Just wondering, on the CG HQ website is a goodly photo spread of a C-130 and crew that is flying a load of sick seagulls or something from the Pac NW down to California for a non profit organization.

Does that seen to be a proper use of Coast Guard equipment and personnel ??? Just wondering what the justification is for that use of CG gear.

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Training mission? Maybe they where headed that way anyway?

I dunno... But it certainly isn't unique to aviation. I recall seeing lots of pictures posted around the internet and on the news about small boats and cutters assisting some organization with returning some errant wild life to its habitat. Sea lions, whales, etc... Happens all the time. Also, wasn't Sta Rio Vista involved the other day with assisting in luring a lost whale out of the river and back into the bay and on to sea? (Or was that a SAR case involving Rosie O'Donnell!?)

Isn't it strictly within our mandate? Probably not... The good publicity has got to be good for us.

And as soon as they were rehabilitated, those gulls thanked the rescuers by 5h1tt!ng on their cars.

It's not like seagulls are an endangeres species, they're amphibious winged rats.

The 180 I was on would transport large tanks of Lake Trout around Lake Michigan and dump them on certain reefs for the Dept. of Interior.

Could understand the equipment being used to assist another government agency, but a civilian non profit organization getting that free service. Probably transporting those civilians on a "training flight" also. Just doesn't seem right.

According to this article, the birds were federally protected and affected by red tide.
http: // www .dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=40703

That great description of "amphibious winged rats" is pretty much going to kill my appreciation of seagulls from now on.

Requested by a state agency for private organizations, a bit of a stretch, but stranger things are done. Those agencies looking for a freebie and got one.

Makes the public feel all warm and fuzzy about the Coast Guard. I gotta figure that can't be bad...

I wonder how they got approval to transport bio-hazardous waist across state lines.

In the article referenced by ward2up, it mentions that one of the organizations treating the birds in the Pac NW is PAWS. Could have sworn there was some connection made with them and Earth Liberation Front (ELF) a couple of years ago about burning down a research lab at the Univ. of Wash. Any one in the NW recall that little controversy ???