Office Of Spill Prevention And Response Research Articles

Emergency Oil Spill Response: Data Collection Automation, and Dissemination

ABSTRACT The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) has employed Geographic Information System (GIS) technology for oil spill planning and response since the early 1990's, adding remote sensing tools to the mix by the turn of the Century. Discussed herein are OSPR's current smartphone and tablet-based field data collection applications. We use an off-the-shelf tool for pre-response protection strategy planning and use customized tools developed in-house for California Sea Otter Surveys, Wildlife Search and Collection and the Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT). The benefits of automated field data collection include the omission of transcription errors during manual data input and streamlined data processing. This results in accurate and timely information delivered to responders, thus enhancing their capability for informed decision making. OSPR uses the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Environmental Response Management Application® (ERMA), a web-based GIS data viewer as the Common Operational Picture (COP) for data dissemination throughout the incident response community during an oil spill event, and for the post emergency response cooperative Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). OSPR also uses ERMA a planning tool by uploading significant data layers from the U.S Coast Guard's (USCG) six Area Contingency Plans (ACP) for coastal California and OSPR's Geographic Response Plans for inland waters of the state with higher risk of an oil spill. These response planning data are freely downloadable from the ERMA platform. In the Summer/Fall of 2019 at the Cymric Oil Field in Kern County, California, over 1,000,000 gallons of oil, mud and steam seeped into a dry stream bed from several “surface expressions”. Direct access to the spill site was not permitted for Health and Safety concerns. OSPR used an off-the-shelf small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS, aka drone) equipped with a standard high definition (HD) camera and a thermal infrared camera for SCAT reconnaissance, resources at risk evaluations, and regularly scheduled mapping missions for overall site situational awareness.

California's Response to USCG Nationwide Standardization of Area Contingency Plans

ABSTRACT California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) - Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), working with the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Area Committee members, made significant strides to streamline the Area Contingency Plans (ACPs) for improved efficiency and statewide consistency to adhere to new USCG guidance. Beginning with Sector San Diego's ACP, which underwent major revision in 2018, and Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach in 2019, OSPR worked closely with USCG to ensure that there is comparable information statewide, improved maps and GIS compatibility, and updated environmentally and economically sensitive site information. OSPR created a new environmental sensitive site database, including more user-friendly Geographic Response Strategy pages for those identified sites. OSPR also revised the content of Section 9800, which describes the environmental, cultural, historic, and economic sensitivities of a given ACP area, and includes the Geographic Response Strategies. This paper describes in detail the contributions and changes that OSPR has made to California ACPs since 2018. It highlights its approaches to streamlining for efficiency and statewide consistency and lessons learned from the new revision and approval processes.

Evolution of Contingency Planning in California – a Federal and State Coordinated Effort

ABSTRACT U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) agreed to the joint preparation of oil spill contingency plans following the enactment of California and federal laws in 1990. With little guidance initially, six Area Committees embarked on a new process to create the first coastal Area Contingency Plans (ACPs) in 1992. In 2015, when emergency regulations to expand OSPR's jurisdiction statewide became effective, developing inland Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) became a top priority. Over the last 30 years, the ACPs have evolved into robust, nationally recognized planning documents, and response plans have expanded into inland environments. This paper will describe in detail the contributions and advancements in California oil spill contingency planning over 30 years. It will highlight OSPR's approaches for statewide consistency and coverage, interoperability between various state and federal plans, tools (including Geographic Information System (GIS) and various databases), improved sensitive site contacts and management, and lessons learned. It will also cover goals for future improvements in both marine and inland contingency plans.

California's Stakeholder Matrix: A Liaison Tool for the first 96 hours of Response

ABSTRACT Research on crisis and risk communication continues to illustrate the need for and benefits of early and sustained stakeholder engagement during disasters, both natural and manmade. The California citizenry is deeply committed to environmental protection and expects to “engage” with their government on policy development and environmental solutions. Stakeholders expect a high-level of government transparency, driving the need for engagement even more during emergency responses such as oil spills. Within the Incident Command System (ICS), it is the responsibility of the Liaison Officer (LOFR) to coordinate and share information with stakeholders. A review of “After Action Reports” and “lessons learned” from oil spills, both nationally and within California, point to the continued need for strong stakeholder engagement by the LOFR and has become a priority of California's lead oil spill response agency, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR). Building off stakeholder engagement tools found in crises and risk communication literature and in Incident Command System job aids, OSPR crafted a stakeholder matrix that was readily scalable, easy to use, and easy to translate to Incident Commanders and other Command Staff during response. This matrix is a template of simple inputs, allowing stakeholders and engagement strategies to be identified, grouped, and prioritized. It is intended to be a planning tool for the first 24–96 hours, a precious time in a response. It is often too early to expect the LOFR to have completed a stakeholder engagement plan, yet this time is critical to initiating early stakeholder communication that will set the tone for the response. This matrix serves as the initial plan for the LOFR. This paper will describe the development of this tool, its evolution, and its use. It will also highlight feedback from exercises and response partners. It will describe the flexibility and scalability, and considerations for broader applications.

Developing a regulatory framework for certifying spill management teams in California: a balancing act

ABSTRACT 1141476 Major oil spills in California have historically instigated legislation aimed at improving preparedness and response. Most recently, public concern over management of high-profile pipeline spills precipitated the 2017 passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 1197, which mandated a certification program for spill management teams (SMTs). AB 1197 directs contingency plan holders to identify a certified SMT capable of managing their reasonable worst-case spill (RWCS) volumes, and tasks the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) with adopting regulations establishing criteria for certification, including personnel on-scene times, training, and response objectives. We aimed to develop regulations detailing requirements that are achievable, but effectively advance preparedness, drawing upon accepted standards while incorporating mechanisms for flexibility. As we developed the regulations, we conducted informal scoping meetings with industry to fine-tune these mechanisms. We created three tiers for certification delineated by RWCS volume. To account for phased resource mobilization, we established separate requirements for initial response and cascading SMT personnel. We applied team-based training requirements to initial responders and used pared-down National Incident Management System qualifications for cascading personnel, allowing equivalent courses and/or experience to substitute for required training courses. We composed a short objectives checklist, aiming to capture essential tasks to be completed within the first 24 hours. The final regulatory package strikes balances between flexibility and prescription, and between achievability and advancing statewide preparedness.

Standing Up a Comprehensive Training and Position Qualifications Program for a Response and Regulatory Organization

ABSTRACT: The Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is tasked with preventing, preparing for, and responding to oil spills impacting state waters throughout California. A key component of prevention and preparedness is a robust training program that ensures worker safety and provides the necessary skills to work effectively. As a response organization, OSPR must also verify that its staff is appropriately qualified to assume specified positions within the Incident Command System, in order to achieve the best protection of California’s natural resources, as well as to maintain credibility with stakeholders and partners within the Unified Command. To achieve these training and response objectives, OSPR established a program that includes a dedicated Response Qualifications and Certifications Unit, identification of training needs based on job classification, development of a tracking database, a comprehensive task book system consistent with the framework instituted by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, succession planning, and ongoing evaluations to measure the effectiveness of OSPR’s training program. The Response Qualifications and Certifications Unit collaborates with local, State, and Federal agencies, as well as private entities, to develop and provide advanced online, classroom, and hands-on training courses. This paper will outline the successes, complications, and ongoing challenges in establishing OSPR’s training and qualifications program, as well as plans for the future of the program.

SCAT Mobile Data Collection - California's Ongoing Experience

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) since its inception in 1991 has been collecting SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique) data. OSPR, collects SCAT data based upon the SCAT forms developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Processing SCAT paper forms is a time consuming process which includes manual transcription which can be prone to error. Beginning in 2009, OSPR began using an electronic data collection application from EPDS called, Pocket SCAT®. OSPR had scheduled exercises and our last maintenance and upgrade purchase was in 2011. Despite this, when the Refugio Spill occurred on May 19th 2015; because of ongoing issues with Pocket SCAT® and equipment, the decision was made to revert back to using paper forms. SCAT data collection and processing, once again was a time consuming process and error prone. OSPR's experience with SCAT paper forms, Pocket SCAT®, Refugio and other spills, and its recent in-house development and completion of an iOS Wildlife Recovery app culminated into the decision to create its own iOS SCAT app called, “SCATalogue”. This poster presents SCATalogue's current status, features, design considerations, inherent technology limitations and their mitigations, and envisioned future revisions. Presented herein, also a diagram of SCATalogue's place in the greater SCAT workflow such as the backend database, integration with the Common Operational Picture (COP), and other applications and technologies used to facilitate integration.

The Refugio Oil Spill Response: Case Study and Lessons’ Learned/Best Practices for the Future

ABSTRACT The Refugio Oil Spill occurred on May 19, 2015, due to the failure of an underground pipeline, owned and operated by a subsidiary of Plains All-American Pipeline near Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County. The Responsible Party initially estimated the amount of crude oil released at about 104,000 gallons, with 21,000 gallons reaching the ocean. A Unified Command (UC) was established consisting of Incident Commanders from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), Santa Barbara County, and Plains Pipeline with additional participation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California State Parks. Within hours, the CDFW closed fisheries and the following day Governor Brown declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County. The released oil caused heavy oiling of both on and offshore areas at Refugio State Beach and impacted other areas of Santa Barbara and Ventura. A number of factors created unique challenges for the management of this response. In addition to direct natural resource impacts, the closure of beaches and fisheries occurred days before the Memorial Day weekend resulting in losses for local businesses and lost opportunities for the public. The Santa Barbara community, with its history with oil spills and environmental activism, was extremely concerned and interested in involvement, including the use of volunteers on beaches. Also this area of the coast has significant tribal and archeologic resources that required sensitive handling and coordination. Finally, this area of California’s coast is a known natural seep area which created the need to distinguish spilled from ‘naturally occurring’ oil. Most emergency responses, including oil spills, follow a similar pattern of command establishment, response and cleanup phases, followed by non-response phase monitoring, cleanup and restoration. This paper will analyze the Refugio oil spill response in three primary focus areas: 1) identify the ways in which this spill response was unique and required innovative and novel solutions; 2) identify the ways in which this response benefited from the ‘lessons’ learned from both the Deepwater Horizon and Cosco Busan oil spills; and 3) provide a summary of OSPR’s response evaluation report for Refugio, with specific focus on how the lessons learned and best practices will inform future planning efforts within California.

Electronic Wildlife Recovery Tool

ABSTRACT Oil spills can have significant impact on wildlife. Documenting the spatial and temporal data associated with oil spills is an important component that aids in all phases of the response. After struggling long hours to incorporate hardcopy records into a Geographic Information System (GIS), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) recognized the importance of developing a wildlife recovery application specifically designed for the Wildlife Branch within the Incident Command System (ICS). The Wildlife Recovery Application (WRA) is an iOS based program designed to work optimally on an iPhone. The objective of the application was to keep it simple intuitive, reliable, and effective. The WRA can be used with minimal training and has the ability to operate in environments without cellular service. The interface permits the user to visually review the data and photographs, allowing the user to electronically transmit the information to the GIS Unit remotely once cell service or wireless internet has been established. Once the data is transmitted to the Incident Command Post (ICP), the information can be quickly integrated into a GIS. This eliminates the difficult task of manually inputting data from handwritten field notes that may have been compromised by the environmental elements or illegible due to variations in handwriting styles or penmanship. Lastly, the Care and Processing Group within the Wildlife Branch can integrate the data into an on-line medical database designed specifically for wildlife rehabilitators to collect, manage and analyze data for their individual wildlife patients.

An Overview of Volunteer Efforts during the Refugio Oil Spill Incident in Santa Barbara, California

Abstract # 2017-168 Historically in California volunteers have been incorporated into oiled wildlife response since the late 1990s. Prior to the Refugio Oil Spill (ROS) incident in May 2015, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) had not managed Community Volunteers for non-wildlife activities, such as oiled shoreline cleanup. In the first days of the ROS event, members of the public who were interested in volunteering became frustrated, in part due to poor communication regarding volunteer use protocols and initial lack of an established volunteer management structure. Political expectations, in a highly urbanized and environmentally conscious community, also played a role. This paper will address, in part, how the public’s reaction to the ROS created an opportunity to test the Los Angeles / Long Beach Area Contingency Plan Non-Wildlife Volunteer Plan (LA/LB ACP - NWVP)1, and highlight lessons learned from the event and resulting changes to the volunteer program that have evolved.

Unannounced Drill Program: Testing Spill Management Team Capability through Vessel & Facility Oil Spill Contingency Plans

California has approximately >10,000 vessels calling its ports each year, and 200–300 facilities state wide, many of which are required to have a California Oil Spill Contingency Plan (Contingency Plan) on file with Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR). Spill Management Teams (SMT), either staffed by Contingency Plan holders' employees or contracted out, and the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) structure must be described in these plans. OSPR introduced an unannounced SMT drill program (Program) in 2012 to ensure that Contingency Plan holders can successfully complete the proper initial notifications, activate their SMT, and use ICS in accordance with their approved Contingency Plan and California Code 820.01, Drills and Exercises. There are multiple goals of this Program, including the enhanced capability of SMTs, OSPR, and other partners. This Program provides continued education and training for Contingency Plan holders and SMTs in an effort to bolster the initial response phase of an actual incident. Through these drills, SMTs must demonstrate that they could make proper notifications and decisions during an actual incident and be staffed with trained personnel in ICS to fill positions before State and Federal representatives respond. Additionally, SMTs should deploy resources listed in their approved Contingency Plans and ensure those resources are up to date, available, and sufficient. Furthermore, drills provide an opportunity for OSPR and SMTs to build relationships through testing these procedures, which should make the initial response more efficient and effective. Lastly, the drills are often conducted with representatives from United States Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency, both of which have their own drill programs. Working in conjunction with federal partners ensures continuity and fewer required drills of SMTs. Since the beginning of the Program, SMTs continue to improve their response capabilities, validated by more successfully completed unannounced drills. OSPR has conducted 30 unannounced drills, all of which were on SMTs for marine facilities and vessels. With the expanded authority of OSPR to regulate facilities statewide in 2015, this Program will continue to grow. Ultimately, a more comprehensive Program should lead to enhanced SMT capability statewide, and therefore better protection of the State's natural resources overall. The goal of this poster will be to describe: 1) the history and purpose of this Program; 2) the lessons learned and improvements of SMTs and Contingency Plans; and 3) the expansion of the Program from marine to statewide.

Data Management, Sharing, and Dissemination at Drills and Spills

ABSTRACT # 2017-234 The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) has drafted a “Data Management and Sharing Plan” document for use in drills and oil spill response in California. Implementation of this plan will help to avoid compartmentalized isolation of information within the ICS units and sections, will facilitate data dissemination throughout the broader response community, and provide continuance throughout staff changes over a prolonged response. The OSPR document is a modified version of a document first created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)1. In May of 2015 the OR&R document was adapted by OSPR and OR&R for use at the Refugio Pipeline Spill in Santa Barbara, California. This was the first use of such a document at an oil spill response in California. That document version has been subsequently revised by OSPR. The OSPR document retains all of the components of the original OR&R version but has been re-formatted in order to replace technological jargon with plain English to accommodate Incident Commanders and others less familiar with Geographic Information System (GIS) specific technical terms. The document addresses the use of a GIS based Common Operational Picture (COP), specific essential elements of information to be collected, data management, data sharing, requirements for field reporting, data quality control, data file formats, and data archiving. The current OSPR document is designed as a template for regular use by California’s State on Scene Coordinator (SOSC), and can be easily filled out and modified to the specific needs of any oil spill response incident.

The Evolution of Applied Geographic Information Systems for Oil Spill Response in California: Rapid Data Dissemination for Informed Decision Making

ABSTRACT Computing technology has advanced to the point where it is now standard practice to employ complex Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within the Incident Command Post (ICP). Simultaneously, field data collection has been migrating to mobile computing applications which output GIS files that are quickly displayed for real-time situational awareness. From the initial emergency response through clean-up and sign-off much data with a spatial component is generated and many disparate data sets are collected. More efficient data integration, management and visual analysis affords Incident Commanders and Section Chiefs the ability to make informed and timely planning, operational and strategic decisions. Traditionally GIS maps were created in the ICP from field sketches, field notes and verbal reports. Processing of these data by the GIS Unit is very time consuming and prone to error. Preliminary efforts to streamline and automate field data collection by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW, formerly the California Department of Fish and Game), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) utilized Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to record waypoints and track lines. Since then more elegant electronic field data collection applications installed on small, handheld computers have been developed including those for “Wildlife Recovery and Transport”, “Resources at Risk” over flights, and the “Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique” (SCAT). Other recent advancements allow for real-time aerial remote sensing for oil slick detection and detailed mapping of its properties, and displaying the output from coastal High Frequency (HF) radar installations for real-time visualization of local ocean surface current fields. These field data collection applications are explained in more detail in the body of this paper. Once these data are incorporated into the GIS a web-based Common Operational Picture (COP) is utilized for timely dissemination of relevant geospatial data. OSPR has worked closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) to develop “Southwest ERMA” (Environmental Response Management Application) as California's COP for web-based data dissemination and incident situational awareness. At the Deepwater Horizon (MC-252) Incident Command Post (ICP) in Houma, Louisiana many responders were from outside of the region and unfamiliar with the local geography. Area base maps with a standardized coast line and place names were not readily available for several days which added unnecessary confusion to the mix. As a lesson learned and in order to avoid this situation for an oil spill response in California, OSPR and NOAA have pre-loaded Southwest ERMA with pertinent base maps, charts and spill response planning data from the three California Area Contingency Plans (ACPs). These data are deliberately made freely available to the general public via the Southwest ERMA web-viewer without any user login credentials required.

1990 – 2010: Twenty Years of Developing and Maintaining Trained and Competent Field Environmental Scientists for Oil Spill Response in California

ABSTRACT In the wake of the Exxon Valez spill in 1989 and the Huntington Beach oil spill in 1990, the California legislature passed a comprehensive Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act in 1990. This act established the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) within the California Department of Fish and Game and vested the Administrator of the OSPR with the authority over all aspects of marine oil spills including, prevention, preparedness, planning, response, wildlife rehabilitation, natural resource damage assessment and long-term remediation. The first level of responds is the Field Response Team, comprised of an oil spill prevention specialist, a law enforcement warden and an environmental scientist. Unlike typical field biologists, scientific field responders must maintain expertise in not only general ecology and biology, but also all aspects of marine oil spill response including but not limited to; HAZWOPER, incident command system, the fate and effects of oil in the environment; petroleum ...

Utilizing Volunteers during an Oiled Wildlife Response: The M/V Cosco Busan Oil Spill

ABSTRACT This paper provides an introduction to components of the volunteer management system used during oiled wildlife responses within the State of California. A case study is presented of the volunteer management system utilized during the M/V Cosco Busan Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay, November 2007. Wildlife collection and care were administered through a partnership between the State of California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) based at the Wildlife Health Center, University of California, Davis. The OSPR and OWCN volunteer coordinators managed approximately 1850 volunteers who contributed to the oiled wildlife response. Volunteer notification and response, emergency volunteer center activation, specific challenges of managing both trained and convergent volunteers, and wildlife operations are discussed. Program changes for improved future volunteer management and communication during oiled wildlife respo...

Pre-Planning for an Oil Spill Response: Segmenting the San Francisco Bay and Delta Shorelines

Abstract In the wake of the Exxon Valdez (1989) and the American Trader (1990) oil spills, the California Legislature enacted the Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990. This Act established the California Department of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) in 1991. Subject to the Governor, OSPR's Administrator has the primary authority in California to direct prevention, removal, abatement, response, containment, and cleanup efforts with regard to all aspects of oil spills in, or threatening marine waters of the State. In spill response, Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Teams (SCAT) act as the “eyes and ears” of the Unified Command in the field, assessing the extent and degree of impacted shoreline, while recommending clean-up techniques. SCAT teams are assigned to survey specific shoreline-areas (i.e., segments). A segment can range from a few hundred yards to several miles. Segments are a way to effectively delineate and communicate shoreline trea...

California Marine Oil Spill Fisheries Closure: Key Processes of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), During a Fisheries Closure Event

ABSTRACT Determining whether to close a commercial, recreational, or subsistence fishery after an oil spill is a difficult emergency decision that must be made quickly by California state authorities. California state law now states that fisheries affected by a spill must be closed within 24 hours of a spill of one barrel (42 gallons) or more of oil, unless it can be determined that the actual risk is non-existent or has been mitigated. However, assessing the amount of oil truly spilled, the status of spilled oil containment versus spreading rate, and determining which fisheries are in the potential path of oil are all confounding factors. While the goal of the law is to protect people from consuming fish or shellfish that exceed established petroleum contaminant thresholds, caution is used to make sure fisheries are not closed unnecessarily. The California fishery closure protocol articulates the separate, specific, and coordinated roles and responsibilities of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). These protocols are internal to the two involved California state agencies, and are separate from any fishery closure decisions that might be made by the National Marine Fisheries Service for spills in federal waters.

INCORPORATING REMOTE SENSING DATA INTO A GIS FOR EMERGENCY SPILL RESPONSE AND NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

ABSTRACT In California, A GIS (Geographic Information System) is routinely employed by the Unified Command to manage, map, analyze and display convergent data during an oil spill emergency response. Collecting remote sensing data from satellite, aircraft and ground based platforms has become more common as technology advances and data acquisition expenses decrease. The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) first used aerial photographs acquired in stereo pairs in both natural color and color infra-red for the MV Stuyvesant response in 1999. The aim was to map aquaculture sites in Humboldt and Arcata Bays. OSPR used satellite radar (RADARSAT-1, ERS-2) for slick detection at the MV Stuyvesant and SS Jacob Luckenbach responses. A pilot project by OSPR in 2004/05 showed the feasibility of using the RADARSAT-1 satellite for both ship detection and suspected pollution (slick) location in near real-time. At the Suisun Marsh pipeline incident in 2004 the trustee agencies and the responsible party undertook several NRDA (natural resource damage assessment) data collection efforts and studies. One study used a multispectral digital camera that was flown over the spill site on two dates several weeks apart. Interpretations from these images helped to quantify acreage affected by the pipeline release. DFG'S air force routinely obtains aerial imagery for response purposes using a standard Nikon digital SLR (Single-Lens Reflex) camera. These aerial photographs are geo-referenced and used as “instant” accurate base maps.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME OFFICE OF SPILL PREVENTION AND RESPONSE CONVERGENT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

ABSTRACT The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) have the authority to use Convergent Volunteers during a spill event to assist with rehabilitating oiled wildlife. The Convergent Volunteer Program was created to allow concerned citizens to help save wildlife injured by oil spill events in our state. Volunteers’ interests, talents, and skills are matched with wildlife needs and work opportunities at the primary care facility responding to the spill. Previous experience with wildlife, while helpful, is not required to volunteer. Volunteers in the OSPR program are people from all walks of life, who want to be good stewards of California and our wildlife. Our volunteers are individuals who come forward to help assist with rehabbing oiled wildlife after learning of an oil spill from the media or other sources. They are average citizens willing to share their wealth of knowledge and learn how to rehabilitate wildlife that have been injured by spilled oil. Some volunteers work full time, some a few hours a week or month, or during a particular season or spill event. Volunteers perform a wide variety of tasks, such as; animal intake, animal food preparation, animal stabilization, animal washing, volunteer operations center, construction or electrical work (building pens, etc.) clerical and administrative tasks, and laundry. At the OSPR, we strive to ensure that all wildlife exposed to petroleum products in the environment receive the best achievable treatment available. Ultimately, we succeed because of the vigorous efforts of our dedicated oil spill volunteers.

Bird Hazing at Oil Spills in California in 2004 and 2005

The Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) oversees clean-up, natural resource damage assessment activities, and wildlife protection activities at oil spills in California. OSPR contracted with the University of California, Davis (UCD) in July 2000 to establish the Hazing Group (HG) with the goal of preventing birds from becoming exposed in the event of a spill. OSPR activated HG for 2 oil spills in 2004 and 2005. In the Suisun Slough Pipeline Spill near Fairfield on 27 April 2004, a pipeline break released 3 ´ 105.5 L of diesel fuel into a 98-ha freshwater marsh. HG was activated and arrived on scene on 29 April. HG deployed propane cannons and bamboo stakes with mylar along oiled channels, patrolled on foot or by canoe, and fired pyrotechnics at 16 species of birds. Most birds responded favorably and left the marsh or continued on without landing. CAPA rockets and shell crackers were most effective. Hazing continued for 21 days. Post-spill evaluation indicated pre-spill efforts to improve preparedness and response time were effective, but the absence of an assigned vehicle and the location of the primary HG responder away from UCD at the time of call-out increased response time. In the Pyramid Lake Spill near Santa Clarita on 23 March 2005, a pipeline break released 4.8 ´ 106 L of crude oil, which flowed down a creek into Pyramid Lake. HG was activated on 29 March and arrived on-scene on 30 March. HG activities were limited to reconnaissance; few birds were observed on the lake. High winds and rough waters prevented boat operations and were also problematic for shore-based hazing. With the spill contained to a limited area, low bird numbers present, and unfavorable weather forecast to continue, initiation of hazing would have been difficult and of limited benefit. HG was dismissed from the spill response on 31 March. Post-spill evaluation indicated response time was excellent, aided in part by an assigned vehicle. Weather limited hazing, and the location of Pyramid Lake and the timing of the spill was fortuitous with regard to low bird numbers present. On 13 January 2005, oiled birds appeared along the southern California coast between Santa Barbara and Venice. Over 1,400 oiled birds were recovered within 8 days, and up to 5,000 birds may have been oiled along 129 km of coastline. The source of this spill, called the Ventura County Oiled Bird Incident, was unknown. Wildlife officials did not find a major slick on the water. HG was not activated for this spill because there was no identifiable slick or contaminated area to haze birds away from, the impacted area was large, and the impacted species, mostly grebes, are not easily hazed. Guidelines for activation of HG are suggested that take into account the species at risk, the responsiveness of the species to hazing, presence of identifiable source, slick, or contaminated area, imminent likelihood of clean areas becoming oiled, presence of clean areas for hazed birds, the size or extent of the spill, and weather conditions.