Marine wildlife and habitat organizations say they’ve received an outpouring of support in the days since more than 126,000 gallons of oil leaked from a pipeline of an offshore rig near Long Beach, sending black, crude oil onto the beaches of Huntington and Newport.
The spill stretching 5.8 nautical miles is the largest in Orange County in three decades, with the oil slick reaching as far south as Laguna Beach and Dana Point since Saturday, Oct. 2. On Monday, Oct. 4, officials said the spill has led to environmental damage in Huntington Beach that could keep the shoreline closed for weeks or even months.
The phones at the Wetlands & Wildlife Center in Huntington Beach had been ringing every 10 seconds, from people looking to help, according to a representative.
At the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, there have been “a ton of donations … truckloads,” said worker Michelle Hunter.
“We have so many nitrile gloves and masks. We may even have to rent out another storage place,” Hunter added. “The outpouring has been amazing.”
Agencies responding to the spill warn the public to stay away from damaged areas. Specially trained personnel with spill-response training and personal protective equipment are working to rescue oiled wildlife. Public volunteers are not being used to work the cleanup effort and are reminded not to pick up oiled wildlife.
However, there are other ways ordinary people can help out, mostly by supporting organizations that care for wildlife that get caught in an oil slick or by volunteering for future beach cleanups.
• Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, www.wwccoc.org, 21900 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, 714-374-5587. The nonprofit accepts injured animals from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Volunteers are not needed at this time. To help out with the rescue, donate a financial contribution or use the Amazon Smile program at smile.amazon.com and select the center as your charity before placing an order. In-kind donations such as paper products, office supplies and laundry detergent are needed.
• Pacific Marine Mammal Center, https://www.pacificmmc.org/, 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. The center rescues and rehabilitates marine mammals. Though the center does not need more donations, regular volunteers are needed to help with the care of animals and to work as docents, in the gift shop or helping with the junior camp counselor program.
• UC Davis Oiled Wildlife Care Network, https://whc.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/oiled-wildlife-care-network, is a statewide network of trained care providers from regulatory agencies and academic institutions as well as nonprofit organizations to help rescue and rehabilitate oiled wildlife throughout the state. To report an injured animal, call the group’s response hotline at 1-877-UCD-OWCN (823-6926).
If you find #oiledwildlife, please call our response hotline at 1-877-UCD-OWCN (823-6926). DO NOT PICK UP OILED WILDLIFE. #OCspill #oilspill #newportbeach #orangecounty pic.twitter.com/DH0fehmzG7
— Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) (@oiledwildlife) October 4, 2021
• The Surfrider Foundation, www.Surfrider.org, opposes new offshore oil drilling and advocates for action to fight climate change. Once a spill happens, experts are trying to minimize the damage to wildlife and ocean ecosystems. To volunteer for future clean-up opportunities, text “oilspill” to 51555 and you will be added to the list of volunteers and will receive updates on how to get involved.
• Bolsa Chica Conservancy, https://bolsachica.org, which manages the wetlands across Pacific Coast Highway from Bolsa Chica State Beach, is where 321 of Orange County’s 420 bird species have been sighted. The conservancy has set up an Oil Spill Emergency Response Fund. Visit https://bolsachica.charityproud.org/Donate/MiniCampaign/16422 to donate. For more information go to https://calspillwatch.dfg.ca.gov/.