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Oilapalooza! A Weekend Workshop for Oiled Wildlife Responders in California

OCTOBER 23, 2015--California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) is world renowned for its response, rescue, rehabilitation, and research capabilities.


On October 17-18, 2015, OR&R’s Emergency Response Division was invited to participate in OWCN’s seventh Oilapalooza Workshop for its 38 member rehabilitation organizations and primary care facilities across the state. This workshop is a regular training and team-building opportunity for OWCN organizations ranging in size from a handful of staff and volunteers to long-established facilities like Sea World. All have oil spill training and are prepared to respond, but some have limited experience with actual oil spills. The first day included a wide variety of talks on rehab and oil spill-related topics, such as

  • Wildlife response challenges & lessons learned from the Refugio Incident
  • Post-release monitoring of Brown Pelicans impacted by the Refugio Incident
  • Some buzz about drones in spill response (ERD presentation)
  • Wildlife hazing and deterrents for inland spills
  • Effects of dispersants and dispersed oil on Common Murres



The second day focused on hands-on laboratories, including:

  • Specialized capture practices
  • Avian and marine mammal intake, processing, washing
  • Avian husbandry
  • Avian and marine mammal necropsy
  • Inland and marine wildlife hazing techniques
  • Media training



For more information, contact Jordan.Stout@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.

Group of students outdoors at a workshop.
Hands-on introduction and demonstration of wildlife hazing techniques commonly used to prevent un-oiled wildlife from entering contaminated areas. Techniques included visual and acoustic deterrents such as predator effigies, animal distress calls, and propane cannons. (NOAA)
Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:49pm PST