International Bird Rescue (IBR), a highly respected US oiled wildlife response organisation, is partnering with the Port of Long Beach to highlight the need to care for and protect marine wildlife and coastal habitat in southern California. The partnership is part of the Port of Long Beach Green Port Policy efforts to improve and restore local wetlands such as the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.
Earlier in 2014, the Green Port Policy initiative stepped in to help fund the surgery and follow-up care for ‘Pink’ an endangered brown pelican whose pouch was slashed by an unknown individual. Pink has since been released. An American avocet chick, abandoned on the nest following human disturbance, was recently named as the Port’s first officially sponsored bird under the new partnership programme announced in August.
International Bird Rescue maintains two facilities designed for oiled wildlife response in California, one near Los Angeles and one outside of San Francisco. Both facilities have ongoing rehabilitation programmes to care for sick, injured and orphaned birds in addition to oiled wildlife response activities.
A major funder of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands restoration project, Green Port Policy also supports monitoring of protected species that have been or might be affected by port activities and is exploring the potential for restoration projects in several Long Beach lagoons.