Oil Spill Alert: Cleaning Beaches in Advance of Oil Spills May Harm Wild Birds

Well-motivated but not well informed volunteers sent out to clean debris from beaches may be disturbing nesting and other shorebirds.
Volunteers-eager to move beach litter above the high water line to make it easier to clean up oil that may come ashore-are putting beach and
marsh nesting shorebirds at risk.

The media needs to help educate volunteers that it is nesting season for terns and plovers on Florida's beaches. Beach nesting birds camouflage
their nest and are hard to spot. Volunteer wandering into the areas above the high water line may step eggs or chicks and may chase away parent
birds leaving chicks and eggs unprotected from the sun and predators such as crows.

Some people are moving beach debris such as driftwood from the beach onto high-water areas. This is harmful as beach wildlife use naturally
occurring beach debris near the water line and may be harmed when debris is piled in upland areas. Traffic in dune areas can also harm vegetation.

Safe Tips for Cleaning Litter off Beaches:

For those who want to clean litter from the beaches in anticipation of oil coming ashore, Audubon recommends the following:

Use approved access points and avoid walking or hiking through marshes or seagrass beds.

Stay below the tidal line.

Leave natural debris in place because it provides nesting benefits to shorebirds and other wildlife.

Only remove man-made litter.

Do not place litter in the dunes or above the high water line.

Don't use equipment such as rakes, shovels or tractors.

Do not bring ATVs or other motorized vehicles onto the beach.

Do not bring dogs onto the beach (dogs are a primary sources of beach bird disturbance and mortality.)
From our President:

Sarasota Audubon, Save Our Seabirds, Wildlife Center of Venice, and Wildlife Inc (Manatee County) among other environmental groups attended a
Sarasota County Emergency Management Services meeting last week to figure out what we could all do in case oil shows up on our beaches. Here
is some basic information:

Log onto www.scgov.net as the primary source for all information related to the spill. The site is comprehensive and updated daily.

BP is conducting training sessions throughout the state with regard to hazardous materials and for booming. There is a link through the County site
for that training. There is no oiled-bird training via BP.

Save Our Seabirds had over 2000 emails from volunteers, so they have closed off any further volunteer opportunities for now. To log on as a
volunteer for the oil spill or any bird-related projects, contact beachvolunteer@sarasotaaudubon.org.

Tri-state Bird Rescue will coordinate any and all bird rescue operations. The three rescue operations in our area will take their lead from them. Here
is what you do if you see an oiled-bird:

1) Do not pick it up or touch it; only trained hazmat personnel are allowed to touch the bird. Note its location and ID if possible.

2) Call one of these numbers: for south county and Charlotte County, Wildlife Center of Venice 484-9657; for north county, Save Our Seabirds 388-
3010; for Manatee County, Wildlife Inc. 778-6324. After letting them know where the bird is, they will in turn contact BP's 800 number, Tri-state
and Sarasota County's emergency line at 861-5000 to get the bird logged into the system. Since BP is picking up the tab, they have to know about
each and every bird rescued.

On Friday, May 21 from 2 until 6pm, Save Our Seabirds and Sarasota Audubon is having a fundraising event at the Nokomis jetty. Come visit and get
more information about donating and volunteering and about the oil spill.

Supplies and donations: We are in the midst of setting up a drop off point for donated supplies. Even if the oil does not reach our beaches, supplies
can be stored for future use or for deployment to other Gulf areas. More info on Friday and in subsequent announcements.

Thanks for the great community response so far, keep it coming.

With the growing oil spill disaster close at heart to residents of Sarasota County, Sarasota Audubon is making several recommendations.

* Most importantly, do not attempt to clean the beaches by removing natural debris from the shoreline. This time of year our beaches provide
the nesting sites for many different species of birds whose nests are often camouflaged. Eggs can blend in perfectly with the sand, are hard to see
and are easily stepped on and can be inadvertently crushed. Moving beach litter from the shoreline into dunes and areas above the high water line
will lead to impacts to nesting birds and could result in damage to the dunes.
 * Connect with Save Our Seabirds to volunteer your time locally. This agency’s leadership is certified for work with birds and wildlife directly
impacted by oil.

* Follow alerts issued by Audubon of Florida, coordinating funding and volunteer activities statewide that will help with oil spill impacts to our
wildlife. You can also volunteer with them to help with the effort outside of Sarasota County.

* Consider making a donation to Save our Seabirds (http://www.savourseabirds.org/; telephone number 388-3010) or Wildlife Center of Venice
(http://www.wildlifecenterofvenice.org/; telephone number: 484-9657) for wildlife rehabilitation

http://www.sarasotaaudubon.org/oilspill.aspx