Wildlife and Habitat Issues for Planning and Response

1
Wildlife and Habitat Issues for Planning and
Response
Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries Wildlife Oil
Spill Advisory Council September 16, 2008
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Why Care About Critters in the Middle of an Oil
Spill?

• Altruist Direct and indirect loss of Maines
  natural resources
• Capitalist NRDA source of funding to benefit
  wildlife/habitat
• Realist Public perception

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AltruistDirect Losses Dead Birds

• Most critical for Endangered/Threatened species
• Easiest type of loss to document
• and claim for NRDA
• Most visible to the public

4
AltruistIndirect Losses from Habitat Damage

• Potentially catastrophic deaths, but
  after-the-fact
• Much harder to document and claim for NRDA
• Less noticed by the public

5
CapitalistNatural Resource Damage Assessment

• Not being used to full potential
• Priority during a response?

6
RealistPublic Perceptions

• Largely beyond our (IFWs) control
• Media focuses on what sells (dead birds)
• Press releases controlled from ICP
• (IFW staff in Planning/Operations)

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Oil Spill Planning at IFW

• Mapping the natural resources
• - Geographic vulnerabilities
• - NRDA baselines
• Response

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Vulnerability of Wildlife HabitatsImplications
of Loss

• Endangered/Threatened Species
• High value habitats
• - Critical to E/T species
• - High biodiversity
• - Unique areas
• - Regulated habitats

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Vulnerability of Wildlife HabitatsSusceptibilit
y to Damage

• Species behaviors physiology affect
• - Likelihood of being oiled
• - Extent of oiling
• - Ability to survive being oiled
• Habitats type location affect
• - Likelihood of being oiled
• - Difficulty of clean-up
• - Ability to recover from being oiled

10
Response Planning

• Many similarities to efforts of others
• Big Difference surveys for EVI
• - LARGE task
• - Always dealing with incomplete/outdated
  information
• Have only 1 dedicated staff member

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IFW Staff Resources

• Oil Spill Biologist (Bangor)
• Regional Staff
• - 3 Coastal Regional Offices
• - 2-3 Staff per office
• Bird Biologists (2-3)

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Response Typical Sequence

• Initial Damage Assessment
• - Based on EVI maps
• - Superficial (no direct observation)
• - Limited by accuracy completeness of
  pre-mapped data
• - Good start

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Response Typical Sequence

• Secondary Damage Assessment
• - Field reconnaissance
• - May not occur (depends on EVI, DEP
  responders)
• - With so few staff other priorities, may
  take time
• - May conflict/compete with other response
  activities
• - Hotzone training

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ResponseRecover Rehabilitate Oiled Wildlife

• Rehabilitation is challenging
• Limited facilities with local
• rehabilitators
• IBRRC for anything big (facilities
• still an issue)
• Even in best possible situation,
• success rate is low
• IFWs primary roles
• - Collecting oiled wildlife
• - Supervising volunteers to transport
• wildlife

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ResponseCollect/Document Dead Wildlife
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ResponseContinue Surveys for Additional Oiled
Wildlife Habitat
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IFW Oil Spill Response Issues

• Training
• - Hotzone?
• - Most exercises simulate Day 1-2
• Wildlife response really begins later
• Long Deployment
• - Union contract doesnt allow OT
• - Other priorities
• Big vs. Little incident/response

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Conclusions

• Planning for and dealing with the effects of oil
  spills
• on wildlife habitat are big, challenging
  tasks
• but we are just a small agency
• We do have a dedicated Oil Spill Biologist
• Contract with IBRRC
• Increased awareness among participants