First of all, when a massive oil spill occurs, it is too late to go 

 shopping for cardboard boxes, rags, rubber gloves, aprons, boots, heaters, 

 blowers, cleansers, cages, and other necessary paraphernalia. It is mandatory 

 to stockpile such equipment and store it so that it is readily available. 

 Perhaps you should consider inventorying existing equipment in your areas 

 of responsibilities, then wrestle with the real problem of funding the needed 

 supplies. I am certain California would welcome any financial assistance 

 you could offer in this regard. 



Second, mobile equipment, such as aircraft, trucks, automobiles, boats, 

 and airboats, should be on inventory and readily available. Transects by 

 aircraft to determine the daily number of birds in a given vicinity are essen- 

 tial for planning of treatment facilities and manpower. This information, 

 as well as other communications, should be broadcast to the operations center 

 on a radio frequency available to both the Service and State agencies. 



Third, collection stations should be established where oil-soaked birds 

 can be delivered. These stations must not be immobile, but must be able to 

 shift to the area where the greatest number of birds are being captured. 

 From these stations, the birds are whisked away to treatment facilities. 



Fourth, the sites selected for treatment facilities should be behind 

 a controlled access route, such as a military installation. The advantages 

 are apparent: it keeps the well-meaning citizen from underfoot and makes 

 it easier to use chemicals for euthanasia of a bird when necessary. A word 

 about these euthanasic chemicals: they may be secondary poisons; if so, the 

 carcasses of the birds must be disposed of by burning. 



The treatment facilities must have running water and sufficient electric 

 power and outlets to handle the demand for heaters and blowers. 



It is important to keep a daily count, by species, of the birds brought 

 in for treatment, as well as a running tally of their disposition. 



The Service and the States have worked together efficiently over the 

 years on botulism outbreaks and have shared the costs and publicity of these 

 incidents. I would hope that this spirit of cooperation will be carried 

 forward in your oil spill contingency planning. 



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