Media Advisory: Oiled Wildlife Rescue Center Opens

What: Opening of the new San Francisco Bay regional rescue center for wildlife injured in oil spills When: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20 Where: San Francisco Bay Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center, 4369 Cordelia Road, Cordelia Who: Attendees will include officials from: o UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine o Office of Spill Prevention and Response, California Department of Fish and Game o International Bird Rescue Research Center o Oil industry o Elected representatives Visuals: After a short dedication ceremony, media will be able to tour the 12,000-square-foot facility, hold interviews with project officials and veterinary students, and photograph birds already being cared for at the site. The mallards, common murres, grebes, gulls and brown pelicans will be in cages or large outdoor pools. Caregivers will feed some birds. Background: Oiled wildlife have their best chance at survival if they are cared for by well-trained staff in a properly designed and equipped veterinary facility. This new $2.7 million facility will offer that quality of care for up to 1,000 birds affected by an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay Area. The new center is part of the state's Oiled Wildlife Care Network, the world's most advanced rescue system for oiled wildlife. The OWCN is managed by the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center and funded by the California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response. The new Cordelia facility includes areas for animal intake, holding, washing, drying, isolation and recovery, as well as for food preparation, radiology and necropsy. The facility will also be used to train veterinarians, staff and volunteers for oil-spill rehabilitation; to care for some birds with non-oil-related injuries; and for wildlife and conservation education for grade-school children and veterinary students. Two other wildlife care centers, opened in 1997 at Humboldt State University and in Santa Cruz, have already been used to treat thousands of birds oiled in several spills. A third center opened in July 2000 at SeaWorld of San Diego. A Los Angeles regional center will open on March 21, 2001, in San Pedro. Directions: Take I-80 to Fairfield, just before the I-680 interchange. From the east, take the Suisun Valley Road exit, cross over the interstate and travel south to Cordelia Road. Turn left on Cordelia, travel 1/4 mile and see the wildlife center in a big green building on your right. From the west, take the Green Valley Road exit, turn right onto Green Valley Road and travel south to Cordelia Road. Turn left on Cordelia, travel 0.7 miles and see the wildlife center in a big green building on your right. For an online map, see http://www.ibrrc.org/cordeliadirections.html.

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Kat Kerlin, Research news (emphasis on environmental sciences), 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu