Birds & Oil Do Not Mix

What is happening in the Gulf Coast now, is a tragedy of major proportions to say the least. First I feel for the people of New Orleans, Louisiana because of what happened after Katrina. Which is to say the Bush administration did nothing for those who lived there. It seemed as if they want Louisiana to be a 3rd world country on its own.


Now, those same states that were ignored by their own government are now to be hit with a disaster that will have an impact for what will probably be longer than anyone could imagine or realize. The BP  Oil spill is still spewing out oil after more than a month of it's creation and at risk are not only the people who live on the coast and make their living in the fishing industry, but the flora and fauna of the whole coast is at danger as well.
The Brown Pelican which was just removed from the endangered species list has its nest all along the zone that will receive the brunt of the oil spill.
eBird is tracking the spill as the it starts to hit land today, I can't bare to watch, but I will. There are many salt water marshes, bird nesting sites, oyster beds, turtle nesting sites, shrimp and fish nurseries plus much more that I can not even imagine that will be effected by this. Also don't forget many of our migratory birds travel through this coast. They will be in danger as well
If you compare this to Exxon Valdez it is in the same class of disaster. The real crime is that Exxon has fought every step to pay for their mistake and have were able to get away with it. They filed for insurance claims for the clean up and got that money. They were sued by the people whose lives were changed forever in Prince William Sound but have been successful in not paying out a penny. The original figure was somewhere in the range of 25 million dollars and they have fought tooth and nail not to pay. They have made billions on the original 25 million dollar figure saying that it would cut into their profits. It's a crime of huge proportions. The people who live in Prince William Sound have had their lives changed forever and the oil is still there, gobs of it.
So anyone who thinks we don't need to get off the oil should go the Prince William Sound and talk to the people who live there. They have not recovered from that spill that happened March 1989 and neither has there shoreline. I see this as the tipping point of disaster after disaster with oil, water and our eco-system.
People in the Gulf Coast are now tracking the spill this is called Grassroots Mapping and what people are doing is sending up their cameras on helium filled trash bags with ropes attached and taking photos of areas before the spill and they are also tracking the spill.
This is such a horrific event that is spewing out all over the Gulf Coast I can honestly say I feel helpless and totally at a loss about what we are doing to the very planet which sustains us. This is the motivation of the people who live there, having just gone through one disaster which was basically ignored by their government, they now face another one before they could actually catch their breath.