Cooperation between Response Crews and Land Managers Protects Snowy Plovers during the Refugio Oil Spill

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the Refugio oil spill of May 2015 along the southern California coast, thousands of cleanup crews scoured beaches for oil, tar patties, and oiled wrack (washed-up kelp and seaweed). At the same time, federally threatened Western Snowy Plovers were feeding with their recently hatched chicks. Because they primarily forage on invertebrates in the wrack and wave-washed swash zone, they were directly threatened by both the oil and the actions of the cleanup crews. At several sites, land managers worked cooperatively to educate cleanup crews, monitor the birds, and develop cleanup strategies that balanced the benefits and impacts of the response actions. This included limiting the presence of cleanup crews to allow time for the birds to forage at regular intervals, and adopting techniques that left some unoiled wrack in place. This careful management served to minimize impacts to the birds. At Coal Oil Point Reserve, the effects of the oil and response actions on the nesting plovers and their chicks were closely studied. The results suggest that the oil and the presence of cleanup crews both affected the birds. The birds were directly oiled and suffered reduced fertility a year later. During the spill, nest attendance and feeding behavior were impacted by the presence of response crews. Careful management and coordination between biologists and response crews helps to minimize the negative effects of disturbance while achieving the benefits of removing oil from the beaches.