Frustration spilling over

This is a large oil spill response for IBRRC. Not it terms of the gallons spilled but the amount of oiled birds being seen by the public and our response team members.

There is great frustration when we can not get to each bird we see oiled. Some of them are hard to catch; others can difficult to reach in spots where mud, currents and obstructions prevent us from safely approaching.

There's also been a number of dedicated but frustrated folks who have spotted oiled birds in the field. When they called the original 877-823-6926 number to report their findings, the number was busy or not operating. I can tell you I've tried the number a couple times and it kicks over to voice mail.

Note: The new new number to report oil birds is (415) 701-2311

Honestly, the system isn't perfect but if I know our partner, Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN), its working quickly to solve this problem. With the governor's state of emergency declaration Friday, maybe the solutions will be here sooner.

Let's hope.