Mystery Goo Research Reveals Risk to Endangered Clapper Rail

The Alameda Seabird Massacre of 2015 has revealed the dawning of a new era of catastrophic ecological risk for San Leandro Bay and the birds and marine life that depend upon this habitat for their existence. The endangeredclapper rail is among the species that live in this threatened habitat.

My research indicates that the mysterious deaths of three hundred seabirds in January is tied to the plume of greyish-tan sludge I observed the previous October, which is described elsewhere in this blog. This mass execution of seabirds is under investigation by California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, but it is clear the material that killed them is of human origin. The press calls the material “Bird Goo,” but laboratory analysis shows the gooey grey material matches drilling fluid used in earth-boring projects such as laying conduit and sewer line.

There is a bigger picture. The Bird Goo deaths are symptomatic of a systemic threat to Bay Area marine habit. Drought, dredging, street run-off and the use of toxic chemicals to control algae in Alameda’s lagoons are all involved, but ignorance and indifference also play a role. This blog seeks to shed light on all these elements of threat to Bay Area marine life and habitat, not just “Bird Goo.”

The following link takes you to my blog post detailing how the endangered clapper rails in San Leandro Bay have been placed in further jeopardy by recent changes in tidal currents, exposing all marine habitat to the toxic chemicals in Aameda’s lagoon effluent: http://alamedagoo.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-new-era-of-catastrophic-risk.html