We have received
messages, I think, from every state in the Union and about 5
foreign countries so far, including The Netherlands, England,
and Spain.
So many people have expressed a wish that they could DO
something to help that I would like to offer a short list of
suggestions.
1. Think of Prince William Sound every time you start your car.
We all use oil and the products made from it in our lives, but
there must be a greater emphasis on reducing the need for oil,
thereby reducing the need for its transport. Walk, bicycle, use
public transportation. Plastic is a wonderful substance for
creating durable items, since its durability is its major
strength. But using plastic for disposable, one-use only
products such as packaging, plastic bags, packing material and
the like, is not only not making effective use of its durable
qualities, but causing disposal problems BECAUSE of the
indestructability of most plastic.
2. Demand that state and federal agencies adequately scrutinize
oil industry production and delivery systems EVERYWHERE. This
spill has exposed but one of a host of potential problems which
could have terrible negative impact on the environment in YOUR
community. The oil companies have assured us that they can
safely develop oil in the environmentally delicate Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The Exxon Valdez spill
demonstrates that they simply do not have the technology to
ensure that no ecological damage will occur. Educate yourself
and get involved in these issues, and LET YOUR VIEWS BE KNOWN to
your elected officials.
3. Demand that all offshore drilling activities be suspended
until oil spill contingency plans are reexamined by an
independent scientific body and proven spill response measures
and technologies are inplace. Current projections are for
offshore drilling in Alaska in Bristol Bay and the Chukchi Sea,
both rich fishing areas which provide far more economic dollars
to far more individuals, almost all of whom live in Alaska, than
any oil development ever could, especially considering that the
millions of dollars of profits from such development would mostly
end up benefiting a handful of corporations, their top employees,
and their stockholders, almost NONE of whom live in Alaska.
Additonal offshore oil development represents a chance of damage
to the already polluted ocean environment that we just cannot
afford to take.
4. Get involved with organizations that promote the welfare of
wildlife in your area. Support them with your time, energy, and
dollars. I worked as an occasional volunteer for the Alaska
Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Sitka for three years, and I
learned so much more than I could ever explain to you. There
have been few things in my life so rewarding as participating in
caring for an injured Bald Eagle that would most surely have died
without help, then being present at the return to the wild of
those magnificent birds. These are the events which give me
hope and the impetus to carry on.
Here are a few addresses which may be of interest:
International Bird Rescue Research Center
699 Potter St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
These folks are a non-profit corporation which contracts with
people like Exxon to come to the scene of a spill and organize
the bird rescue efforts. Alice Berkner is the Executive
Director, and Jessica Porter is Veterinarian - you may have
seen both of them on televised news broadcasts. They have been
in charge of the bird rescue program since Saturday morning,
March 25th, when they arrived here in Valdez.
Sea World Research Institute
1700 So. Shores Rd.
San Diego, CA 92109
Randy Davis of the Research Institute is the scientist in
charge of the otter rescue effort in Prince William Sound.
This is also a non-profit corporation with many marine wildlife
programs.
Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center
P.O. Box 2984
Sitka, AK 99835
ARRC may ultimately be the place all of the live eagles
captured during cleanup efforts will be held until they can be
released later in the year. This is an all-volunteer
organization which has been operating since 1980 entirely on
membership fees and donations. They rehabilitate and release
dozens of raptors, mostly Bald Eagles, every year. They
publish a quarterly newsletter and would be most happy to send
you material about their operation.
And Alice especially suggested that I share with you:
The World Society for the Protection of Animals
P.O. Box 190
Boston, MA 02130
This is an organization dedicated to the protection of all
animals, whether wild or tame.
In closing, thank you once again for your message in support of
the volunteers who have been working so hard to clean and restore
to freedom the animals which have been (and continue to be)
impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Be assured that your
message has been read by many people, who have been awed and
touched by the tremendous evidence that people "Out There" are
watching and that they care about the outcome.
Sincerely yours,
L.J. Evans
University of Alaska Computer Network Userid: VFLJE
BITNET address: VFLJE@ALASKA
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