1971 San Francisco Bay oil spill facts for kids

The 1971 San Francisco Bay oil spill happened when two large oil tankers, the Arizona Standard and the Oregon Standard, crashed into each other. This accident took place on January 18, 1971, right in the San Francisco Bay. It was a huge spill, with about 800,000 gallons of oil leaking into the water. This was the biggest oil spill the Bay Area had ever seen! The oil threatened many important natural places, like the Bolinas Lagoon, which is home to lots of wildlife.

This event also led to a big increase in people caring about pollution. Thousands of people from the Bay Area volunteered to help clean up the beaches and rescue birds covered in oil. Because of this spill and the cleanup efforts, several new environmental groups were started. The company responsible, Standard Oil, spent over $1 million to help clean up the mess.

Saving Wildlife: The Birth of Bird Rescue

In March 1971, experts from California's Fish and Game Department estimated that about 7,000 birds were covered in oil during the spill. Sadly, most of these birds died before they could be collected or while they were being cared for. By the end of January 1971, out of 1,600 birds that were brought in for help, only about 200 were still alive. In the end, fewer than 80 of those birds survived.

The terrible damage to the environment, especially to the bird population, made many people want to help. Volunteers worked hard to rescue around 4,300 birds. At that time, people didn't know much about how to properly care for birds covered in oil. Even with their best efforts, only about 300 birds were healthy enough to be released back into the wild.

The dedicated volunteers who helped during this spill eventually created the International Bird Rescue organization. Their goal was to learn more and do more research on how to rescue and care for oiled birds. This event saw one of the largest turnouts of volunteers in the San Francisco area since the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It showed how much people cared about protecting nature.