Category: Environment

March 3, 2011…At The Gulf Coast

March 3, 2011…At The Gulf Coast

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The hoot of an owl in the woods across from the bay caused me to get motivated this morning. I got ready and headed to the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge for my first beach check.

As I turned onto Mobile Street, the ariel dance of two ospreys riding the high winds caused me to stop and watch their amazing flight. Further down the narrow road, tall, dried rushes rattled in the wind. Their chattering called me to my task today.

After I parked, I walked down the boardwalk toward the beach. Before I reached the shoreline, I could smell an occasional whiff of crude oil. Every time the waves are high, sunken oil gets loosened from the bottom and washes ashore.

The oil shelf that I documented in January is still present at the refuge. Sand has continued to cover it but it is obviously there. Workers were present as well, most doing a great job of digging up buried oil. I met two workers strolling with their pick-up nets, smoking cigarettes and deep in conversation–totally oblivious of the tar balls washing up on the beach. There were two crews of about eight people, supervisors, and the two women whose job appeared to be simply smoking and strolling.

The really encouraging thing at the wildlife refuge was a flock of about 25 sanderlings foraging along the tideline. I have seen very few birds there the past several visits so this was a really positive change. I also saw about eight pelicans flying offshore, two herring gulls, two ring-billed gulls, and one cormorant (flying offshore).

I noticed a gull eating one of the many crabs washed onshore. I was disappointed to see more dead crabs and crab pieces lining the beach. As I stood watching the gull ingest the crustacean, I was reminded how toxins travel throughout the food chain, throughout the web of life. None of us are immune.

My nicest surprise of the day came in the form of a US Fish and Wildlife Service employee I met at Fort Morgan. He was a great source of information about the efforts the USFWS is putting forth to ensure the protection of wildlife, especially endangered species such as the piping plovers that nest along the Gulf Coast. It made my heart lighten to know that tremendous efforts to coordinate between the USFWS and the cleanup crews are happening every day. These Wildlife Resource Technicians advise the cleanup workers, supervise the work area to keep them from nest sites and, if they are all as positive as David, provide a wonderful example in cooperation and patience.

One especially exciting observation at Ft. Morgan was the reappearance of ghost crabs. They have just started to show up again, since the spill, over the past two weeks according to the biologist I spoke with. GO GHOST CRABS!!!

After talking with the USFWS employee, I walked back to the beach access entry point and sat on the beach, enjoying pelicans and other birds interacting with the environment. After sitting for maybe ten minutes, a small group of bottlenose dolphins swam up just offshore. A large dolphin did a tail slap, some played around swimming pelicans, and then they were gone. There was one mother and baby in the group. The total number in this group has diminished since last summer.

The wind and waves were impressive on the Gulf beaches and Ft. Morgan was no exception. Fist-sized tar balls were washing up on the bay side as I walked along the shore, stirred from their slumber along the bottom.

It was good to see cleanup crews at each of the four beaches I visited today. Most were working by hand-cleaning the beaches. One area (Mobile St. access at Bon Secour NWR), had two tractors working with surface sifters…but I’m not sure that does much except take a few tar balls and grind the rest into micro-fine hydrocarbon globs.

Alabama Point, near the Florida line, looked good today. There was a variety of birds present and actively foraging. Johnson Beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, looked good as well. Of course all beaches have varying amounts of tar in the form of balls or, in the case of the Mobile Street access of the wildlife refuge, a very large shelf of mostly-buried oil on shore. And there is definitely offshore oil that gets regurgitated by the Gulf when the wind and waves are high.

The Gulf Coast is a place of immense beauty with an intensity that is so great at times, I have to just sit and breathe it in. Overall there is progress being made and it appears that organization between agencies, at least on clean-up sites, is better.

I still saw no live coquina shells in the tidal zone and this greatly concerns me since they are a staple of many birds. I have not seen these shells since the oil started coming onshore last year. Another concern I had today was for the abnormally large number of bird feathers, of various species, scattered along the beach at the wildlife refuge. I have never seen so many feathers at one location.

On my way back from the beaches I usually stop by a special place in Gulf State Park where a resident great blue heron lives. I discovered, in January, he has a severely broken/twisted toe and it appears that feeding is relatively easy at this spillway. He provides a sort of balm to me so I want to publicly thank him for accepting me into his realm and spending a few moments of his day in the presence of this grateful human.

We Are Masters of Our Destiny

We Are Masters of Our Destiny

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Contrary to what corporations and governments want us to believe, we have the ability to change the world. How sad when we see ourselves as victims….to oil/gas prices, to toxic spills, to a degrading environment. Often I have heard friends say, “I’m only one person…I can’t make a difference, so why bother?”

We have the power to change the world by the choices we make. When we infuse our day with conscious choices, we are influencing the direction of life on our planet. Our choices add to uplifting of the world or its continued degradation.

Nobody ever promised it would be easy. If the mass consciousness is suffocated with fear and anxiety, it takes a strong will to see through this fog and choose a different way. Honestly, it’s much easier to follow the status quo; however, the only way to create change is to actually be the change we want. Taking personal responsibility for every decision, every choice, is a key to creating positive change.

So what will wake us from our collective sleep? What will shake us from the illusion that we cannot make a difference? Another oil spill, gas prices over $5 a gallon in the US? More cuts to programs that add to our civility so more war can be waged over oil in the Middle East? A growing economic gap in the US between the top 1% of wealth-holders and the rest of us? More oil companies (and coal companies…let’s not forget them) telling our government what to do and how high to jump?

WHAT WILL WAKE US FROM OUR SLUMBER?

Each of us has our own, personal tipping-point. Mine was the Gulf Oil Spill. I stayed intentionally and blissfully uninformed of many of the horrors surrounding me….environmental degradation, wars, worldwide population explosions….and on and on ad-naseum. I cared but I did not want to be too informed because of the pain it caused within my mind and heart. But then, BP created an environmental disaster that hit home, literally. And my wake-up call came April 20, 2010.

The past ten months have been difficult as I have witnessed, first-hand, oiled beaches and water, sick wildlife, dead wildlife, and far-too-few clean-up workers removing oil. And now, dolphins aborting their babies and dying in record numbers. The research I have done has only increased my struggles to deal with not only this disaster, but worldwide apathy to the plight of our beautiful planet. The only way I find inner peace and calm is to actively be part of the solution.

It takes ‘muscle’ to remain aware because it is painful to stay informed. Are we willing to work hard to stay awake, aware–conscious. The more of us that make that commitment, the greater our world will be. We are the creators of our destiny.

“What kind of world do you want? Think anything. Let’s start at the start. Build a masterpiece. Be careful what you wish for–History starts now.” Lyrics from “World” by Five for Fighting

BP’s End of Year Report…or…”Look-ie…our profits soared!”

BP’s End of Year Report…or…”Look-ie…our profits soared!”

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April 20, 2010–Deepwater Horizon BP oil well sank and killed 11 workers. Thus began an environmental tragedy, the worst of which we have yet to see. That’s my thought. But to get BP’s thoughts on the matter, I visited their website and viewed their 2010 end-of-year report. I read those sections pertaining to the oil spill and below is information from it, along with my comments.

This image was taken in the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf of Mexico in January 2011. The shelf of oil was thick and extended all along the shoreline. Huge chunks of oil were washed up on the beach (some as large as three feet long by one foot across and 6 inches thick). There were less than 10 workers doing ANYthing on the beach, with most consisting of supervisors riding in four-wheel drive ATV’s. This is BP’s statement from page 3 of their year-end report. “BP and the US Coast Guard are working closely with state and local officials to clean Gulf Coast beaches before the 2011 spring and summer tourism seasons. BP and USCG remain ready to respond if any additional clean-up is required along the Gulf Coast shoreline.”

In the next paragraph I quote, “At the same time, sites, equipment, hired vessels and manpower have been demobilized as and when they are no longer required to support operations. During the fourth quarter, the number of operational sites has reduced from approximately 90 to 79 …. and the number of personnel from approximately 20,000 to approximately 6,200 at the end of the year.” They are indeed laying people off. Another big lay-off occurred in late January. But the oil is STILL THERE on the beach.

One contact I have lives on the Gulf of Mexico beach near Fort Morgan. He and his wife have photographs taken in June and July and very recent photographs. ALL of them contain oil. But…they do not live on a beach frequented by the spring break crowd. And the wildlife refuge is remote and thus is also not a destination for spring break crowds.

This beach is a spring-break destination. Those beaches that will host college students in the spring and later, kids and parents in the summer, are getting deep-cleaning by the large sifters that move huge amounts of sand, screen it through sifters and then return the sand to the shore. Gotta make those tourists think that all is well. Right?!?

BP’s report also cites scientist’s observations of tar mats in shallow, sub-tidal areas. “The federal on-scene commander has directed response teams to focus assessment and recovery efforts on the potentially recoverable near-shore oil.” I might add that if they want to see oil from the shallow, sub-tidal areas, all they need to do is visit a beach after a storm. Rough water stirs the bottom and the oil is dislodged and regurgitated back on the beach. A BP supervisor at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge told me this on my last visit. So why are they laying off all the workers in Alabama? This picture is also taken in January 2011 near Gulf Shores, Alabama. Those boots are a size 9 men’s…not small feel next to the oil chunk washed ashore.

If you are wondering about the claims process, here’s how they break it down in their report. There are three compensation alternatives. 1) A one-time quick pay option of $5,000 for an individual or $25,000 for business (deemed to be eligible). 2) A lump-sum final payment for all documented past, present and future damage. Recipients of both #1 and #2 must sign a release of liability releasing claims against BP and all other potentially liable parties (except claims for bodily injury and mental health injury, unless expressly settled, and claims under securities laws). 3) Quarterly interim payments for documented past damage not previously covered by emergency payments (which do not require execution of a release of liability). 378,103 new individual and business claims were filed in the last quarter of 2010. More than 290,000 claims were denied or judged not eligible for an emergency payment. The ‘trust’ fund paid a condo developer MILLIONS of dollars to complete a condo project while honest, hard-working crabbers, fishermen, and oyster-fishermen were paid nothing. And certainly, not all claims are valid. There are those who will abuse ANY system, but I’m just saying….. Do you have to hire an attorney to qualify for benefits from this ‘trust’ fund?

BP’s fourth quarter profits for 2010 were $4,614 MILLION, compared with $3,447 MILLION a year ago.

BP spent $17.7 billion in 2010 related to the Gulf Oil Spill. This includes money they put into the ‘trust’ fund.

BP holds a 65% working interest in the Macondo well (Deepwater Horizon), with the remaining 35% interest held by two joint venture partners. They are going after (seeking compensation from) their partners to help them cover the cost of their disaster.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 allows for claims against BP and for personal injury to fall into three categories: 1) claims by individuals and businesses for removal costs, damage to real or personal property, lost profits or impairment of earning capacity, loss of subsistence use of natural resources and for personal injury. 2) claims by state and local governments. 3) Claims by United States government. “In addition, BP faces civil litigation in which violations of OPA 90 along with other causes of actions, including personal injury claims and punitive damages, are asserted by individuals, businesses and government entities.”

“Natural Resources Damages claims are payable out of the $20-billion trust fund. These damages include, amongst other things, the reasonable costs of assessing the injury to natural resources.” The studies that BP is ‘funding’ are being paid out of the $20-billion trust fund.

Under the ‘fines and penalties’ section, the report states that the fines are based on the number of barrels of oil released. “This calculation assumes a volume of oil spilled determined using an estimate of the flow rate based on the range of figures published and BP’s own analysis of those ranges, and is based upon BP’s belief that it was not grossly negligent and did not engage in willful misconduct.” So now we understand why BP grossly and intentionally underestimated the amount of oil flowing out from the busted well from the very beginning. Should not that, in and of itself, be a criminal act?

The claims and fines related to OPA 90 will be paid through the $20-billion trust fund. As well, any other obligations related to Natural Resource Damage claims and claims asserted in civil litigation. BP’s report reads, “The establishment of this trust fund does not represent a cap or floor on BP’s liabilities and BP does not admit to a liability of this amount.” I felt my brain twisted like a pretzel after reading that statement. We don’t admit to owing this money nor will we put a cap or floor on this thing….this thing we do not claim to owe.

The end of the year report for BP? They had a greater profit than the year before, they are laying off beach cleaning workers while oil is still thick in places, the studies they are funding and the scientists they ‘bought’ are being paid for from the $20-billion trust fund. TRUST fund….there must be better words for this account…blood money, perhaps?

Manatees

Manatees

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As I floated horizontal, on the surface of the water, I saw a mother and baby manatee in the distance. I remained motionless, hovering quietly, with my hands on either side of my video housing. I watched in amazement as they swam toward me. Could they be coming to me? Yes. They swam under me, rubbing their backs against my belly. Still, I remained motionless. No touching, nothing but giggles coming from my snorkel. Then a circle and the mother hovered to my side while the baby continued investigating my dry suit, my face, my hair, my fins. Finally, with no shyness whatsoever, the baby manatee kissed me on the mouth. Maybe it was my snorkel she liked or maybe the high-pitched sounds I was emitting (squeals of delight). It doesn’t matter why the baby chose to interact with me, I feel so blessed that she did.

Why such a feeling of blessing when I have had so many incredible encounters with animals in the oceans or on land? How could this be so special? As my heart was opening wider and wider while the baby was playing with my snorkel, my dry suit, my fins, I thought of the rarity of contact with such an endangered species. Estimates suggest that there are 5000 of this species of manatee left on the planet. What a wondrous moment then to have one learning about humans through me. I was an ambassador for my species. I wanted to show the best of what humans can be by showing respect, being quiet, not touching or feeling greater-than, but rather surrendering to the moment of play this precious one wanted to experience with me.

The ports on my housings provided the most intrigue for my friends…every manatee that chose to interact with me always approached my camera housing port. Some would put their eye up to it, turn around and place their other eye in front of it. They might nuzzle it with their mouth. Remaining passive, calm, quiet, and respectful was my intention and it proved to be challenging because I wanted to embrace these gentle, curious creatures with my arms. Instead I just kept cooing to them, telling them I loved them, giggling, and of course, filming them. My embrace for them came as waves of love flowed from my heart to them…aching for their survival and well-being.

Many manatees carry deep scars from boat propellers on their backs. Some even had scars on their front flippers. There are humans that are asinine in their relating to these slow, gentle creatures by splashing, chasing, poking, or otherwise harassing. They exhibit the worst of what being human means to wild animals. Some boat operators refuse to observe areas set aside as no-wake zones to protect manatees from fast-moving boats. And yet….manatees choose to interact with humans that show respect. It amazes me that they are still able to trust humans. Something I feel incapable of doing for the exact reasons expressed….and countless other violations against nature, against wildlife some humans, in their arrogance and ignorance, display.

Two days of being in the presence of these remarkable beings gave me much to think on. The lessons I take away will continue to unfold as I remember their eyes staring into my soul, their whiskers tickling my face, the soft noses and mouths exploring my cameras. Probably the most incredible moment was when I was laying on top of the water, both hands grasping my camera, and a baby tucked his head behind my arm as if looking for a place to nurse. (Manatee mom’s nurse their babies at the base of their flippers). How blessed I felt that this little one felt safe enough, as did his mother, to inspect this human and learn about the strange creatures who visit their underwater realm.

The Shadows Gather

The Shadows Gather

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Two weeks ago this is how the beach at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge looked…COVERED with a thick shelf of oil. Yesterday the NY Times ran an article with this headline: REPORT FORESEES QUICK GULF OF MEXICO RECOVERY. Does anyone notice a discrepancy in the photograph I took a couple weeks ago and the image Mr. Feinburg is painting of the Gulf Coast?

As I sat finishing my breakfast, I read the article posted on Facebook and about jumped off my chair with anger. The report says the Gulf should recover by the end of 2012. Perhaps they are counting on the Mayan calendar’s expiration and the potential end of the world as we know it to make this prediction. Seriously! I spoke with a wildlife biologist last Saturday and she said it takes a minimum of 3 to 5 years for wildlife populations to show the true picture after an event such as this. Maybe Mr. Feinburg–I mean BP–has resorted to wishful thinking as their modus operandi.

Wes Tunnell, a marine biologist at Texas A & M, wrote the report that said some areas will have fewer fish, shrimp and crab but overall regional 2011 catches for blue crabs, shrimp, oysters and fin fishes should be in line with catches before the spill. By the way, he was paid by BP to write the document. And…he doesn’t offer any estimates on how much hydrocarbon residue is expected to be found in said seafood species. Whatever happened to non-biased scientific data collection? Oh, the oil companies run the country…how silly of me to forget.

From the beginning of the spill I have thought the Coast Guard to be a puppet of BP…of oil corporations. From watching Rear Admiral Mary Landree mindlessly nod her head in press briefings by Doug Suttles, the BP spokesperson during the spill, to this latest bogus report by scientists funded by BP (isn’t that in itself a conflict of interest?)…the Coast Guard agrees with anything BP says. Again…I cry FOUL! and….WAKE UP AMERICA!

A voice of sanity is included in the Times article. Dr. James Cowan, a biological oceanographer at LSU said his group has found “troubling signs of apparent oil damage” to shrimp and fish. “In my mind, the long-term, indirect effects are going to be the most insidious and also the most difficult to ascertain,” he said.

This past summer I witnessed local government officials laughing at ‘dumb tourists’ swimming (yes….I have video footage) in crude oil. I heard one mayor say ‘we have to get the clean-up workers off the beach during the day…it is scaring the tourists’ (yep…got THAT on video as well). So should we be surprised at the continued denial of the damage that was done and how it continues to affect the Gulf Coast? Absolultely NOT! No surprise here. So how can an article like this help us? It can give us a renewed sense of purpose to ensure the light of truth be presented through reporting true stories, showing images and video, and through voices that are LIVING IT. Let the TRUTH dispel the shadows before they completely cover-up the real story of what is happening along the Gulf Coast.

This shows a block of hardened crude oil washed ashore mid-January 2011. Who said the oil is gone? It’s over? Hardly any workers were to be seen with hundreds of tons of crude oil imbedded in the beach in the wildlife refuge. BP has not even cleaned up the mess yet they are claiming within two years everything will be great, back to normal? This is the height of insanity.