General

Our two main websites, the Sea Alarm site and Oiledwildlife.eu have been updated.

  Sea Alarm is looking for a Senior Technical Adviser to join its team in Brussels. For details of the position and how to apply please click here. Closing date for applications is Friday 1st June 2012. THE POSITION IS…

The Californian Oiled Wildlife Care Network has published its 2011-2012 call for research proposals from wildlife professionals interested in improving oiled wildlife response and gaining a better understanding of the effects of oil on wildlife. The OWCN sponsors up to $250,000 a year to support research and technology development.

“Sometimes a fresh perspective renews a sense of priorities – release from pre-occupations that didn’t really matter, and fresh awareness of things that can pass us by in the confusion of the busy lives we lead”. These are the words of city lawyer Colin de la Rue on why he decided to climb eight mountains in support of eight charitable causes (Eight up campaign).

Sea Alarm would like to wish all its readers a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Sea Alarm is delighted to have been named recently as a beneficiary of the Eight up fund-raising initiative. This is the brainchild of maritime lawyer Colin de la Rue, who this year has taken a Sabbatical from his partnership at law firm Ince & Co to climb 8 mountain peaks around the world in aid of 8 charitable causes.

Although it has been operational for more than 1.5 years, on 23 October the Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostend was formally opened by Prince Laurent of Belgium and the City of Ostende. Sea Alarm was also invited and presented its booth at the opening.

As part of an internal project that had started already in 2009, Sea Alarm has been working to develop a total remake of the existing www.oiledwildlife.eu. A new design was developed and some exciting facilities were added. The website now looks totally different and will have many surprises for those of you who frequently visited the old version.

The OWCN is currently seeking research proposals from wildlife professionals interested in furthering OWCN goals for the 2010-2011 funding period.  In particular, proposals investigating the direct and indirect effects of oil on wildlife, baseline biomedical studies and improvements to oiled rehabilitation techniques are strongly encouraged.

Since EMPOWER membership was opened in November 2009, applications to join the network are starting to roll into Sea Alarm’s mailbox.

On Wednesday 18 November membership was officially opened for the EMPOWER Network. After almost 6 months of preparation the Network is now ready to expand beyond the 9 Founding Members. It is expected that in the end over 70 members from across Europe will have joined the network, which aims to improve the professionalism and capacity of NGOs in their responses to marine wildlife emergencies and cooperation with their national authorities. Membership of EMPOWER is free of charge and only requires the signing of a Code of Conduct and the submission of information on the applicant.

As a newcomer to the European scheme of Operational Grants to NGOs, Sea Alarm was recently audited in late October by a UK based team which was sent by the European Commission to check Sea Alarm’s financial and administrative structure. This is a standard procedure which provides essential information both to the Commission and the beneficiary of the grant if the internal procedure and structures comply with the standards set by the Commission. After three days of studying Sea Alarm’s administration and interviewing the staff, the auditors came to a positive end conclusion.