Oiled Wildlife Workshop

The Wildlife Center of Texas Oil Spill Response Team is on the move again. Tuesday they were called to a spill that affects the Delta National Wildlife Refuge and Breton Island in Louisiana. Resources have been mobilized to deploy containment booms, conduct cleanup operations and attempt to keep wildlife out of the affected area. The Wildlife Center of Texas' team is no stranger to this environmentally sensitive region which includes several major rookeries. The site is so remote that the airboat ride is over 45 minutes. Our responders are sunburned and sore from the pounding boat ride. The Wildlife Center of Texas oiled wildlife response team responded to three oil spills in January and February.  Two were in Texas and the other in Louisiana.  One spill affected several anhinga (similar to the better known Cormorant) and the team was very intrigued by this interesting bird.  They did very well in captivity and were released with a group of brown pelicans. Over 50 participants attended the first Texas General Land Office (TGLO)  Oiled Wildlife Workshop which was held in Corpus Christie.  The second TGLO sponsored workshop will held later this month in Port Arthur and a third  workshop will be held May 20 at the Wildlife Center of Texas Wildlife Center.  There are four other workshops planned in the Gulf Coast area to finish out the year. Photo is of a Mottled Duck taken at a previous oil spill by Julie Dermansky.