From the Tri-State Oil Programs OILED WILDLIFE LOG (OWL)
The incident that became known as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was among one of the largest accidental oil spills in the history of the world. I was deployed the very first week and assigned to conduct field operations. I remember so vividly being violently jolted around in our tiny fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico, collecting oiled birds. In some areas we could see large sharks underneath the boat or closing in around a sand bar; I remember convincing a field crew member not to wade out to a sand bar where an oiled pelican was because there was a seven-foot shark in view. Or one night in the Louisiana wildlife facility, getting word on the two-way radio that we may be getting 300 pelicans all at one time. We hustled to make more temporary housing for them but were lucky that this raft of pelicans did not drift through the spill sight. I was then transferred to the Mississippi wildlife facility and spent close to four months there. The feelings all come flooding back when I think of this incident and my “home away from home” in Gulfport, MS: happiness, frustration, sadness, loneliness, humility, and gratitude. Mississippi was tucked away from the limelight, and we were a small, close-knit team that received just under 200 birds. I worked alongside our colleagues from International Bird Rescue in California. We had a mutual respect and learned from each other every day. We cried together, laughed together, and crashed on our desks asleep side by side. I was fortunate enough to travel to the last facility in the journey, located in Hammond, LA. I helped care for and decontaminate the remaining birds, and pack and label inventory, and, come November, I said goodbye to new and old friends and drove back to Georgia.
There are life lessons I took with me, some taught to me by the animals and some by my teammates. One of my closest friends there was a Native American Medicine Woman who taught me the power of meditation to get through stressful events. I was guided by some of the giants in the oiled wildlife response world including Dr. Heidi Stout, Dr. Erica Miller, and Sarah Tegtmeier. It was also great to see how Tri-State grew and what came out of this response. Everyone involved learned that some responses are so enormous in scope that we must come together in collaboration and work as a unified team. The Global Oiled Wildlife Response System (GOWRS) grew in the aftermath of this incident. This collaborative project encompasses 11 partner organizations that are working to raise the level of oiled wildlife readiness, response, and care worldwide. The sense of pride that I work for such a great organization that was able to successfully tackle such an extreme situation with professionalism and skill still runs over me today!
by Andrea Howey-Newcomb, Clinic Director
Tri-State Oiled Wildlife Response
Andrea has been a part of Tri-State’s flock since 1999. She started as a volunteer, moving along to become an intern, clinic supervisor, oil programs coordinator, clinic manager and now the clinic director. She has great passion for wildlife rehabilitation and we are extremely lucky to have her as part of our team.
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