Ray M. Barnds 



District Operations Manager 



Union Oil and Gas Division: Western Region 



Union Oil Company of California 



Southern California District 



2151 Alessandro Drive 



P.O. Box 6176, Ventura, California 93006 



Telephone (805) 659-0130 



76 



January 21, 1981 



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Ms. Ncei Davis, PhD 



Chambers Consultants and Planners 



P. 0, Box 356 



Stanton, California 90680 



Dear Ms . Davis : 



I have reviewed the information you have provided Mr. Ken Guziak to 

 support your marine mammal monitoring program in the Santa Barbara 

 Channel. 



In my judgment, the questionnaires, observation cards, and charts, 

 while being excellently designed for a marine biologist or other 

 skilled observer, are far too complicated to be effectively utilized 

 during brief interview sessions on board the crew boat or at the 

 Casitas Pier. To effectively carry out the apparent objectives of 

 your program utilizing the materials provided Union Oil Company would 

 require extensive training to develop observation skills clearly beyond 

 the scope of casual sightings as they occur during normal daily produc- 

 tion operations in the Dos Cuadras oil field. 



In view of the obvious cost to Union Oil Company in terms of man-hours, 

 operational efficiency and potential liability as a result of dividing 

 the platform operators' attention from their assigned work, I must 

 decline to cooperate with your program. 



By copy of this letter, I am informing Mr. Michael F. Reitz, Acting 

 District Supervisor of the U.S. Geological Survey, of this decision 

 and suggest you contact his office for further suggestions as to 

 appropriate methods to conduct the marine mammal monitoring program. 



Sincerely yours , 



RMB/bhs 



iJ^^^J^ 



I- 



Michael F. Reitz 

 R. W. Yarb rough 

 R. C. Keller 

 R. .A. Doinbrowski 

 K. E. Guziak 



B-104 



