File:New Carissa grounding on Oregon Coast - 46932204442.jpg

English: Oil from the grounding of the New Carissa freighter begins to wash ashore on the North Spit, Feb. 12, 1999. Photo: Brandon Brewer, U.S. Coast Guard

On Feb. 4, 1999, the New Carissa freighter ship went aground off the southern Oregon Coast, only 150 yards from beach managed by the BLM. The ensuing environmental catastrophe went on for more than nine years, until the last of the wrecked haul was removed from the North Spit beach in the summer of 2008. After efforts to move the 639-foot-long freighter failed, the decision was made to scrap the boat and burn the fuel to avoid a larger oil spill. At one point, the pounding ocean caused the New Carissa to break in half. The bow section was towed a couple hundred miles out and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Dozens of municipal, state and federal agencies worked together for years to mitigate the accident. One main priority was protecting a nearby population of western snowy plovers, a threatened species of shorebird. Hundreds of birds died because of the New Carissa grounding – 537 total – but no snowy plovers, according to NOAA. Visitors today can visit the North Spit, just off U.S. Route 101 near Coos Bay and North Bend, and imagine the dramatic scene 20 years ago while strolling the sand dunes.

Visit the North Spit: www.blm.gov/visit/north-spit