U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

North Cape Oil Spill Restoration

Bird Restoration Program

United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

NOAA Restoration Center

Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management

USFWS Background

In January 1996, a 340-foot oil barge, the

North Cape, ran aground off Trustom

Pond National Wildlife Refuge, spilling

828,000 gallons of home heating oil that

resulted in the deaths of millions of

lobsters, surf clams, and fish, and billions

of invertebrates. Over 2,000 birds were

killed, including numerous loons and sea

ducks. The piping plover, a federallylisted threatened species, was impacted

by reductions to its food base. 

Restoration

In August 2000, the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(USFWS), and the State of Rhode Island

Department of Environmental Management

(Trustees) reached a settlement agreement

with the insurer of the companies responsible

for the North Cape oil spill. As part of the

agreement, $3.5 million was paid to the

Trustees to restore loons, sea ducks, and

piping plovers.

Loons

To restore loons impacted from the spill,

the Trustees focused on protecting

breeding populations in the northeast,

since loon populations in New England

are primarily limited by nesting success.

Working with an array of partners, the

Trustees assisted with the permanent

On January 19, 1996, the Tug Scandia and

barge North Cape ran aground, spilling

828,000 gallons of home heating oil.

USFWS

Management guidelines recorded with

fee acquisitions and conservation

easements help ensure long-term loon

protection.

protection of nearly 1.5 million acres of

Maine forests and lakes that provide

nesting habitat for at least 125 loon pairs. 

The Trustees contributed over $3 million

towards the protection efforts and helped

leverage over $100 million from a variety

of federal, state, and local agencies, as

well as conservation groups and

foundations. Partners included the New

England Forestry Foundation, Downeast

Lakes Land Trust, Forest Society of

Maine, The Nature Conservancy, The

Conservation Fund, State of Maine,

International Paper Co., Wagner Forest

Highlights

Assisted with protection of 1.5 million acres of land that provide nesting habitat for

at least 125 common loon pairs in Maine.

Increased productivity of federally-listed threatened nesting piping plover pairs in

Rhode Island.

Protected more than 600 pairs of nesting common eider in Maine.

C. Ayres North Cape settlement funds have helped leverage in excess of $100 million

to protect over 200 lakes and ponds in Maine.
Management LLC, Typhoon LLC,

numerous local communities,

Passamaquoddy Tribe, USDA Forest

Service, more than 50 foundations, and

thousands of individual donors.

Piping Plovers

To restore piping plovers, the Trustees

used settlement funds to support a

monitoring and management program in

Rhode Island. Since 2001, biologists from

the Rhode Island National Wildlife

Refuge employed a number of protection

and management activities, including

exclosing nests to protect against

predation and installing symbolic fencing

to limit pedestrian access to nesting

areas. With the help of volunteers,

biologists educated beachgoers about dog

leash laws and minimizing disturbance to

nesting piping plovers. Numerous

partnerships have also been developed

with local landowners to cooperatively

manage beaches to protect piping

plovers. As a result of these efforts,

piping plover nesting pairs have

increased from 35 pairs on nine beaches

in 2000 to 56 pairs on 10 beaches in 2005.

Sea Ducks 

To restore sea ducks, the Trustees

decided to protect nesting habitat to

prevent future habitat degradation

associated with development. In

partnership with the Maine Coast

Heritage Trust, the State of Maine, the

Nature Conservancy and the Casco Bay

Estuary Project, the Trustees provided

funds to permanently protect Flag

Island, a 42-acre island in Casco Bay,

Maine. The island is home to more than

600 pairs of nesting common eiders.

Biologists from the State of Maine and

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are

currently monitoring nesting and

fledging success on the island to

determine potential threats to the

common eiders’ productivity.

USFWS Over 600 common eider nests were

protected with the purchase of Flag

Island.

For more information, contact:

Molly Sperduto, USFWS:

Molly_Sperduto@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

New England Field Office

70 Commercial Street, Suite 300

Concord, NH 03301-5087

603/223 2541

Federal Relay Service

for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

1 800/877 8339

http://www.fws.gov

July 2006

Stephen Rubicam Photography

Forty-two-acre Flag Island was protected with funds from two settlements: North

Cape oil spill and Julie N oil spill.

©Paul Erickson

Piping plover nests are exclosed with wire fence to protect against predation.

USFWS

Five years after the piping plover

monitoring and management effort

began, more than 20 new pairs nested and

three historic beaches were re-colonized.

USFWS Mother common eiders lead newborn ducklings to

feed along the shore of Flag Island.