Oiled Wildlife Care Network

11/21/2025

OWCN member orgs International Bird Rescue and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network have done an amazing job leading this response 👏🏼Happy to assist in this team effort to save oiled wildlife!

11/10/2025

When oiled wildlife need saving, OWCN’s trained responders are ready to answer the call!

This summer, we hosted a hands-on Oiled Wildlife Specialist training at the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care & Education Center managed by International Bird Rescue, providing responders with practical experience in safe bird handling, washing, and rehabilitation techniques.

Those same skills are now being put to use in real life in response to an ongoing oiling event led by IBR. As oiled seabirds continue to arrive from the field in Ventura, trained responders are ensuring each bird receives the highest standard of care.

One shining example is IBR volunteer and OWCN responder Donna Minamide (pictured right in the second photo), who completed our Oiled Wildlife Specialist training earlier this year and is now applying those techniques to help stabilize, wash, and rehabilitate oiled grebes affected by this ongoing oiling event.

This is what collaborative preparedness looks like: transforming training into action to give every affected bird the greatest possible chance at survival.

Photo 1: Oiled Wildlife Specialist training led by OWCN in July 17, 2025

Photo 2: Emily Werdal and Donna Minamide tubing an oiled grebe on November 3, 2025 (credit: Ariana Gastelum/IBR)

11/09/2025

Each of these faces tells a story.

Over 80 Western Grebes, beautiful diving birds that spend their lives on the water, are currently receiving treatment and recovering after being exposed to oil from a suspected natural seep on the Ventura coast. Behind every oiled bird are hours of skilled care: gentle washing, warmth, fluids, and patience.

We are proud to support our Member Organizations International Bird Rescue and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network as they lead the response to give these birds a second chance. For ways to support them, please visit their websites:

www.birdrescue.org
www.sbwcn.org

11/08/2025

Exactly 18 years ago yesterday, the Cosco Busan oil spill killed and injured thousands of birds in the San Francisco Bay, catalyzing change in oiled wildlife response operations. One lasting outcome: Office of Spill Prevention and Response - OSPR expanded the mandate for the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) from animal care operations to lead wildlife field recovery during oil spills statewide.

That decision sparked years of investment in training, drills, and equipment caches. Fast forward 18 years: on the first day of notification for an ongoing suspected natural seep oiling event in Southern California, our Management Team jumped into action and mobilized personnel to assess and implement the initial field response strategy in support of OWCN Member Organizations International Bird Rescue and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network as they lead the response to more than 100 oiled Western Grebes.

From a tragedy 18 years ago came change. From change came global expertise in field response, giving oiled wildlife the best chance at survival.

11/06/2025

For seabirds impacted by oil, time is critical to their survival.

When oil coats a bird’s feathers, it disrupts the natural structure that keeps cold water out and warm air in. Once this barrier is lost, birds can no longer stay dry or warm. Their body temperature drops to dangerously low levels (becomes hypothermic), exhaustion sets in, and they are unable to swim or fly. To survive, their bodies burn more energy, but they are unable to forage for food.

As they try to clean the oil off, birds often ingest it, which can lead to internal injuries, such as organ damage, blood loss, or in severe cases, even death.

The first 48 hours are crucial. Birds must be recovered, stabilized, and started on their rehabilitation journey within two days of oil exposure for the best chance of survival. Every moment they remain oiled increases their risk of hypothermia, dehydration, starvation, and other complications.

That’s why the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) management team and partners are actively out in the field, surveying for oiled wildlife along the Ventura coastline. The mission: to locate, safely capture, and transport affected birds to our purpose-built specialized care facility in San Pedro managed by International Bird Rescue, where they can be treated, warmed, cleaned, and rehabilitated.

While the long-term effects of oiling can be severe, early rescue and expert care can make all the difference, turning a potential loss into a recovery.

We are proud to support Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and International Bird Rescue as they lead this response. If you encounter an oiled bird in the Ventura area, call this hotline 866-SOS-BIRD (866-767-2473) for assistance. You can visit their websites for more ways to help.

11/06/2025

In response to an oiling event impacting a large number of birds in Ventura, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) is working with our state partners at Office of Spill Prevention and Response - OSPR to support our member organizations as they care for oiled wildlife. Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network has been receiving and stabilizing impacted birds, and then transferring them for specialized cleaning and care at the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care & Education Center managed by International Bird Rescue in San Pedro.

Since Sunday, members of our Management Team have been in the field helping to rescue oil-affected birds and get them into care for their best chance at survival. This field recovery work is in support of our network partners leading the response: International Bird Rescue and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. Every oiled wildlife response, large or small, benefits from the training, readiness, and collaboration built through the OWCN. It’s a privilege seeing so many OWCN-trained responders putting their training to practice to save these birds.

If you encounter an oiled bird in the Ventura area, call 866-SOS-BIRD (866-767-2473) for assistance.

10/30/2025

Practice makes prepared when it comes to oiled wildlife response! Today, OWCN director Dr. Victoria Hall participated in a spill response industry drill led by Phillips 66, serving as Deputy Wildlife Branch Director alongside CDFW-OSPR’s Greg McGowan as Wildlife Branch Director. CDFW-OSPR’s Dr. Laird Henkel also joined in an observer role.

These joint exercises ensure that when real spills happen, our teams are ready to work seamlessly with our partners to protect and save wildlife across California’s coast and inland waterways.

10/29/2025

We are seeking an experienced and collaborative leader to join our team in a brand new role: Associate Director of Network Management.

This role oversees engagement and coordination across our 40+ Member Organizations statewide, ensuring California remains ready to respond when wildlife are impacted by oil spills. Apply by November 5, 2025!

Full job description + application:

The Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center (WHC), a program of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and its One Health Institute (OHI), is currently recruiting for an Associate Director of Network Management to help lead the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) and its readiness, research and respon...

10/24/2025

We’re hiring! The Oiled Wildlife Care Network is seeking an Associate Director of Operations, a leadership position that combines wildlife health expertise with emergency response coordination. This role oversees day-to-day readiness, responder training, and field operations for one of the most advanced wildlife response networks in the world.

If you're experienced in wildlife health and incident command/emergency response, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now: owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/now-hiring-associate-director-operations

Deadline: November 5, 2025 at 11:59PM Pacific Time

The Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, a program of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and its One Health Institute, is currently recruiting for an Associate Director of Operations to help lead the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) and its readiness, research and response activities for oi...

10/20/2025

NEW BLOG POST: When it comes to capturing birds safely and efficiently, sometimes the best tools aren’t the most high-tech...but they are the most adaptable. In our latest blog post, OWCN Operations Specialist JJ Cruz introduces readers to snare mats, a creative and effective method for safely capturing certain bird species when other techniques fall short.

Read the full post on the OWCN blog to learn how and why this tool works.

What Are Snare Mats?A snare mat — also known as a noose mat — is a flat panel (often a patch of hardware cloth) fitted with small nylon or monofilament loops. Making these traps usually takes 4 to 8 hours to make sure that they are sticking up correctly. When a bird steps onto the mat, one of th...

10/17/2025

We’re wrapping up by spotlighting one of our own—Danene Birtell, a Registered Veterinary Technician and key member of the OWCN Management Team!

Danene has responded to more than 25 oiled wildlife incidents and has played a leading role in spill response exercises, trainings, and planning efforts across the U.S. and beyond. Her experience and dedication help keep our Network ready to respond whenever wildlife needs us.