BRI Assessing Bird Injury in the Gulf of Mexico
"We are grateful for the opportunity to support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's bird injury assessment work in the Gulf coast and pleased that BRI scientists can lend their expertise to this effort," - Dr. David Evers
In response to the April 2010 explosion and sinking of the Transocean Ltd. oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, BRI has dedicated much of its time, energy and expertise to assessing the potential impacts of the oil spill on bird communities in the Gulf of Mexico.
Since May, BRI has been serving as a contractor to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and working in collaboration with researchers from Clemson University and the University of Florida. The focus of BRI's collaborative assessment efforts is on selected colonial waterbird and secretive marsh bird species, including: brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) , great egrets (Ardea alba), black skimmers (Rynchops niger), clapper rails (Rallus longirostris) and seaside sparrows (Ammodramus maritimus).
NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
BRI's studies are part of the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) efforts in the Gulf; a process which is coordinated by a Trustee Council consisting of the U.S. Department of Interior and states impacted by the oil spill. Trustees, under the Oil Pollution Act, are permitted to make claims on behalf of the public and negotiate settlements to address natural resource injuries caused by the release of hazardous substances. BRI's efforts to assess avian injury contribute to this process. For more about NRDA, click here.