In the News: Tails of Marin
By Captain Cindy Machado
Lessons learned from emergency response to oil spill
A television in the jury assembly room showed the breaking news about a tanker hitting the Bay Bridge. Despite initial reports, it was hard to imagine that the accident would not impact the San Francisco Bay waters and the wildlife that call it home. As I trudged to the assigned courtroom, I wondered if I should alert the judge to a potential hardship: My role as animal disaster coordinator for the County of Marin. Almost like magic, the jury was picked with me being among the last of the group facing selection. Freed from jury duty, I was now wrapped tightly in the clenches of Mother Nature.
Disaster response is not new to the Marin Humane Society. Over the years, animals and their guardians have depended on our trained staff to help them in times of need. An oil spill, however, was new to us as a response organization, but we were still prepared. Our specialized hazardous materials training and well-stocked disaster equipment and supplies enabled us to respond at a moment’s notice.
The first days of a disaster are expected to be chaotic, and this proved to be no different. A phone call to Marin’s Office of Emergency Service revealed that communication between local, state and federal organizations was challenging. The County opened the Emergency Operations Center and all of Marin’s response agencies participated in twice daily conference calls. I was tasked with coordinating all of the local animal organizations that might play a vital role in wildlife rescue, namely birds. Calls were made immediately to Wildcare and the Marine Mammal Center; and the Richardson Bay Audubon also became an important partner.
Wildlife response in an oil spill falls under the direction of the California Department of Fish & Game. The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) is the contracting agency that handles all of the regional coordination, rescue and cleaning of impacted wildlife. We worked in that system to get help to Marin’s wildlife as soon as we could. A call to our colleagues at San Francisco Animal Care and Control revealed that they were in the same situation as us: How do we get help to oiled birds as quickly as possible without endangering the public who felt compelled to take matters into their own hands?
Multiple staging areas were established throughout the county so that MHS could coordinate the transfer of all oiled birds, dead and alive, to their final destination at the OWCN in Cordelia. In the first 15 days, more than 470 birds went through our 24 hour operational system.
As the public spotted birds, our field staff traveled to all ends of the County to capture and contain them. Many oiled victims washed ashore, while others found refuge in parking lots and busy streets. “It was heartbreaking to see the oiled birds helpless, not able to fly or dive,” reports MHS field services supervisor Lieutenant Steve Hill. “In one case, a dead bird was within 10 feet of another awaiting my rescue.”
Even birds that weren’t covered in the black sticky gook soon became ill from just ingesting small doses. Oftentimes, birds were too quick to be captured. This became an emotional strain on our rescuers who never wanted to give up trying to save them.
Sadly, we will continue to find the bodies of oiled birds as the days go by. The aching question remains: Could this disaster have been prevented and can we better prepare for next time? Please use this time to secure a personal disaster plan for you and your pets and take advantage of all of the disaster preparedness resources available in Marin.
Captain Cindy Machado is the animal services director at the Marin Humane Society.
Tails of Marin appears every Saturday in the Home & Garden section of the Marin Independent Journal
