From first time spill responder to first time father

I am just shy of my one-year anniversary with the OWCN Management Team (June 2023) and starting to reflect on all the events that have happened in this short period, from responding to my first oil spill at Tanzanite Park in November, to welcoming my first child in December. 

We never hope for an oil spill, but as part of the OWCN Management Team we must always be ready. On November 14th we received a spill notification and subsequent activation for the Tanzanite Park Incident in Sacramento. My role in the beginning of this response was as a field recovery staff. Luckily, I had just completed the Oiled Wildlife Specialist (Recovery Specialist) training in August, and was accompanied by my well-seasoned OWCN Management Team folks.

In the first days of the spill many birds who were affected by the product were “readily catchable.” What do I mean by “readily catchable?” Birds that were either debilitated enough to walk up to and net or that were easily baited to be able to net. As time went on affected birds became harder to capture, which forced us to use net guns to catch them (this allowed us to net them from a distance of 10-20ft). Our main avian patients throughout the spill were Canada geese, as well as a few wood ducks and mallards. 

In addition to our avian friends, we also trapped a family (a.k.a. colony) of five beavers. The first beaver was captured via hand net near the shoreline. It took four of us to subdue and transfer the beaver into a large metal crate for transport. The remaining beavers were caught after setting several motion cameras to identify beaver movement patterns to help us determine the best locations to set baited traps. The wealth of knowledge of the OWCN Management Team led to safe capture of the rest of the colony. 

In the first weeks of December, field activities at Tanzanite Park started to wind down, however animal care operations back at our Primary Care Facilities (San Francisco Bay Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center, and Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue) were still in full swing. My role shifted from the field to the Primary Care Facility, and despite the impending due date of my first child, I still found myself immersed in all things spill response: I witnessed my first oiled wildlife washes, assisted with animal care, and took care of several facilities-related maintenance items. As mid-December approached, I realized I needed a hard stop date from the spill response to be there for my wife in case she went into labor early. I decided my last day would be December 16th, eight days before her due date, and it ended up being perfect timing, because believe it or not my wife went into labor the very next day! 

On December 17th, 2022, my wife Sierra and I welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Rory Eisler Vickers, to this world. 

Now fast forward three months later, and I am back at work full time with a 3-month-old at home, and loving every minute of it! Readiness is constantly on my mind and now that comes with thinking about my growing family at home. 

I would like to finish with a special thanks to the OWCN Management Team for their support throughout life’s events. I’d also like to thank the entire OWCN Network for their support; we truly could not do what we do without you. 

- Danny Vickers, Care Facilities Specialist