Support for Preparation and Curation of the Exxon Valdez Collection

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9316045 Rohwer The support will allow preparation and curation of 1500 frozen, oil-soaked carcasses salvaged in 1993 from the Exxon Valdiz oil spill under a previous NSF award. These spring sea birds represent a unique series, as does the presence of a number of threatened and rare species and ones poorly known in collections. Graduate and work-study students will carry out the necessary preparation and curatorial tasks, and at the same time receive training in bird systematics and biodiversity studies. These salvaged pelagic birds will be extremely important for systematic, developmental and ecological study of plumage maturation, molt and skeletal variation. %%% In 1993, ornithologists at the University of Washington salvaged 1500 pelagic birds that had perished in the Exxon Valdiz oil spill. These birds are all spring sea-birds, and thus represent a unique series for studying avian development, plumage maturation, molt patterns and other seasonal life-history phenomena. Preparation and preservation of these oil-soaked carcasses will take special expertise and techniques that have been perfected at the University of Washington. These specimens will then be made available for ongoing and future research and educational projects involving avian systematics, biodiversity and conservation in the Pacific northwest. ***