Below is CHEVRON'S ADVERTISEMENT ( an artist rendering) as it appeared in the November, 1996, issues of Harper's and Discover magazines. Alongside are pictures taken at Chevron's refinery on Oahu.
Text of advertisement: "WELCOMING A NEW DAWN. Beneath a halo of mist and warmth lies a tragedy. Nearly three quarters of Hawaii's native bird species have disappeared forever. But for the endangered Hawaiian stilt, hope comes in an unlikely sanctuary. A six-acre pond located, curiously enough, in the heart of a refinery. Now, for the first time in generations, these delicate creatures are beginning to thrive. Do people help nature reach a new dawn? People Do."
The conditions of the ponds in the following, actual photographs are the way they were found on my visits to the Chevron Oil Refinery on Oahu. The evidence clearly showed that Hawaiian Stilts and other species of migratory birds were being attracted to the ponds which had oil and other chemicals on the surface. Some of the stilts were observed with oil on them yet the Fish & Wildlife Service was eager to initiate a "work out" while developing a cozy relationship. Unfortunately FWS personnel also banded a number of the birds with incorrect leg bands which resulted in the stilt's legs being cut off by the bands.
Question, if the "work out" is the solution why did Chevron use an artist's rendition to show the ponds instead of photos of the real life situation?
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Pond with boom to contain oil in the water | |
| Shoreline of pond showing oil and contaminants along the edge | |
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| View of pond with stilts in the water | |
The Fourth Quarter, 1996, Greenpeace International Toxics Investigator featured an article regarding Chevron's "Welcoming a New Dawn" advertisement entitled "Greenwash Award". In the article one of the Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied, for whatever reason, that the bird samples taken from the pond and sent to the U.S.F.W.S. Patuxent Lab were tainted with oil or chemicals. Below are pictures of the biologist taking samples from the contaminated pond and one of the Hawaiian Stilts collected that day.
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| Samples being collected from the pond. | A baby Hawaiian Stilt collected from the pond............. |