Oiled Wildlife Care Network

07/10/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined our July Lunch & Learn session featuring world-renowned photojournalist Todd Bigelow! From war zones and social justice movements to global pandemics and disaster response, Todd reminded us that powerful imagery doesn’t just capture a moment; it helps tell the deeper story of the people, wildlife, and systems impacted by crisis.

We’re grateful for the insight into how photojournalism plays a critical role in amplifying the work we do and why sharing that work visually matters.

07/07/2025

NEW BLOG POST: Attending the EROS Training in Newport Beach, written by OWCN wildlife operations specialist JJ Cruz

You can read about his experience attending EROS for the first time as well as visiting 2 of our member organizations in sunny Southern California: https://owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/blog/attending-eros-training-newport-ca

06/30/2025

NEW BLOG POST: Aiming for Adventure, written by Wildlife Health Center, UC Davis/California Wildlife Center Free-Ranging Wildlife Health Resident Dr. Jane Riner

Ever wonder how wildlife vets treat patients they can’t get close to? During the 2025 SAVMA Symposium, Dr. Riner joined OWCN’s Dr. Jamie Sherman and OHI Executive Director Dr. Mike Ziccardi to help lead a hands-on darting lab for visiting veterinary students, introducing them to the tools and techniques of remote drug delivery. From dart guns to blowpipes, this unique workshop offered a rare glimpse into the fieldwork side of wildlife medicine.

Read more on the blog: owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/blog/aiming-adventure

My name is Jane Riner and I’m the 4th free-ranging wildlife health veterinary resident in a collaborative training program with the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. One of my favorite aspects of the program is getting to share what we do with s...

06/23/2025

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the M/V Treasure oil spill, one of the largest oiled wildlife responses in history. Over 1,300 tons of oil off the coast of South Africa threatened the survival of tens of thousands of African penguins. Thanks to an extraordinary global effort, nearly 90% of those brought into care were eventually released back to the wild.

Danene Birtell, OWCN's Senior Manager of Planning, took part in the global response to the Treasure oil spill during her time as a penguin keeper at the New Jersey State Aquarium (now Adventure Aquarium). In this week's blog post, she reflects on this career-defining moment, when responders from around the world came together to protect a species in crisis.

Danene's blog post: owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/spill-changed-everything-and-not-just-penguinsthe-spill-changed-everything-and-not-just

06/16/2025

NEW BLOG POST: "Slippery Situations - The Wild Differences between Rehabbing an Oiled Toad and an Oiled Grebe" written by OWCN wildlife rehabilitator Sam Christie

Take a fun and educational deep dive into the wildly different world of rehabbing an oiled toad vs. an oiled grebe - two animals with very different biology, behaviors, and needs:

Picture this: a young Western toad, its skin caked with sticky oil and dirt, is hopping through an oiled creek bed. A few counties away, a Western grebe—a fully aquatic bird—has beached herself, her feathers clumped with thick crude oil.Two animals impacted by two different oil spills… but whe...

06/13/2025

The 1990 American Trader oil spill off Huntington Beach helped shape California’s wildlife disaster response system, leading to the creation of both the Oiled Wildlife Care Network as well as a key member member organization - the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (WWCC).

OWCN Director Dr. Victoria Hall and OWCN Senior Manager of Logistics Wendy Massey were thrilled to spend time with WWCC Director Debbie McGuire and Facilities Director Tom Gaccione, as they discussed the readiness of the facility to not just respond with excellence to oil spills, but the vital role the facility plays in responding to new and emerging threats to wildlife including domoic acid poisoning and the after effects of the Southern California wildfires.

06/11/2025

This morning, Dr. Ziccardi led the 2025 UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Summer Academy, presenting on the history and work of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network. In addition to the presentation, the campers had the chance to practice a speed-run of donning (putting on) PPE for oil spill response!

Hands-on experiences like this can inspire the next generation of potential veterinary professionals and responders to be stewards of wildlife and environmental health.

06/11/2025

This week, OWCN staff are diving into intermediate and advanced Incident Command System (ICS) training. These courses are a key part of ensuring we're ready to take on leadership roles and coordinate effectively during major incidents like oil spills. We're grateful to be training alongside our colleagues from Office of Spill Prevention and Response - OSPR, California Veterinary Emergency Team - CVET, Marin Humane, and East Bay SPCA as we continue building the skills that support safe, efficient, and collaborative wildlife emergency response.

06/05/2025

This past Monday, members of the OWCN management team participated in an Office of Spill Prevention and Response - OSPR-led drill focused solely on the Wildlife Branch of oil spill response. This training helped to strengthen coordination between OSPR and OWCN and practice scenarios, as well as provided an opportunity to test a new app for inputting oiled wildlife data from the field.

06/02/2025

NEW BLOG POST: Responding to Pico Spill, written by OWCN responder Erin Lundy (Aquarium of the Pacific conservation manager)

"On Friday, March 14, Brett Long and I were notified by OWCN of an oil spill in Long Beach around 10:00 am. We were able to gather some of our personal gear, a company vehicle, and coordinate with the staff that were going to remain on-site to provide coverage for the rest of the day. Brett and I had both never been the first on-scene, and we were pretty excited to have the opportunity to help but also nervous in anticipation of what we might be walking into."

Read the full blog on our website:

On Friday, March 14, Brett Long and I were notified by OWCN of an oil spill in Long Beach around 10:00 am. We were able to gather some of our personal gear, a company vehicle, and coordinate with the staff that were going to remain on-site to provide coverage for the rest of the day. Brett and I had...

05/30/2025

"Reaching Out" is a fundamental pillar of the OWCN. Last week, our wildlife biologist Kyra Mills participated in Esparto Middle School's Career Day, engaging with ~240 students throughout the day to teach them about the effects of oil on wildlife and how the OWCN responds in the event of a spill. By sparking curiosity and compassion in the next generation, outreach like this not only inspires future careers in wildlife conservation but also builds a lifelong commitment to protecting our natural world.