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Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Golden Gate Bird Alliance is a member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) and works closely with the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) in Cordelia, CA to prepare for oil spill emergencies in San Francisco Bay.

GGA’s experience surveying and documenting oiled birds and assisting local agencies during the Bay Area’s major 2007 Cosco Busan spill led us to become an OWCN member. Staff and volunteers completed important instruction including certification and we developed an emergency plan which was implemented during the 2009 Dubai Star oil spill. These local oil spill events served as invaluable training and preparation for regional and national oil spills and their impacts on birds and wildlife.

IBRRC and National Audubon are wildlife responders on-site in the Gulf of Mexico at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (Audubon alone has mobilized 20,000 oil spill volunteers). And Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s trained staff & volunteers are on-call to respond in the Gulf of Mexico if needed.

Please make a charitable donation to Golden Gate Bird Alliance today. Your gift supports all of GGA’s programs, including staff and volunteers on alert to respond to the current national tragedy and those who are preparing for future oil emergencies here in San Francisco Bay.…

Bird “Control” at the Oakland Airport

Golden Gate Bird Alliance is deeply concerned about the shooting of at least 60 birds near the Oakland Airport on December 23, 2009.  Current reports state that several thousand birds were directly in line with one of the airport’s runways, likely because of a high concentration of fish, and that the birds were unresponsive to the non-lethal “hazing” techniques that normally disperse 90-95% of the birds.  While we understand that human safety is paramount and that some birds do pose risks to aircraft, we are discussing the matter with airport officials, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the Port of Oakland, and the California Dept. of Fish & Game to determine whether all available non-lethal means were attempted before the birds were killed.  We also hope to work with these agencies to reduce the likelihood that similar lethal measures will be necessary in the future.

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