HBO's Saving Pelican 895 Wins Best Documentary

Hello everyone,

Thursday night was the West Coast premiere of Saving Pelican 895, the HBO documentary that Director Irene Taylor Brodsky filmed with us in Louisiana last summer during the Deepwater Horizon spill. Featured in the film, Mark Russell and I were invited to attend the premiere and participate in the Q&A session afterward. The premiere, which was in Irene’s hometown of Portland, Oregon, drew an unprecedented crowd of more than 600 guests to the auditorium of the Portland Art Museum. Earlier that day, 300 students participated in an advance screening.

The film follows the story of the 895th oiled Pelican treated during the spill from its capture to its release. Viewers recognized that 895 stood as a symbol of the care that each bird received, and were struck – and deeply moved - by the level of attention given to a single animal.

International Bird Rescue Research Center’s tagline is “every bird matters,” and the movie truly embodies this philosophy. Irene’s simple telling of this bird’s experience reminds us of the significance of the life of each and every animal that needs our care, and just how critical our work is – not just during a crisis – but every day.

We just learned that Saving Pelican 895 won the Best Documentary award at the prestigious Vail Film Festival. We would like to congratulate Irene Brodsky and HBO for their win.

The movie will have its East Coast premiere in New York on April 14, and will air on HBO beginning on April 20, the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon spill. It is my sincere hope that you will take the time to watch the film, and that you find it as meaningful as we did.

Jay Holcomb
Director Emeritus
International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC)

HBO air dates and times for Saving Pelican 895

4/20/2011 9:00 p.m.
4/23/2011 12:00 p.m.
4/26/2011 12:00 a.m.
4/26/2011 5:00 p.m.
4/29/2011 6:45 a.m.
4/30/2011 5:35 a.m.
5/05/2011 2:00 p.m.

Note: Please check local listings

Media reports:

Screening of Irene Taylor Brodsky's Saving Pelican 895 draws a full house

Filmmaker Interview: Irene Taylor Brodsky on “Saving Pelican 895”

Gulf Spill: Working Together for Wildlife Award

Emergency response teams from International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) and three other wildlife organizations have received national recognition for collaborative care of oiled animals during the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill.

The Marlys J. Bulander Working Together for Wildlife Award was presented to IBRRC, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART) and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. The announcement was made at the annual National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) meeting in Albany, New York.

This award is given to those who have brought together individuals, organizations, rehabilitation facilities, and agencies in a cooperative effort to make a positive difference for wildlife.

The four organizations joined forces to care for the thousands of birds and other animals affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 off the coast of Louisiana. Together they built, organized and ran four oiled bird rehabilitation centers – the first in Ft. Jackson, Louisiana and second in Hammond, LA. The others were set up in Alabama and Mississippi. They also helped manage oiled wildlife stabilization sites at Grand Isle, Venice, and Intra-Coastal City, LA.

IBRRC had about 90 members of its response team helping in four states in the Gulf of Mexico region. This collaborative effort has led to the release of 1,170 birds to date.

NWRA judges praised the speed and purpose with which the teams responded to the largest oil spill in United States history, as more than 200 million gallons of crude spilled from a ruptured drilling rig 45 miles off the Louisiana coast.

IBRRC is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and is a world leader in oiled wildlife emergency response, rehabilitation, research and education. Its team of specialists has led rescue efforts in over 200 oil spills in 11 States, two U.S. territories, and 7 different countries.

IBRRC is equally proud of the care it provides to the more than 5,000 injured, hungry, or orphaned birds that come into its two California wildlife care centers each year. It is committed to ensuring that every bird impacted by changes to their environment is given hope to survive and thrive.

More info: International Bird Rescue Research Center

Gulf Oil Spill talk in Monterey December 4th

After spending nearly 5 months along the Gulf Coast, lead wildlife rescuers will give an eye opening account of their experiences on Saturday afternoon, December 4th in Monterey, CA.

Jay Holcomb of International Bird Rescue (San Francisco), world leader in oiled wildlife recovery and aquatic bird care, will join WildRescue (Monterey) directors Rebecca Dmytryk and Duane Titus in recounting their experiences. Anecdotes and never‐seen video clips and pictures will offer a firsthand look at what it was like to be on the frontlines of the largest oil spill disaster in U.S. history.

The program will be presented at Monterey Peninsula College ‐ Lecture Hall 103, 980 Fremont St., Monterey, CA. It starts at 3 PM and will until 4:30 PM. Download the flyer

Tickets are $15; $20 at the door.

Buy online now:

http://wildrescue.bigcartel.com/product/gulf-oil-spill-presentation-at-mpc

The talk benefits WildRescue, a Moss Landing CA based wildlife rescue group.

Audubon Gulf spill report: Birds still at risk

Our friends at Audubon, the national bird advocacy group, has an excellent report out this week entitled: Oil and Birds: Too Close for Comfort. The 28 page illustrated report details the lasting effects from the nation's largest maritime disaster from the BP oil leak on the Louisiana’s Coast and its avian residents.

The Audubon Society says the residual oil and chemicals from BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster still pose substantial risks to birds that breed or nest along hard-hit areas of the Louisiana coast.

“People shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that the danger to birds and the environment is over just because the oil stopped flowing,” said Audubon President & CEO David Yarnold. “It’s going to take years of monitoring just to understand and start dealing with the long-term impacts of the oil — and they’re just part of a much bigger threat.”

The offshore oil drilling rig exploded and sank in April 2010 about 45 miles off the Louisiana coast. After 87 days of leaking 200+ million gallons of crude, the rig was finally capped. More than 8100 birds were officially affected by the spill. Of those, 6100 were collected dead. IBRRC worked with Tri-State Bird Rescue to help stabilize, treat and clean as many oiled birds as possible. More than 1,200 birds were released back to the wild. See our updated bird and species treated report.

See the Audubon press release.

To read the full report, download it here. (PDF 4 MB)

Support the birds: Buy a Gulf Oil Spill t-shirt

To commemorate the historic 2010 Gulf Oil Spill, IBRRC is now selling a limited edition t-shirt to honor the birds and wildlife responders who worked so hard to save animals in this disaster.

It is available for purchase at IBRRC's online store.

This special t-shirt will have a limited printing of 1,000 shirts.

Designed by response team member, Rebecca Dmytryk Titus, the front of the t-shirt shows images depicting the many species of wildlife that were rescued and rehabilitated. They include individual birds such as the baby brown pelican, the Magnificent Frigatebird, a young Roseate Spoonbill, and an adult Brown Pelican sporting a numbered pink leg band, used to identify individual birds after they are returned to the wild.

Species depicted: Northern Gannet, Laughing Gull, Least Bittern, Tricolored Heron (AKA Louisiana Heron), Sandwich Tern, Green Sea Turtle, Brown Pelican, Reddish Egret, King Rail, Magnificent Frigatebird, Black Skimmer, Roseate Spoonbill, Royal Tern, and Great Egret.

These Anvil pre-shrunk organic tees are short sleeve chocolate colored 5.0 oz. 100% Organic Cotton. They come in Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and 2-XL. All shirts are $25 plus shipping and handling.

The RIGHT sleeve has printed: International Bird Rescue Research Center.

All proceeds will support the lifesaving work of International Bird Rescue Research Center. Purchase one now online at our Bird Rescue Online Store. Payment processed through PayPal. You don't need to have a PayPal account.

T-shirt image/design by Rebecca Dmytryk copyright 2010

Hopeful signs: More oil spill birds released

As we approach the 5th month of bird rescue at the BP Oil Spill, Jay Holcomb, IBRRC's Executive Director, is back with a new update on the continuing response in four Gulf states:

Dear Friends and Supporters,

This past week we released more than 150 clean birds after successful rehabilitation at the ongoing Gulf Oil Spill bird rescue. They were returned to the wild on Rabbit Island, another clean bird nesting island in western Louisiana.

We've had a fair amount of storm activity in the last few weeks and have had to schedule bird releases around heavy wind and rain. That’s unfortunate for us but will not impact the birds who can wait a few extra days before they return to the wild. We have made the best use of that time by providing live fish for them to eat so the young pelicans can continue to play and develop hunting skills as they plunge feed and chase live minnows in their pools.

Why are we still getting oiled birds?

While the number of oiled birds has slowed down tremendously, and especially in the last month, we are still receiving fledgling pelicans, gulls and terns. These fledgling birds became oiled while they were playing and bathing in the puddles in the inland areas or on the shorelines of small islands. In July a strong storm surge pushed oil onto some of the nesting islands in the Grande Isle area. These islands are primarily made up of sand, gravel and shell and the highest elevations are typically no more than 4 feet high.

Some islands have low growing mangrove forests and many of the islands are covered with tall grasses. The storm surges pushed oil through the grasses and mangroves and much of it settled in shallow inlets and pools that are located throughout the inner areas of the islands. Some of these young birds have been oiled for a while and the only reason they survived was because the warm weather and hot sand allowed them to stay warm.

As they begin to fledge and hang out on the edges of their islands they are easier to capture without frightening the other birds. Since early July we have received around 500 oiled fledglings. We not only have to wash and rehabilitate them, we must take over the role of their parents and help them to learn to eat on their own and become decent hunters and foragers. That is where the live fish and other stimulating foods come in. So, in essence we are now operating a nursery and classroom for the feathered orphans of the spill. The birds now ready to be released have graduated to a state where we think they have a good chance for survival. They may be delayed for a few days but when they are ready they will be released into colonies of their species so that they can pick up where they left off in the education.



Watch: Video of young Brown Pelicans feeding on minnows

As of August 29, 2010 the Tri-State Bird Rescue and IBRRC Response Team have successfully cleaned and released 1,129 healthy birds back to the wild in Texas, SW Louisiana, Florida and Georgia. See: Updated bird numbers

Also you can follow IBRRC's ongoing rescue efforts on Facebook and Twitter.

We continue to remain hopeful and part of that comes from your encouragement and continuing support.

Sincerely,

Jay Holcomb, Executive Director
International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC)

62 clean, healthy Gulf oil spill birds released

It has been a tremendously rewarding week for us oiled bird carers at the Hammond, Louisiana bird care facility. In the last seven days we have released 197 clean, healthy birds back to the wild. At 2:00 AM this morning, 62 healthy birds were loaded into carriers and transported to the Atchafalaya State Wildlife Refuge for release. See photo, above, of Roseate Spoonbill being released.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries personnel released the rehabilitated birds — including Roseate Spoonbills, Skimmers, Gulls, and Terns.

This was the fourth bird release within the State of Louisiana. To date, more than 800 birds have been released throughout the Gulf Coast since the BP oil spill began in April 2010. See daily animal numbers update via PDF link

To top off the busy day, we were honored with a visit to the Hammond center from Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft, the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the oil spill response.

Toward the end of the day we were preparing for possible bad weather that is approaching. There's a storm off the Gulf Coast that has a 70% chance of developing into a tropical storm.

Meanwhile, our youngest baby pelican is doing really well. In picture he's playing with a stick. Playing with sticks and grass and mimicking nest building keeps the baby pelicans busy throughout the day. Soon this youngster will have another pelican about the same age to interact with. It's one of about 150 or so oiled birds that have been admitted for care in the last week. Right now this bird shares his pen with some older juvenile pelicans.

Day 109 update: Gulf oiled bird rescue continues

As we enter into the fourth month of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, we wanted to bring you up to date on our continuing oiled bird rehabilitation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

The BP well has been capped but we are still receiving hundreds of oiled birds each week. These are primarily the orphans of the spill: Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans, Terns, Herons and Skimmers who are attempting to fledge from their protective islands. In doing so they are becoming oiled as residual pools of oil and oiled grasses still exist on some of the islands.

On July 23rd we successfully moved 400+ bird patients from the Fort Jackson rescue center in Buras, Louisiana to Hammond, which is 80 miles further north. Primarily, this move was to ensure the safety of people and animals in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane. We currently have over 500 birds at the Hammond center. You may read an earlier Blog posting.

To-date, 657 birds — mainly Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gulls and small shorebirds — have been successfully rehabilitated and released back to the wild in Texas, SW Louisiana, Florida and Georgia. See: Updated bird numbers

IBRRC has had 75 responders help in the gulf spill and we still have 40 response team members in four Gulf states working alongside our colleagues from Tri-State Bird Rescue to give the best possible care to these oiled birds. Many of us have been here since early May and we will be here to assist for many more months to come.

An amazing amount of people, including many children from around the country, have been moved to respond to the ongoing aquatic bird rescue efforts in the Gulf. Please read: Starting Young: A passion to help oiled birds

Please know that we appreciate all your words of encouragement and your continuing support.

Sincerely,

– Jay Holcomb, Executive Director
International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC)

More information

When oil stops, the hard work can begin: The Cornell Blog of Ornithology

Audubon Magazine Blog: The Gulf Oil Spill

Move to new Hammond bird center a success

We're happy to report the move to the new Hammond, Louisiana bird rescue center went smoothly Friday morning. Here's an update:

The move was a great success!

At 2:30 AM yesterday morning, staff from Tri-State Bird Rescue, IBRRC and Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART) arrived to the facility and began preparing the birds for their journey to Hammond. They were given rehydrating fluids and placed into carriers. The carriers were then lined up according to size and species. When the large Transport trucks arrived at 4:00 AM, the birds were systematically loaded - the most frail were loaded last so they would be offloaded first. They were on the road before 5:00 AM. It went incredibly smoothly and according to plan.

By 7:00 AM, the first of nearly 400 birds arrived and were in their new enclosures. Outside, clean birds were placed into large enclosures with foliage and water features. Almost immediately the birds began bathing and exploring their new enclosures. Inside, the critical birds were placed into their new cages that had been warmed in preparation for their arrival. No birds were harmed or lost in this move.

This new facility, located near Hammond's Northshore Regional Airport sits on over 7 acres. It offers 4 large sheltered areas being used for outdoor housing and three large warehouses that have been retrofitted for our operations.

–Rebecca Dmytryk, IBRRC Media Relations Assistant

Hammond is about 60 miles north of New Orleans above Lake Pontchartrain. The new site is out of the hurricane 'evacuation zone'.

Initially, the Hammond Bird Rehabilitation Facility will be capable of handling approximately 1,000 birds, and capacity could be increased to house as many as 2,000 to 3,000 birds.

Oiled animals that continue to come in through Venice and Port Sulphur, Louisiana will receive first aid at a stabilization site nearby before being transferred to the wildlife center in Hammond. Since we do not wash oiled birds right away this will not delay their treatment.

Scientists ask public to report banded birds

Scientists working on studying birds cleaned and released at the BP Gulf Oil Spill have a special request for birders and the general public: Please report sightings of these specially banded birds.

Birds from the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster are banded with metal federal leg bands with a unique ID number. In addition, brown pelicans also receive a large color leg band. Three colors of leg bands are being used:

• Orange bands with no identification numbers or letters.
• Red bands with identifying numbers and letters.
• Pink bands with identifying numbers and letters.

People who see the birds are asked to report sightings to the National Bird Banding Lab online: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/default.htm

Reporting the band number and the bird’s location will help biologists understand the movements and survival of the birds after their release. This information will assist Federal scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and other organizations in studying these birds after release.

Birds are released only after wildlife specialists, Tri-State Bird Rescue and International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), determine they are sufficiently prepared and exhibit natural behavior including waterproofing, self-feeding, normal blood values, and are free of injuries or disease. They are released in appropriate habitats where human disturbance is minimal.

While the birds are often released in the Gulf area, they are released as far as possible from areas affected by the BP oil spill. Choosing release sites is complicated; biologists want to make sure that birds are released into the same populations from which they came, but with as little risk of getting re-exposed to oil as possible. To date, birds have been released in Texas, Florida and Georgia.

Ultimately, scientists use information gleaned from reports of banded birds to help answer a host of questions. Among those questions are: How long do formerly oiled birds survive? Where do the birds travel? Do immature birds select locations different than breeding-age adults? Do captured birds return to the area where they were captured? Do rehabilitated birds breed in future nesting seasons – and where?

For more information, please see the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center

The eye of the storm: Oiled bird care Gulf update

Nearly 80 days into the BP Gulf oil spill, IBRRC's Executive Director Jay Holcomb has an update from the center of oiled avian treatment in Louisiana:

Hello from Fort Jackson! We had a very busy few weeks, treating hundreds of oiled brown pelicans. Mostly adults, but some nestlings too.

It has quieted down enough to write a quick update. The lull we've been experiencing in the last couple of days may be due to the weather, which has been stormy. Storms and high seas prevent rescue teams from getting out to the islands and shoreline to look for oiled wildlife. As the weather improves, we expect an influx in new patients of varying species in various stages of development.



In the past week, we have had a few interesting new arrivals, like this juvenile Roseate Spoonbill that received its wash yesterday. (See video above)

Additional news: We will be moving our main oiled bird facility in Louisiana from Fort Jackson to Hammond in the coming weeks. With hurricane season upon us, it's imperative and required by the Office of Homeland Security we be located outside the 'evacuation' zone.


View Larger Map

Tomorrow, we will be releasing some of the few remaining adult brown pelicans. Each one is ringed with a metal federal band and a colored plastic leg band to identify it from afar. The birds are being released as far from the spill as possible, hoping they will stay away, but there is no guarantee they will not try to fly home.

As for our operations throughout the Gulf, we have Tri-State Bird Rescue and International Bird Rescue team members staffing facilities in Pensacola, Florida, Theodore, Alabama, and Gulfport, Mississippi tending to wildlife casualties in these respective states. At each center, the mornings begin with rounds, checking on patients and providing them with fresh meals. By mid-morning, washes have begun. Throughout the day, washed birds are evaluated for release.

Thanks,

– Jay, from Fort Jackson, Louisiana

IBRRC has more than 40 response team members on the ground including veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitation managers and facilities and capture specialists.

This oil gusher involves a ruptured well approximately 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. The drilling rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded on April 20, 2010 and sank in 5,000 feet of water. More than 100 workers scrambled off the burning rig in lifeboats. 11 workers died.

The spill has not slowed in the Gulf of Mexico and in its wake it has harmed the fragile breeding grounds for Brown Pelicans and other shorebirds. 10 weeks after the blow out, BP is drilling two relief wells to stem the tide of crude in the nation's worst oil disaster.

Gulf spill response: Answers to frequent questions

From IBRRC's Jay Holcomb, who is at the center of the BP Gulf oiled bird response in Louisiana:

We are almost into July and have just taken in our 600th bird here in Louisiana at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center. The majority of those birds have come into the center in the last 2 weeks when a section of oil was carried to shore near Grand Isle, LA and impacted many brown pelicans and other smaller bird species. We currently have about 300 clean and beautiful brown pelicans outside in large cages getting ready for release. They are starting to be released today in groups and we will continue to release them twice a week until they are all gone. There are currently about 100 oiled pelicans in the building waiting to be washed and some smaller species of birds such as gulls and herons.

The heat here is very difficult to work in but everyone is doing well and moving the birds through the rehabilitation process. We have set up specific times for the media to come and film the birds and the work so that it limits the stress on people and animals. The media has been very cooperative with us.

I play a few roles here in Ft. Jackson and one is the External Affairs role that puts me in touch with the media and the world at large so I thought I would take this opportunity to answer some of the main questions that I am being asked daily.

Question: Where the pelicans are going to be released?

Answer: The pelicans are being flown to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Will they come back to Louisiana? There is that possibility but the US Fish & Wildlife Service has determined that this is the best place to release them at this time. It is a long way from the spill so we are hoping that they stay in the area, at least for a while. The smaller inland birds are being released in the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area just north of Lafayette as they become ready.

Q: How long is IBRRC and Tri-State Bird Rescue going to be in the Gulf of Mexico helping care for the birds?

A: Well, as long as the oil is gushing from the earth and birds are at risk of getting oiled then we will be here.

Q: Is BP supporting your efforts to care for the oiled birds?

A: Yes, BP is the responsible party and is paying for all the costs associated with the care and rehabilitation of oiled birds. IBRRC and Tri-State Bird Rescue are hired to manage the rehabilitation program for the oiled birds from this spill so in actuality we are contractors for BP.

Q: What will the success rate be for oiled brown pelicans?

A: It's impossible to predict the future but these are very healthy and strong birds and have a good chance at surviving the rehabilitation process. The majority of these birds are handling the stress of oiling, washing and rehabilitation extremely well, as expected. Over 300 of them have been cleaned and are in outside aviaries at this time getting ready for release. Brown pelicans typically have a high survival rate in oil spills when they are captured early on and given the appropriate care, as has happened here to date. I expect the majority of them to make it but time will tell and we will report on these birds as we move through the spill.

Q: How can people help or donate?

A: Well, as I have said before, we currently have plenty of help and are not in need of volunteers. As well as the Tri-State and IBRRC response teams, wildlife paraprofessionals from the Gulf Coast States are supplementing our workforce. In Louisiana, this is being coordinated by LSART (Louisiana State Animal Response Team).

Regarding donating to the cause, there are pelicans and thousands of other wild animals all over the country that need help and are cared for by wildlife rehabilitators. I urge everyone to locate their local wildlife rehabilitation organization and support them and their great work in helping our precious wildlife get a second chance at life. Check with your state department of Fish and Game and they can help you locate a worthy wildlife rehabilitation organization.

Beware of the NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) that claim they are raising money to help either restore the gulf or set up mass volunteer networks for spill response. Everyone wants a piece of this pie and a number of these groups who have never done much about oil spill response in the past are now asking for money, holding fundraising events, telethons etc. and using many tactics including celebrity endorsement and the media. They are opportunistic and take advantage of every oil spill or big disaster and I strongly urge you just to be cautious. Before you donate ask how and where your money will be spent before you give.

Again, the real unsung and under-funded heroes who help wildlife around this country are the wildlife rehabilitation organizations who work 24/7 to care for our precious wildlife. They are hands on, on the front lines and the results of their efforts can be witnessed every time they release a rehabilitated animal back into the wild. My strong suggestion is that you support these organizations if you really want to help wildlife!

Thanks for visiting our blog. I will be in touch soon with more news and to answer more questions and share more pictures.

– Jay Holcomb, Executive Director, IBRRC

Background

International Bird Rescue Response Teams starting working in Gulf Coast within days of the Deepwater Horizon well blow out on April 20, 2010. With nearly 40 years of experience on more than 200 spills, IBRRC brings a wide variety of skills working with oiled wildlife.

Distressed oiled birds emerge in worst U.S. spill

The images are haunting this week in the unabated BP Gulf oil leak as video and photos of heavily oil coated birds flash across the screen for all the world to see. (Above: CBS-TV News Video)

By Thursday afternoon still photographs taken by Charlie Riedel of the Associated Press showed images of multiple distressed seabirds caught in an oil slick on Louisiana's East Grand Terre Island. See more: Boston.Com's The Big Picture

For many these are the first horrific images they've seen; it surely will not be the last as the 6 week oil leak continues to spew crude in the Gulf Of Mexico.

Video: Explaining how oiled birds get washed

Jay Holcomb of IBRRC explains why it's so important to remove oil from a birds feathers. He also describes how an oiled pelican captured at the Gulf Oil leak is cleaned of crude this week at the Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Center in Louisiana.

When a bird encounters oil on the surface of the water, the oil sticks to its feathers, causing them to mat and separate, impairing the waterproofing and exposing the animals sensitive skin to extremes in temperature. This can result in hypothermia, meaning the bird becomes cold, or hyperthermia, which results in overheating. Instinctively, the bird tries to get the oil off its feathers by preening, which results in the animal ingesting the oil.

Read more: How Oil Affects Birds

Dawn at the Gulf Oil Spill: Cleaning Up Again

A DAWN ad campaign that was launched in the summer of 2009 is getting renewed interest as the severity of the April 2010 Gulf Oil Spill unfolds. The commercial touts using the dishwashing soap to clean oiled birds.

In honor of last month's Earth Day celebration and just before the Gulf oil spill, Procter & Gamble (PG), the makers of DAWN, stepped up the airing of the television commercial. The ad is tied to Dawn's Everyday Wildlife Champions fundraising efforts for wildlife rescue efforts.

Dawn has been donating free bottles of its product for many years for IBRRC to use at its two California bird centers and another in Alaska.

After the Gulf Oil Spill hit on April 20, 2010, PG rushed another 1,000 bottles by truck from a Kansas City plant to wildlife rescue centers in Louisiana and Alabama.



The ad and marketing program continues to raise much needed funds for IBRRC and the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA. When you buy a bottle of DAWN at the supermarket "register" your bottle on DAWN's website the two groups split $1. They just want your bottle ID, your zip code and the store where you purchased the DAWN. Ready to activate your donation? Go to Dawn Saves Wildlife

The commercial was filmed in May 2009 using IBRRC staff in San Pedro, CA at the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center (LAOBCE). IBBRC manages that center for California's Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN).

So far, the successful campaign has raised nearly $400,000 in support for the two wildlife groups.

We've had a lot of questions about the beautiful song that accompanies the recent DAWN commercial that kicked off the "Dawn Wildlife Champions" program last summer.

The song is by singer/songwriter Joe Purdy and it was released on his 2004 "Julie Blue" album. The song is "Wash Away" (Reprise) and you can listen to more of this terrific music on his album on Purdy's website.

The "Wash Away" tune was also featured on the first season of the hit ABC-TV series "Lost." Purdy self published all his music through his own label, Joe Purdy Records. Joe is from Arkansas and before breaking into the LA music scene, worked on a loading dock and as a high school counselor.

Also map: See how your state is doing with Dawn donations

CBS News Report: Oil Spill = Ecological Chaos

A major environmental threat looms for much of the wildlife along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico due to a recent oil rig disaster. Jeff Corwin from "The Animal Planet" reports from Biloxi, MS for the CBS Evening News.

Latest Gulf Oil Spill map predicts slick movement

The newest Gulf oil spill map from NOAA has been posted. The oil slick continues move toward Florida from the uncapped seafloor gusher at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 45 miles off the Louisiana coast.

Response efforts have been stymied by choppy gulf seas over the past couple of days, but spill officials are optimistic Tuesday as the weather forecast shows sun and an ease in the winds.

Satellite images show the oil covering about 2,000 square miles of Gulf of Mexico waters.

BP has been unable to shut off the well, but crews have reported some progress using a remotely controlled underwater vehicle to dump chemicals called dispersants onto the oil as it gushes from the blown well.

Also see:

U.S. Coast Guard Flickr Photostream with more maps and photos

Day 3 Update: Storm hampers oiled bird capture

On the third day of our response, International Bird Rescue continues to work with Tri-State Bird Rescue, the lead oiled wildlife organization, to set up and staff rehabilitation centers in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, where the growing Gulf of Mexico oil slick is expected to impact birds.

IBRRC's Executive Director, Jay Holcomb, is writing daily updates from the epicenter of the wildlife rescue. Here's his day three oil spill update:

Today the high winds and thunderstorms prevented attempts for clean-up or oiled bird capture. In the meantime, the IBRRC team is continuing to work with Tri-State Bird Rescue, the lead wildlife organization on the ground, to prepare the centers in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida.

We continue to care for the one bird recovered so far: a Northern Gannet. It was washed yesterday and is in stable condition.

We have also now activated more of our response team to augment the centers and support search and collection efforts. They will be arriving on Monday, May 3rd.

We know that there has been an outpouring of concern from people all over the country wishing to help. IBRRC is not in the position to coordinate volunteers or other trained people. We can only reiterate that the best thing you can to do for now is to call the volunteer hotline that has been set-up by BP: 1-866-448-5816.

The latest NOAA oil slick map shows the Deepwater Horizon spill enveloping the Gulf of Mexico – including shoreline areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. It's moving eastward and is expected to hit Florida shores by midweek.

In Alabama Gov. Robert Riley is calling in the National Guard to help with barriers against the sea of oil. Riley is quoted as saying that 80% of the thousands of feet of boom laid down off the gulf coast had broken down because of rough seas and bad weather.

Read more:

Los Angeles Times

Miami Herald

(Photo top: Lumber is unloaded for building bird boxes at Fort Jackson, LA rescue center)

Day 2 update: Gulf oil spill bird rescue

As the massive Gulf oil spill continues to evolve, IBRRC's Executive Director Jay Holcomb is providing daily updates from center of the wildlife rescue operation.

(Photo above: Washing the first oiled bird, a Northern Gannet, at Fort Jackson, LA rescue center Photo: Courtesy of Les Stone)

Holcomb is heading the organization’s Gulf spill response team. He has responded to over 200 oil spills around the world, including Exxon Valdez and the 1979 Gulf spill. With him are a veterinarian, rehabilitation manager and capture specialist.

Here's his Day 2 update:

In Fort Jackson today we washed the juvenile northern gannet found by one of the clean-up boats. It actually swam up to the boat so was really very lucky to survive. Its condition is stable and it will be going outside in a small pen with a pool tomorrow.

The first big press visit took place today with over 50 members of the media showing up. The International Bird Rescue and Tri-State Bird Rescue staff had decoys and demonstrated how bird-washing techniques. The media also got to see the Gannet being tube-fed.

We are in the process of getting more supplies and getting geared up. The shipment of Dawn arrived this morning from P & G. The center in Theodore, Alabama is also being set-up by Julie Skoglund and Duane Titus from IBRRC and Sarah Tagmire from Tri-State. We are also beginning to set-up centers in Mississippi and Florida in preparation for the potential of oil moving in that direction. (Photo above: Getting Fort Jackson rescue center setup)

The weather has been really windy and the water is choppy so crews haven’t been able to get out on boats to search for animals. Tomorrow there is an 80 percent chance of thundershowers so this might not be able to happen for a day or say.

Right now, preparation is still the name of the game. We will keep you posted.

– Jay Holcomb, IBRRC

Background
A Team of California bird rescue specialists from International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) are on site in Louisiana and Alabama preparing bird rescue centers to clean up seabirds caught in the Gulf coast oil spill. Working in partnership with Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research the rehabilitation facilities are in Fort Jackson, Louisiana (just north of Venice) and Theodore, Alabama.

Media are welcome to visit the Fort Jackson rescue center any day from 1pm to 2pm: MSRC, 100 Herbert Harvey Drive, Buras, LA.

The oil spill involves a ruptured drilling platform approximately 45 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana. The drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, exploded on April 20, 2010 and sank in 5,000 feet of water. More than 100 workers scrambled off the burning rig in lifeboats. 11 workers are missing and presumed dead.

Nine days later, the U.S. Coast Guard says a torrent of oil is five times larger than previous estimates. The leak is now gushing 5,000 barrels — or 210,000 gallons — of crude oil a day, not a 1,000 barrels that was originally reported. While engineers work feverishly to cap the well, some officials worry the leak could go on for months – potentially becoming a devastating spill of epic proportions.

Bird species at risk along the fragile gulf coast include Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican. Their breeding season has just started.

Gulf spill update: From oiled bird rescue center

A Team of California bird rescue specialists from International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) are on site in Louisiana and Alabama preparing bird rescue centers to clean up seabirds caught in the Gulf coast oil spill.

International Bird Rescue is working in partnership with Tri-state Bird Rescue & Research to prepare rehabilitation facilities in Fort Jackson, Louisiana (just northof Venice) and Theodore, Alabama, near Mobile.

Media are welcome to visit the Fort Jackson rescue center any day from 1pm to 2pm: MSRC, 100 Herbert Harvey Drive, Buras, LA.

To date, rescue teams have recovered just one bird, a Northern Gannet, which is being treated in Venice and expected to recover fully. To learn more about oiled bird treatment, see Treatment of Oiled Birds and How oil affects birds.

Jay Holcomb, IBRRC's Exceutive Director and oil spill veteran says preparation of rescue centers is key to the wildlife response.

"International Bird Rescue’s focus now is on preparing for the influx of oiled birds once the slick moves closer to the Gulf coast, where pelicans, egrets and terns nest and feed,” said Holcomb.

“Even after my 25 years responding to oil spills, it’s impossible to predict the kinds of impacts we might see to birds—it all depends on the tides, weather, and other factors beyond our control," Holcomb said.

"Rather than waste time with conjecture, we are spending our days preparing for any eventuality, and it’s great to have such an outpouring of support from all over the country. This truly is an all hands on deck effort, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside Tri-State Bird Rescue and other groups," said Holcomb.

"So far, we have only rescued one oiled bird, a Northern Gannet that is being treated at the Venice facility." said Holcomb. "The bird is in a stable condition.”

IBRRC's Holcomb is heading the organization’s Gulf spill response team. Holcomb has responded to over 200 oil spills around the world, including Exxon Valdez and the 1979 Gulf spill. With him are a veterinarian, rehabilitation manager and capture specialist.

International Bird Rescue will be hosting a daily teleconference once the rehabilitation center set-up is complete. For up to the minute updates on bird rescue efforts in the Gulf, follow @IBRRC on Twitter.