The BP Oil Spill near the Louisiana coast has been declared a “spill of national significance,” and threatens the entire Gulf Coast. With the first wave of the oil slick expected to impact coastal Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency.
We do not know the location or the extent of impact to birds, wildlife, and habitat at this time. What we do know is that we need to be ready with on-call volunteers in the event that they are needed. We are building a database of volunteers prepared to help with this response.
Volunteers can fill a variety of needs, from oiled wildlife recovery, to monitoring and photographing oil movement, to providing a boat and driver for response activities. No specific training or experience is necessary, although you must be at least 18 years old to volunteer.
Some tasks, such as food preparation, may require no training. Other tasks, such as washing oiled birds, may require specific certifications or skills. We encourage pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and anyone with HAZWOPER training to volunteer. Anyone with experience in wildlife handling and rehabilitation, or hazardous materials clean-up is also strongly encouraged to register.
Once you have registered, we will contact you as soon as opportunities arise. The severity of this spill may require a long-term and ongoing response, so if you don’t hear from us immediately, it doesn’t mean you won’t be contacted or that your efforts won’t be needed.
With your help, we can meet this challenge and reduce the impacts of this spill to habitat and wildlife.
