Train to be an oiled bird responder

January 6, 2010 7:36 pm
Julie Knight of IOSA familiarizes class participants with bird species most likely to be impacted by an oil spill during an IOSA class in June 2009.
Julie Knight of IOSA familiarizes class participants with bird species most likely to be impacted by an oil spill during an IOSA class in June 2009.

Islands’ Oil Spill Association is offering a free class for islanders who would like to be trained to help in the event of an oil spill affecting wildlife.

IOSA is a non-profit, community-based oil spill response organization and the only spill response group in the San Juan Islands.

The “Care and Rescue of Oiled Wildlife” training will be on Saturday, Jan. 23, on Lopez Island from 1 to 5:45 p.m.

“We’ve timed the class so that people from other islands can walk on the mid-day ferry, get a ride to and from the class and get back home in the early evening,” IOSA staff member Jackie Wolf said.

This class is one of two required by the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in order to be certified to help during an oil spill.

“We’ll discuss search and rescue techniques, capture, handling, transport and essential primary care needs and we’ll give an overview of the logistics of responding to an oil spill in the islands, including the many ways community members can help during a spill,” Wolf said.

Class size is limited; call the IOSA office at 378-5322 or email iosaoffice@rockisland.com.

IOSA offers spill responder training several times a year, so if you can’t make it to this class, contact IOSA. More information is at www.iosaonline.org.