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OSPR - Oil Spill Prevention and Response
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was a wake-up call for the United States. It clearly identified the need to develop a comprehensive oil spill prevention and response program. In no place, outside of Alaska, was that call heard louder than in California.
In February 1990, public concern hit a threshold when the tanker vessel
'American Trader' discharged 10,000 barrels of oil into Southern California waters, oiling an estimated 3,400 birds and forcing the closure of 25 kilometers of prime beach for five weeks. As a direct result of the public’s demand for action the California legislature passed the Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990 that established the OSPR as a division of the CDFG.
OSPR is the lead state agency charged with the
mission:
“…to provide the best achievable protection to California’s natural resources by preventing, preparing for, and responding to spills of oil and
other deleterious materials, and through restoring and enhancing affected
resources”.
OSPR, and its mission, is unique in that it is the only state agency in the United States with combined regulatory, law enforcement, pollution response and public trust authority along the coast or within tidally influenced waters.
Thus, OSPR’s dual regulatory / trustee authority assures that oil spill prevention and response to spills will safeguard wildlife and the ecosystems in which they live and restore these resources when injured by pollution incidents.

The Enforcement Program within OSPR enforces laws that prevent oil spills, dispatches personnel and investigates spills. Fish and Game Wardens are sworn peace officers with the authority to enforce both criminal and civil statutes. Wardens conduct spill investigations and gather and prepare evidence that is essential to any court case.

During a spill response, the State On-Scene Coordinator (or Incident Commander) is usually an OSPR Warden. The OSPR Enforcement Program includes the Department’s 24-hour Communications Center, which received more than 3300 spill reports in 2004. There are approximately 30 officers (Captains, Lt’s, Wardens) assigned to the Enforcement Program in California.

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DONATE TO THE CFGWA - VIA PAYPAL
Donate to the California Fish and Game Wardens
Association
The
California Fish & Game Wardens Association (CFGWA) was
founded almost 70 years ago by Department Game Wardens
who saw the need for an employees' association. Still
going strong with over 200 members.
Please help
us to protect and preserve California's fisheries and
wildlife.
With less
than 200 Game Wardens in our state, California has the
lowest ratio of wardens per capita of all 50 states and
provinces of Canada.
The CFGWA
is struggling to turn this around, but we desperately
need your help. Please make a donation to our cause
through Pay Pal on this site. The CFGWA is a non-profit,
501(c)3 organization.
Help Us
Stop Polluters and Poachers.
Please give
wildlife a voice by donating today to the only
organization that works 24/7 to protect the natural
resources of the State of California.
We do make
a difference, and with your help, we can make more and
more of an impact each day.
Thank you.
For
instructions on how to make
payments, please
click here!!
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