Problems for Wildlife Care

When the seagoing tanker American Trader ran over its anchor in the waters off Huntington Beach more than seven years ago, it caused visions of a massive catastrophe along the lines of the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaskan waters several years earlier.

Orange County was luckier. The spill was tiny compared to that of the Exxon Valdez, but at least 1,000 birds were killed when nearly 400,000 gallons of crude oil poured into the sea.

The accident dramatized the need for more coordinated reaction in the event of a similar mishap. It was clear there would be problems again in rounding up people to treat wild animals and birds injured in a disaster, including another oil spill. Finding the necessary expertise and equipment in the middle of chaos is a daunting task.

The Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy came up with a good solution, building a Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center of Orange County, with the assistance of the Alliance for Wildlife. But now problems have arisen with the facility, just as it was about to open. The city, environmentalists and the Southern California Edison Co. need to fix the problems quickly.

The wildlife care center is nearly finished, built on a 1.7-acre parcel owned by Southern California Edison in Huntington Beach. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants and corporate donations have been spent. The building has sinks to wash off oil-slicked birds and cages to hold them until they are ready to return to the wild. There are holding pens for animals as well. Environmentalists say the center could treat as many as 10,000 birds and animals a year.

But Huntington Beach officials are requiring improvements for Edison-owned land around the center, including new gutters, curbs and street lights. The city also is concerned about a future owner’s plans for the center if Edison sells the property, which is possible.

Both sides say they want the center to open and have worked cooperatively so far. That means both sides should be able to compromise where necessary to reach agreement. That way volunteer veterinarians would have quick access to a designated facility to treat wild animals or birds injured by boats, sickened by pollution or harmed by another oil spill.