n cooperation with UC Davis and the California Department of Fish and Game, SeaWorld San Diego will host a ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday, March 24, for a new facility designed to care for large numbers of sea birds affected by future oil spills along the San Diego coast. Construction of the new facility is slated to begin in June and be completed by the end of the year. It is part of the statewide Oiled Wildlife Care Network, jointly administered by UC Davis and the Department of Fish and Game. The 21 participating organizations in the network are located along the California coast from Crescent City south to San Diego. The ground breaking for the SeaWorld Oiled Wildlife Care Center marks the 10th anniversary of the disastrous oil spill that occurred when the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound and spilled 11.2 million gallons of North Slope crude oil into the sea. "Since the Exxon Valdez spill, tremendous improvements have been made in rescuing, caring for and rehabilitating oiled wildlife," said Dr. Jonna Mazet, a veterinarian and director of the UC Davis-based Oiled Wildlife Care Network. "In the past decade we have seen a great increase in treatment methods and subsequent survival rates because the network has allowed us to quickly respond to spills. The new SeaWorld center will further strengthen our ability to serve Southern California." The new 2,600 square-foot SeaWorld center is designed to temporarily house 200 birds and will include examination and treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor pens, and pools. Sea birds are examined, cleaned, and given fluids and activated charcoal to absorb and eliminate toxins when rescued from oiled waters. After 10 to 14 days at the rehabilitation center, they are released to the wild, providing they have recovered medically and can swim, fly and forage. The state-funded network treated more than 2,000 creatures last year in response to nine California oil spills. Media contacts: Jonna Mazet, Oiled Wildlife Care Network, UC Davis, (530) 754-9035, jkmazet@ucdavis.edu; Patricia Bailey, News Service, (530) 752-9843, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu.