In the past, we’ve hosted an Oilapalooza Conference and we’ve hosted a Full Deployment Drill, but we have never combined the two. Last month the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) packed up our conference supplies alongside all of the essential response gear and caravanned to Bakersfield California. 119 responders from 35 Member Organizations, OSPR, and some guests from partner organizations attended for our two days of fun.
Day 1: Conference (Bakersfield Marriott and Convention Center)
We started off our day with introductions to not only our new OWCN Director Victoria Hall, but also the new OSPR Administrator Heather Geldart. The morning quickly flew by and we were so thankful to hear from our keynote speaker Tiffany Wentz-Roots, who spoke on mental health resilience. Then we dove right into a series of different panels and talks.
The OWCN Management Team may have put the event together, but we could not have done it without help from our entire network. From speakers to panelists and moderators we were able to cover topics that spanned Tracking Oil DNA, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, 30 years with the Oiled Wildlife Care Network and even a great conversation about DEIA within our organizations led by International Bird Rescue’s Liz Montenegro. We rounded out the day celebrating 30 years of the OWCN and recognized each and every Member Organization for their time within the Network. The day was a hit and we continued the networking at our evening reception at the Willows at the California Living Museum (CALM) Zoo. Dr. Ziccardi continued the ‘Dad Jokes’ tradition while leading the Network donated raffle.
Day 2: Full Deployment Drill (CALM)
We started with an informative drill briefing courtesy of Dr. Ziccardi. This event spanned across the CALM Wonder Wildlife Care Clinic for Care Operations and all throughout the Kern River Campground where we were able to mobilize our Field Operations. As Kyra wrote in her recent blog, our goals were to:
Provide a “real-life” experience of a larger spill response to Oilapalooza attendees.
Test the capability of the CALM facility for an inland response.
Mentor OWCN responders in filling key roles with the Wildlife Branch, and
Evaluate OWCN equipment, policies, protocols, and technologies.
Looking back, I think we did a great job fulfilling those goals. Now we are taking it all in to ensure we remain at the top of our game.
So much went into the success of this event and we have to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to The California Living Museum team for going above and beyond with the reception and drill. It was a pleasure to collaborate with you.
Our next Oilapalooza won’t be until 2026, but we know that it will be here before we know it. Until next time!