Here's a letter from a birdwatching group that I'm on. I hope that
letterboxers might be able to help out, by looking for oiled wildlife.

***********************************************************


I'd like to issue a special plea for birders please to
try and get to "places less traveled" where you know there to be
birds. We got over 40 calls yesterday reporting one oiled surf scoter
at Crissy Fields; one call reporting 40 oiled clapper rails in
Anderson Marsh would really help sort out rescue triage.

The sooner, the better. The faster we can get these birds stabilized
and washed, the higher their chances of recovery and survival.

Calls from the general public wanting to volunteer outnumbered bird
reports yesterday by about 5-1. Volunteer opportunities for untrained
members of the public are going to be very limited over the next few
days but here's a critical one: please make a special effort to look
for oiled birds in places where the general public doesn't go. Don't
approach or touch the birds but call 877-823-6926 and provide the
location (be very specific, GPS coordinates are great), the species,
number of birds seen, whether dead or alive, and percentage of oiling.
Please leave your name and a contact phone number. We are inundated
and most of my veterinary and administrative coworkers have left
Davis; of the ones of us still here who are answering this number, I'm
the only one who's likely to know what a clapper rail is, so please be
patient if you get through to a live person.

Under no circumstances should people touch or approach an oiled animal
unless they have HAZWOPER training and are properly equipped. If you
see someone doing this, please remind them that this is toxic material.

Many thanks.
Alison Kent
Davis, California
Oiled Wildlife Care Network
Wildlife Health Center
(530) 752-3809
To Report an Oiled Bird: (877) 823-6926