Residual oil and chemicals from BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster pose
substantial ongoing risks to birds that breed or nest along hard-hit areas of
the Louisiana coast, according to new National Audubon Society field surveys.
Audubon science teams found plentiful birds that appeared both resilient and
loyal to their normal habitats as the tragedy's six-month anniversary
approached. But Audubon warns that the future of birds and the ecosystems they
represent remains uncertain because oil and other threats are still too close
for comfort.
"People shouldn't be fooled into thinking that the danger to
birds and the environment is over just because the oil stopped flowing," said
Audubon President & CEO David Yarnold. "It's going to take years of
monitoring just to understand and start dealing with the long-term impacts of
the oil-and they're just part of a much bigger threat."
Continuing
concerns about oil impacts stems from findings of Audubon science teams that
conducted late September surveys on 23 sections of Important Bird Areas along
the disaster's epicenter on the Louisiana coast. The teams found widespread
evidence of surface oil, tar, tar balls and seepage coming from pockets inches
under the sand at 9 out of 10 areas deemed hard-hit by oil. There were "tar
mats" just below the waterline, supplying a seemingly endless stream of new tar
balls to wash ashore. Observations also confirmed previous anecdotal reports of
plentiful oil in the water column, pointing to the continued likelihood that it
will wash onto beaches and into marsh areas for months to come. All of the
oil-related threats were in close proximity to areas alive with
birds.
"Birds aren't wired to avoid threats from oil, and even if they
look healthy now, we can't begin to predict all the health and reproductive
effects that could show up later," said Audubon's Louisiana Bird Conservation
Director and survey team member Melanie Driscoll. "The fact that they're still
plentiful doesn't mean they're safe."
The Audubon teams counted nearly
10,000 individual birds in surveys of 10 areas that had been heavily oiled and
13 other that received little or no contamination. They sighted birds
representing the broad array of species expected in the region during the survey
period, with no indication that oiled areas were being abandoned in favor of
clean locations.
Teams reported numerous mature and juvenile Brown
Pelicans across the survey areas. The BP disaster hit just as pelicans began
the 2010 breeding season. In the weeks that followed, widely-seen images of
oiled pelicans and nesting areas stoked fears of a failed reproductive season,
dealing a major blow to the recovery of a species only recently removed from the
Endangered Species List. The Audubon survey's documentation of juvenile Brown
Pelicans in flight provides reassuring evidence that young birds did
successfully fledge from contaminated and chaotic habitats. But again,
scientists warn, it offers no reassurance about their long-term prognosis.
Audubon Chief Scientist and survey leader Thomas Bancroft, Ph.D., says
findings raise plenty of questions and reason for worry: "The science suggests
there's cause for concern, but we simply can't know what direct contact with the
oil will mean for long-term health and reproductive success of pelicans or terns
or any other species. We can't begin to fathom what the long-term effects on the
marine food chain will be. This remains a giant, uncontrolled science
experiment, with birds and all the communities that depend on the gulf as the
unwitting subjects."
The Louisiana habitat survey is just the latest
step in Audubon efforts to build the scientific foundation for understanding and
mitigating long-term impacts of the disaster. More than 20 teams of
Audubon-trained citizen scientists began gathering bird population data in
(states) just weeks after disaster struck; the Audubon's new Coastal Bird Survey
program uses protocols developed by in collaboration with Louisiana State
University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
"It took this latest
disaster to remind America of the sensitivity of this area and how vital it is
for birds, for wildlife and for people-the Gulf Coast is an American treasure we
must restore;" emphasized Audubon's Yarnold. "The risks remain, but we believe
America is ready and able to make this region whole again. Together, we can do
it."
The devastating BP Oil spill
up close
Now in
its second century, Audubon is dedicated to
protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our
national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and
educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird
populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in
conservation. The full report can be downloaded
here.
