Here's How You Can Help Orange County's Marine Wildlife Affected By The Oil Spill.

LAGUNA BEACH, CA —Laguna Beach's Pacific Marine Mammal Center will need donations of materials to help the ailing wildlife expected in the coming weeks and months following Orange County's massive oil spill. Though a unified command of workers are assessing the impacts of Orange County's weekend oil spill disaster, the mammal center is at work gathering supplies for all who will be handling the marine and avian wildlife affected by the disaster.

In Orange County, there are many hands longing to help.

As of Tuesday, approximately 120,000 to 150,000 gallons of oil were floating through the Pacific Ocean along nearly 16 miles of the Orange County coastline. What was described as "light oiling" was reported on south Orange County beaches, according to the Unified Command in charge of cleanup. As news of the devastation pours in, many in the community are worried about the abundant sea mammals, fish and wildlife who frequent Orange County's shores.

Dead, blackened fish have washed up along area beaches and residents say they've witnessed gulls and sea birds feasting on the oiled carcasses. Many have asked how to help the animals that will be affected by this crisis.

If you see oil-slickened animals, report the injured wildlife to 877082306926 or 877-UCD-OWCN.

Veterinarians from UC Davis are handling the efforts to remove oil from the injured animals, and the unified command must thoroughly vet volunteers. Experts at the Wetlands And Wildlife Care Center and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center are ready to work when they are called into action.

As of Tuesday, no oiled marine mammals are in the Mammal Center's care. Still, the community continues to donate to the cause.

The PMMC says they are "actively collecting donations to share with the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center" and will be getting them donated supplies.

"We know everyone wants to help and volunteer however right now public volunteers are not needed," spokesperson Krysta Higuchi wrote on Facebook. "The area is dangerous and trained spill responders are currently working to clean up the area."

Should you choose to donate, the PMMC has an ongoing Amazon wish list of items to assist in cleanup efforts and animal rehabilitation. Shopping with Amazon Smile or donations of Amazon gift cards are also welcome, they say. From duct tape to trash bags, boot covers, to paper towels, their list of needs to handle this ongoing oil spill crisis is ever-growing.

"We don't yet know the magnitude of this," a spokesperson from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center said on Facebook. "It may take weeks or even months for marine mammals to strand."

Thus far, just a handful of sea birds are under evaluation. A total of three oiled birds were reported Sunday and five more on Monday.

In total, a brown pelican, a ruddy duck, an American Coot, an Eared Grebe, a Sanderling, and three Western Grebes have been recovered and are undergoing de-oiling by the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine representatives. Veterinarians humanely euthanized the pelican, the first known avian victim of the disaster.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has ordered the closure of Southern California fisheries in response to the spill, prohibiting the taking of fish and shellfish from Huntington Beach to Dana Point.

Workers are cleaning beaches, doing their best to free marine habitats and wildlife in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and south to San Clemente, where oil made landfall Tuesday. The top priorities remain health and safety, protecting the environment and the wildlife, and removing the oil, according to U.S. Coast Guard Spokeswoman Rebecca Ore.

In Newport Beach, a large amount of oil has come onshore, slicking the shores from Santa Ana River to 52nd Street, according to city spokesman John Pope.

The damage is mainly on the west side, though Corona Del Mar has also seen evidence of tar, as has Crystal Cove State Beach and Laguna Beach. Dana Point beaches were also closed Tuesday.

Most beaches in the county remain closed Tuesday, and all water use is discouraged during the cleanup of the Pacific Ocean, officials say.

"It smells bad, it looks bad, and that's keeping people out," Pope says. Still, some "defiant surfers" took to the slicked waves. In Dana Point, no surfers were in the water Tuesday morning, which was a "rare sight, not seen since the pandemic," according to Capistrano Beach resident Toni Nelson.

Teams of cleanup crews with more than 300 personnel are collecting oily debris on the shoreline, while Orange County Public Works crews are tirelessly cleaning beaches, laying boom lines, and removing oil as quickly and safely as possible.

Every resource that can find and recover the oil is being deployed, according to U.S. Coast Guard Long Beach spokeswoman Rebecca Ore.

"We are continuing to take responsibility for all of it," said Martyn Willshire CEO of Amplify, the Houston energy company that owns the pipeline. "No matter where we go from here, we are fully committed to maintaining our intense efforts on recovery and will not stop until this is fully resolved. Everything will be turned over to the authorities."

According to Monica Embrey, associate director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign, stopping our reliance on fossil fuels is key to helping.

"As we've seen time and again, drilling means spilling," Embrey says. "We need to commit to a clean energy economy to end preventable disasters like this one—to keep natural places clean and our communities healthy."

If you see oil-slickened animals, report the injured wildlife to 877082306926 or 877-UCD-OWCN.