Wildlife and Offshore Drilling: Refuges

8/9/2019 Wildlife and Offshore Drilling: Refuges

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NatioNal Wildlife Refuges iN the gulf

of Mexico

Te National Wildlie Reuge System oers a crucial sanctu-ary or America’s fsh, wildlie and plants, and provides anestimated $26 billion in value to the nation’s economy. Tereare 38 wildlie reuges along the Gul o Mexico, protectingsome o America’s most extensive coastal salt marshes, barrierislands, mangrove swamps and pristine beaches. Tese habitatssupport a wide range o animals, rom colonies o tens o thousands o nesting seabirds and pelicans to endangered seaturtles who come by the hundreds to lay their eggs each yearon these protected beaches.

Te reuge system, plagued by stang shortages and aunding backlog o more than $3.7 billion, is already underpressure rom the harmul impacts o climate change, invasive

species, and oil and gas development within its boundaries.

The national wildlife refuges bordering the Gulf of Mexico are havens for a remarkable varieof birds, sea turtles, marine mammals and other wildlife—including at least 27 threatened orendangered species. Many of these refuges, and the native plants and animals they harbor,are in the path of spreading oil from BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill. This disaster posesanother challenge for a crucial set of protected areas that already faces serious problems.

Wildlife and OffshOre drilling

T 2010 Gf of Mxico Disstr: Rfgs

Te BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill threatens to placeanother enormous burden on the already stressed reugesystem. Te ollowing reuges are among those at greatest risk rom the spill.

Delta National Wildlife Refuge (Louisiana)Tis 50,000-acre reuge near the mouth o the MississippiRiver was set up specifcally to provide habitat or migratory birds. Its marshes and stretches o open water are used by hundreds o thousands o waterowl and shorebirds, as wellas several sensitive species including the brown pelican, Arctic peregrine alcon, the threatened piping plover andGul sturgeon. ropical storms and hurricanes, includingHurricane Katrina in 2005, requently disturb the reuge,leading to erosion and wetland loss. Delta is one o dozens

o wildlie reuges on which oil and gas development and

ChanDeleuR lanD (BReTn naTnal wlDle ReuGe) © kRTa ChlyeR/ DeenDeR w lDle; l RG © u.. Ca



exploration occur. Tis can result in direct impacts, such asthe April 2010 spill o about 18,000 gallons o crude oil roma Chevron-operated pipeline into waters at Delta reuge. Italso can have indirect impacts, such as when canals dug orpipelines allow salt water into the marshes, which increasesthe erosion o remaining marsh.

Breton National Wildlife Refuge (Louisiana)Established in 1904, Breton is the nation’s second-oldestreuge and the only one visited by Teodore Roosevelt,ounder o the reuge system. It consists o several barrierislands o Louisiana’s southeast coast, including BretonIsland and the Chandeleur Island chain. As a designatedGlobally Important Bird Area, it is a haven or dozens o types o seabirds, shorebirds and waterowl—includingNorth America’s largest tern colony and one o its largestbrown pelican colonies. It also harbors threatened pipingplovers, and endangered least terns. ropical storms andsea-level rise associated with climate change pose threats tothe integrity o the reuge. ropical storms and an oil spillin 2005 caused signifcant beach and marsh loss and took a heavy toll on the reuge’s nesting brown pelicans. oxic

pollution rom the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill hasalready invaded this reuge, putting resident birds and other wildlie in jeopardy.

Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Alabama/Mississippi)Straddling the southern border o Mississippi and Alabama,this reuge and an adjacent ederal preserve provide nearly 20,000 acres o protected habitat or gopher tortoises, American alligators, pelicans, and an occasional endangeredmanatee. Te reuge’s salt marshes, bayous and grass beds arecrucial nursery and eeding grounds or shrimp, blue crabsand oysters, among other animals. Tese marshes and bayousare also extremely sensitive to disturbance, and oil rom theBP Deepwater Horizon spill has the potential to disrupt thehealth, productivity and diversity o the reuge.

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (Alabama)Bon Secour protects nearly 7,000 acres o dune, marsh andorest habitats. Te reuge is one o the last undevelopedcoastal ecosystems along the Gul Coast, and its fve unitsare ragmented and stressed by development on the rapidly growing Fort Morgan Peninsula. Te reuge is home to several

wide array o plants, animals and fsh are ound in

he 38 ederally managed wildlie reuges along the

oast o the Gul o Mexico. Among the important

pecies and habitats ound there are (clockwise

om above): threatened piping plovers; productive

aters and mangrove orests at Key West reuge;

orth America’s largest tern colony at Breton reuge;

nd one o the Gul Coast’s last undeveloped coastal

cosystems at Bon Secour reuge.



threatened and endangered species, including the Alabamabeach mouse; piping plover; wood stork; and green, loggerheadand Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Several other species o concerninhabit the reuge, including the Mississippi diamondback terrapin, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, mimic glass lizardand northern yellow bat. ar balls rom the BP DeepwaterHorizon oil spill washed up onto this reuge in mid-May.

Key West National Wildlife Refuge (Florida)Key West spans more than 200,000 acres, the vast majority o which is open water. Its 2,000 acres o land, consisting o more than a dozen keys, are dominated by mangroves. Teseorests play key ecological and economic roles, providinghabitat or game fsh and other commercially valuablespecies, and also buering the harmul eects o hurricanesand climate change. In addition to sheltering more than 250types o birds, this reuge saeguards many imperiled species,including the West Indian manatee, piping plover, fve typeso sea turtles, roseate terns, red knots, smalltooth sawfsh andMiami blue butteries. Adding to existing threats rom coastal

storms and sea-level rise, oil rom the BP Deepwater Horizonspill could infltrate and degrade this important ecosystem.

iMpacts of oil

Oil rom the BP Deepwater Horizon spill has already washedashore at Breton and Bon Secour reuges, and the U.S. Fishand Wildlie Service says at least 30 additional Gul Coastreuges are vulnerable to the spill. Even more reuges could be

at risk i ocean currents carry oil around Florida and up theEast Coast, or i hurricanes push the oil urther inland.

Oil causes direct and immediate impacts to wildlie onreuges, particularly to birds and mammals that ingest orare coated by oil oating on the water’s surace. ens o thousands o waterbirds and shorebirds have now returned tothese reuges to breed, putting both these animals and theirospring in harm’s way. Te 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in

Alaska killed about 400,000 seabirds, and chronic exposureto oil put countless others at risk o lung, liver and kidney damage, along with reproductive ailure. A similar occurrencein the Gul could lead to population declines and potentialloss o local wildlie populations. Te Gul Coast reuges alsohost crucial marine ‘nursery’ habitats that shelter young fsh,sharks and abundant shrimp populations, all o which couldbe harmed. Fish whose planktonic eggs and larvae oat inocean currents will not be able to escape exposure to dritingoil even ar o reuge shores.

Oil washing into reuges is likely to cause even more lastingharm to the sensitive habitats on which these species depend.

Coastal wetlands in Louisiana are an amalgam o silt andmud that is held in place by sea grasses and marsh vegetation.Oil coming ashore will dramatically increase erosion o thesemarshes because it will kill o the grass that holds the soilstogether. Once oil enters these habitats, it will be impossible toremove and it may remain there or 30 years or more. Te oilmay also kill algae, oysters and eelgrass. Te devastation willresult in less resilient habitats; as ecosystems become degradedand lose key components, such as eelgrass communities, they

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National wildlife refuges

Refuges of special interest

Coastal Wildlife Refuges Vulnerable to Gulf Oil Spill



DEFENDERS OF WILDLIF

1130 17th Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036

202.682.9400

www.deenders.org

lose their ability to rebound rom other disturbances, includingthose brought on by climate change.

Oil and its byproducts are persistent toxins, and thus canenter the ood chain to cause long-term damage. Algae andmarine invertebrates like worms and crabs can accumulatethese contaminants in their bodies, which are in turn passedon to bigger predators such as birds.

What citizeNs caN do

• Reduce the amount o garbage you produce, and cleanup trash you see on the beach.

• Volunteer at your local wildlie reuge to help protect andrestore habitat.

• Urge your elected ocials to pass comprehensive climatechange legislation that addresses the impacts o global warming on wildlie and our natural resources.

What policy MakeRs caN do

• Ensure that national wildlie reuges receive sucientsupplies o oil containment booms, boats and othersupplies to prevent damage to sensitive reuge habitats.

• Ensure that BP unds long-term restoration o marineand coastal habitats in all Gul reuges aected by thespill, including compensation or the long-term loss o ecosystem services reuges provide or the public.

• Provide an additional $5 million to reuges to monitorconditions beore oil comes ashore and ater it arrives.

• Ensure that national wildlie reuges receive adequate

unding to address additional threats to the sensitivespecies ound there, such as climate change and oil andgas development.

• Issue regulations improving environmental and saety standards or oil and gas development on reuge lands toensure that uture on-reuge oil spills do not occur.

• Impose greater saety and environmental standards anddevelop comprehensive spill response plans on existingoshore drilling operations.

Cooperative Alliance or Reuge Enhancement. 2010. Restoring America’s Wildlie Reuges 2010: Maintaining Momentum to Solve theReuge System Funding Crisis. http://www.refugenet.org/new-pdf-les/2010carereport.pdf

Environmental Protection Agency. 1999. Te behavior and eects o oilspills in aquatic environments in Understanding Oil Spills and Oil SpillResponse. Chapter 1. http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/learning/pdfbook.htm

Ingraham, M.W. and S.G. Foster. 2008. Te value o ecosystem servicesprovided by the U.S. National Wildlie Reuge System in the contiguous

U.S. Ecological Economics 67:608-618.

Peterson, C.H., S.D. Rice, J.W. Short, D. Esler, J.L. Bodkin, B.E.Ballachey, and D.B. Irons 2003. Long-term ecosystem response to theExxon Valdez oil spill. Science 302:2082-2086.

Ralo, J. 2010. Gul oil spill a slow-motion hurricane. Science News .http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/58846/title/Gulf_oil_spill_a_slow-motion_hurricane

Riley, L. and W. Riley. 1992. Guide to the National Wildlie Reuges.MacMillan Publishing Company, New York. 684 pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlie Service. 2005. Bon Secour National Wildlie ReuComprehensive Conservation Plan. http://www.fws.gov/southeast/planning/CCP/BonScourFinalPg.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlie Service. 2008. Delta and Breton National WildliReuges, Comprehensive Conservation Plan. http://www.fws.gov/southeast/planning/CCP/DeltaBretonFinalPg.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlie Service. 2008. Grand Bay National Wildlie ReuComprehensive Conservation Plan. http://www.fws.gov/southeast/planning/CCP/GrandBayFinalPg.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlie Service. 2009. Lower Florida Keys National Wildlie Reuges, Comprehensive Conservation Plan. http://www.fws.gosoutheast/planning/CCP/LowerFLkeysFinalPg.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlie Service. 2010. Eects o Oil on Wildlieand Habitat. http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/posted/2931/DH_JIC_Cleared_FWS_Oil_Impacts_Wildlife_Fact_

Sheet_05072010.542699.pdf

REFERENCES

For the latest information on the oil spill, visit www.deendersblog.org

• Fund a study by the National Academies o Science toquantiy the impacts o this oil spill on the ecosystemservices provided by reuges.

• Prevent expanded drilling operations o the coast tolimit uture spill risks.

• Enact comprehensive energy and climate change policiesto transition away rom harmul oil and ossil uels.

C o u R T e s y p . R .

h o a R / n o a a / n e s D i s / n C D D C

he salt marshes and bayous o Grand

ay reuge, straddling the border o

labama and Mississippi, are a crucial

ursery or shimp, blue crabs and

ysters. These productive habitats are

xtremely vulnerable to damage rom oil.

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Wildlife and Offshore Drilling: Refuges