News Release

A Minor Oil Spill at Point Reyes National Seashore

Date: January 31, 1996
Contact: John Dell'Osso, 415-663-8522

Superintendent, Don Neubacher reported that since Sunday, January 28, thick oil has begun showing up on the ocean fronting beaches of Point Reyes National Seashore in the form of "tar balls." These balls range in size from 12 inches in diameter to the size of a quarter, but are typically fist size and very gooey, comprised of fresh, heavy unrefined oil. The oil was first spotted by visitors and National Park Service staff along Point Reyes Beach North on Sunday afternoon. Storms this week have dispersed the majority of the oil. Tar balls have been reported along the northern California coast and have touched shore at Cape Mendocino and MacKerricher State Park.

Surveys of beaches began Monday, and cleanup will occur with crews under the guidance of Point Reyes National Seashore, California Department of Fish & Game's Oil Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which oversees the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Approximately ten oiled birds have been found at Point Reyes.

The source of the spill is unknown at this time and is currently under investigation.

-NPS-.