Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina donates $10,000 to O.C. wildlife organizations

The cost burden for tending to wildlife affected by the estimated 131,000-gallon oil spill last weekend may be eased for at least two local organizations with a $10,000 donation from the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina in Newport Beach.

The donation announced Thursday was split evenly between the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach and Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.

Jan Yerzik, director of marketing at Newport Dunes, said the resort was lucky that Newport Bay wasn’t significantly impacted by the spill.

County parks officials said that, so far, no oil appears to have shown at the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. That good fortune is attributed to booms having been placed in the entrance to Newport Harbor and the area having been shut down to boat traffic earlier this week.

Environmentalists have said that it’s unclear what the full ramifications of the oil spill will be on Orange County’s coast.

Yerzik said Newport Dunes lost a few camping reservations as news of the oil spill spread. She also noted the resort’s phones have been ringing, keeping staff at work answering questions posed by incoming guests.

“It is a very unfortunate situation, and we feel for the oceanfront hospitality properties and businesses, which are most affected by this disaster,” Yerzik said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the workers and volunteers dealing with the crisis as well as to the innocent wildlife suffering from the effects on their habitat and food supplies.”

“We have donated to both the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in the past and hope our donations will help provide the resources they need to help oiled wildlife,” said Yerzik.

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