Other Research and Technology Development Activities
Research Summary Document
In order to determine knowledge gaps and provide information to interested parties and researchers detailing previous work on the effects of oil on wildlife, a summary document exploring the state of knowledge on species abundance and distribution, as well as oil spill response techniques and methods, was completed by the OWCN in July 1999. This document is intended to be a “living” document that is regularly revised and updated to act as a single source from which baseline information on effective oiled wildlife response may be rapidly found.
Symposium 2001
In order to foster collaborative interactions among researchers and to help promote better information exchange between the scientific community, industry researchers, regulatory agency personnel and rehabilitation organizations, the OWCN hosted a Research Symposium in May 2001. This meeting, attended by well over one hundred people, detailed the findings of most of the OWCN-funded research projects to date. Moreover, it provided a forum where members of public agencies, academia, rehabilitation organizations, and industry could give summary presentations on their group’s role in oiled wildlife response and care. It is expected that the OWCN will hold this type of research event approximately every five years to allow the dissemination of findings from OWCN-funded projects.
Effects of Oil on Wildlife
The Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference has proven to be the most effective way to bring all interested parties together to learn and improve knowledge and capabilities. Initiated in 1982 by Tri-State Bird Rescue Research Center as a small gathering of interested parties, the event has since grown into a truly international conference with delegates from all over the world. A multidisciplinary conference with the aim of mitigating the effects of oil pollution on aquatic wildlife, the Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference is a forum for those working in fields related to oil pollution and its effects on wildlife. The specific aim of the conference is to facilitate an exchange of information among peers; biologists, veterinarians, rehabilitators, government wildlife representatives, environmental NGOs and any other individuals or organizations interested in improving the planning, prevention and response to oil pollution's impact on wildlife.