Defenders of Wildlife Blog

As part of my job at Defenders, I continue to learn about the myriad tools we all have to help make wildlife management work in good times, and during crises like oil spills. I made a commitment after the heart-breaking BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to be a better citizen by becoming a certified Wildlife Sea Otter Responder. Recently, on a clear, crisp, cold Saturday, about 40 of us gathered in a windowless training room to spend the day with trainers from International Wildlife Research (IWR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Sea Life Center and the Alyeska/SERVS to get a first-hand look at what it takes to be a certified responder.

Sea otters are unique among arctic marine mammals since they rely on the thickness and distinctive make-up of their fur, rather than blubber, to keep them warm or cool and dry. They live in sea-ice covered coastal areas and spend considerable time floating on their backs, often eating shellfish or nursing and caring for their pups that, unlike the young of other aquatic mammals like seals, cannot swim when first born.

Most of us hope we never get that call to respond, because doing so would mean heartbreak and tragedy for sea otters, other marine life and coastal communities.

Sea otters require very specific round-the-clock care when oiled. Their survival and return to the wild depend heavily on certified Wildlife Sea Otter Responders both knowing their jobs and doing them correctly – the first time and every time.

The IWR team that leads these trainings includes scientists, veterinarians and wildlife specialists with expertise and real world experience in the care and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife. In fact, many of them are actual veterans of the infamous Exxon Valdez Spill in Prince William Sound in 1989. IWR has provided expertise for preparing and executing oil spill response operations for sea otters and other marine and land mammals for over 15 years.

Karla Dutton and vet tech Willow are demonstrating the proper taping technique to put on XL-sized protective equipment.

As I embarked on the 9-hour training, I was struck by not only the complexity of the course, but also the very real and serious commitment I was making by being there. After much coffee, careful listening to lectures and participating in a number of team problem-solving sessions, we were deemed ready for any oil spill emergency that might come our way. As a result, I now have my certificate and am on the national register of first responders.

The course and the online training and exam are well worth your time if you feel motivated to be part of a group who could be called in to help wildlife in an oil spill someday. Most of us hope we never get that call to respond, because doing so would mean heartbreak and tragedy for sea otters, other marine life and coastal communities. But 40 more people are now prepared if the phone rings.

Learn more about sea otters and what Defenders is doing to protect all wildlife  from the threat of oil spills.

These days, it isn’t only oil showing up on Gulf beaches. Last week brought a surge of stories on the high numbers of dead baby dolphins washing ashore in Gulf states.

As of Wednesday, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) reported that as many as 30 dolphins have been found dead since January in Mississippi and Alabama, and 24 of them calves. The Sun Herald reported five dead calves found in Alabama in just one day.

Scientists are concerned about these abnormally high numbers. The number of dolphin strandings so far this year is already more than ten times greater than what it’s been the last two years. Also unusual is the timing of these deaths. Birthing season for dolphin typically begins later, in March. Clearly, something is wrong.

Although scientists have not ruled out causes such as extreme cold temperatures, many are looking to BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill last spring as a potential culprit. IMMS experts, joined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), remain busy conducting autopsies. Hopefully, further testing will allow them to get to the bottom of this troubling phenomenon soon.

Learn more:

Click here for more information on the recent dolphin calf strandings.

See what YOU can do to help wildlife harmed by the Gulf oil disaster.

Voila! Defenders supporter Joyce White has completed her handmade clay bead necklace – and it measures more than 2,000 feet! This necklace, weighing in at just under 200 lbs, was handmade one bead at a time and hand assembled. Joyce began crafting a beaded necklace in June of this year, after seeing heartbreaking images of oiled wildlife in the Gulf. She plans to auction off the necklace and then donate the proceeds to Defenders in the effort to support animals that continue to be impacted by the Gulf oil disaster.

It’s one thing to hear about a necklace that long, but to see it is another! Check out this video to see the necklace in its entirety.

For more information, please visit the Clay Bead A Thon page on Facebook.

See how Defenders is working to help wildlife impacted by the Gulf oil disaster.

Items featured in "Oil Spill"

Defenders has friends in fashion! And designer Yotam Solomon is using his upcoming spring collection to prove that environmental awareness is all the rage.

Solomon  - who says, “Environmentally friendly high fashion is on our forefront!” - drew inspiration for his coming spring collection, “Oil Spill,” from this year’s BP oil disaster, which he believes is “a major event in our decade and even century.” He hopes the collection, which comprises a variety of heels, dresses and separates, will raise awareness about the tragic oil spill and other environmental issues.

Designer Yotam Solomon

The eco-friendly designer has pledged to donate a portion of the sales from the 2011 collection to Defenders for  our work in the Gulf.

You don’t have to be a fashionista to know that hard work and generosity like that never go out of style!

Learn more:

Click here to see Yotam Solomon’s “Oil Spill” collection and more.

YOU can help protect wildlife impacted by oil in the Gulf of Mexico too – urge your Senators to pass the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act before Congress adjourns for the year.

Thousands of imperiled birds, sea turtles, dolphins and other Gulf wildlife—and 11 people—died as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil explosion.

This year’s Deepwater Horizon oil explosion was the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history. It killed 11 people, at least 6,000 birds, 600 threatened or endangered sea turtles and countless other species. It has decimated the local fishing industry. And its impacts will be felt for decades on beaches, national wildlife refuges and other sensitive ecosystems in states around the Gulf.

Time is running out for Congress to act. Urge your representative and senators to pass the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act before Congress adjourns for the year.

Big Oil clearly wants to delay action on this vital issue until the next Congress. They are counting on more pro-oil, anti-wildlife members to derail real reform and are counting on America forgetting the terrible tragedy that still afflicts the Gulf, its economy and its wildlife.

Despite the catastrophic impacts of this disaster, Congress has so far failed to act to prevent the next awful oil disaster.

Take action now, while there’s still time!

It is high time for Congress to pass the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act, legislation that would:

• Ensure a major restoration effort and funding for Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems
• Protect oil rig workers with stronger safety standards
• Stop the rubber-stamping of industry plans
• Require greatly improved oil spill response capacity
• Eliminate liability caps for oil spill damages, so taxpayers aren’t stuck with the bill for disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil explosion.

With Congress set to adjourn for the year in just a few weeks, time is running out to pass legislation to protect our sea turtles, birds and other wildlife from the next offshore oil tragedy. Please take action now. Write your representative and senators today.

Today marks the six-month anniversary of the explosion aboard the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that caused the death of 11 workers and initiated the worst oil disaster the U.S. has ever seen.

But despite the death of thousands of animals in the Gulf of Mexico, many of which are endangered or threatened species, and continued impact on coastal communities and natural habitats, Congress has yet to act.

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders’ executive vice president, said, “If the explosion of an oil rig that leaves eleven people dead and results in the worst oil spill in our country’s history, devastating Gulf of Mexico communities and wildlife, does not move the Senate to act, what will it take? It’s been six months since the BP oil disaster began and the Senate has done nothing to improve even the most basic safety and response standards.

“The continued impacts of this disaster evident in our coastal waters and along the shoreline prove that current oil spill oversight, response capacity and safety standards are simply not sufficient to protect our environment or our coastal communities. The U.S. Senate must not continue to delay enacting improved safety measures, better spill prevention, an appropriate liability cap for any future accidents and desperately-needed restoration of the Gulf Coast. Unless the Senate passes this legislation, the clock is ticking until the next offshore oil disaster.”

“If the explosion of an oil rig that leaves eleven people dead and results in the worst oil spill in our country’s history, devastating Gulf of Mexico communities and wildlife, does not move the Senate to act, what will it take?”

Defenders isn’t waiting

Defenders marked this six-month anniversary by today filing suit against BP under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the ongoing unlawful harm or killing of endangered and threatened wildlife caused by the massive blowout. This includes at least 27 endangered or threatened animal species that are known to inhabit the Gulf region, including five species of endangered sea turtles, four species of endangered whales, threatened and endangered birds and Florida manatees.

With this lawsuit, we and other conservation groups aim to make sure BP takes action to reduce harm caused to the endangered and threatened wildlife that are part of the web of life in the Gulf of Mexico.

What you can do

Contact your Senators and urge them to pass the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act (S. 3663) and help prevent the next offshore oil drilling disaster.