Companies: (respectively)

	Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc.
	BP
	Shell Exploration and Production Company

Nominator:

	Bill King
	Environmental Economist
	Environmental Division
	Offshore Minerals Management

I would like to nominate Vince Cottone, Russell Putt, and Phil Smith for the MMS Corporate Leadership Award. I base my nomination on the excellence, enthusiasm, and continuity of their support for the MMS study, Interaction Between Migrating Birds and Offshore Oil and Gas Structures Off the Louisiana Coast (CMI-19938-E). The "bird study" entailed placing professional bird watchers initially on five platforms and later on ten platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The task of the bird watchers was to document neo-tropical birds migrating across the Gulf and to monitor the bird’s use of offshore platforms. The study was a cooperative project between MMS, Louisiana State University, Coastal Marine Institute, and six oil and gas companies. MMS provided funding; LSU provided expertise and professional time to manage the project, and the companies provided room, board, and transportation for the bird watchers.

The project has paid almost immediate scientific dividends. Ground truthing from platform observations constitutes the first large-scale documentation of birds actually engaged in trans-Gulf migration. From the more westerly platforms, the team has observed species, like ground doves and several species of sparrows, not usually considered trans-Gulf migrants as well as large numbers of birds cutting the corner across the western Gulf of Mexico from east Texas to the area near the Texas-Mexico border. Observations in the east uncovered a fall migration route different from the route typical of northbound migration in the spring. Spring migration appears to jump off primarily from the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico; however, fall observations in the east appear on radar to be heading for western Cuba. When the project extended its schedule, it unequivocally documented the very early start to large-scale fall migration. By the time the ground observers reached platforms in early August, birds were passing those farthest to the east in significant numbers. Finally, the project has demonstrated the practical feasibility of synthesizing the interaction between actual observations and radar images provided by NEXRAD (Next Generation Weather Radar), a Doppler radar system recently deployed by the National Weather Service.

Few staffed platforms lie in the far southwestern end of the U.S. Gulf. When LSU received additional funding to expand the breadth of the study’s coverage of the Gulf, obtaining access to a platform in the far southwest became crucial to the project’s expanded objectives. North Padre Island 975 appeared to be far and away the best located platform in the area. However, getting permission for the bird project to use it posed a significant challenge. It seems a skeleton crew of contractors—not Shell employees—staffs the platform. Through dint of hard work, Phil Smith, the project’s main liaison with Shell, managed to secure permission just in time for the beginning of the migratory season. At Phil’s instigation his company contracted with a writer to produce full-color articles about the study for both its national and international newsletters. Responding to Phil’s enthusiasm and continuing support, Shell also is committed to continuing to provide access to multiple platforms for ongoing bird studies, should any new funding opportunities arise.

Much of the excellent support the project received from Texaco was due to the dedication and diligence of Vince Cottone. Vince remained highly accessible and helpful throughout the study. The unique opportunity to work on Petronius in the "far east" (while it was essentially mothballed, totally quiet, and essentially lacking in any activity) was a highlight of the study that permitted a unique study of nocturnal migration traffic using acoustic recordings of call notes. After the disastrous loss of half of the platform during installation, one could have imagined many reasons why support of a bird study on Petronius would not have rated highly among management’s priorities. Vince managed to get project personnel aboard and their work there was critical for understanding fall migration dynamics.

Russell Putt of BP/Amoco immediately contacted project managers indicating that he had been assigned to oversee the study. He offered to help in any way he could. Russell’s helpfulness and enthusiasm never wavered. He invited the project senior scientist to BPA headquarters to give a talk. He arranged access to Matagorda Island 622 and later worked to get the project access to the Marlin Platform.

All six of the cooperating companies, BP, ExxonMobil, Newfield Exploration, Phillips, Shell, and Texaco, also deserve recognition for the excellence of their support for the project.