The Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington state have drafted a $38 million plan to address the wildlife losses from a still-mysterious 1999 oil spill off the West Coast.
A long time in the making, the proposed damage assessment and restoration plan put together by the FWS and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife proposes six projects to restore destroyed nests and habitat, as well as reduce disturbance of nesting seabird species that were most harmed by the incident.
“All projects will provide substantial benefits to the species impacted by the spill and the public who enjoy these species,” the 56-page draft plan states.
One proposed project, for instance, calls for the purchase of about 2,800 acres of marbled murrelet habitat at an estimated total cost of about $22 million. Another proposed project would target the rabbits living on Destruction Island, located about 3 ½ miles off the central Washington state coast. The island has been habitat for two species of alcids, rhinoceros auklets and tufted puffins.
