Category: Gulf Oil Spill

On the Surface

On the Surface

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Today I visited Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This site was heavily oiled a few weeks ago and I wanted to revisit it to see the status of this shoreline.

On first view, the beach appeared clean and the water clear. I wanted to investigate a little closer to see what I could tell using my five senses.

There are tar balls on the beach and in the surf zone. The sand is sticky where it was oiled.

Crustaceans I saw appeared lethargic. Tiny coquina shells, that usually burrow quickly into the tidal sand, only sat on the sand, half covered. They usually dig into the sand ferociously as the surf washes over them.

There were lots of tiny fish swimming near the shore and some larger fish being driven by predators close to shore.

On the surface, it looked good–much, much better than the last time I was here. Yet upon closer investigation there were things that were not great. Of course we’ll see tar balls for many years and they were abundant in the surf zone. The part of the beach that was inundated with oil and oily sludge a month ago still smelled of diesel fuel and there were millions and millions of tiny tar balls mixed in the sand. But right now I’m more interested in what is happening in the water.

Barnacles on the pilings of the pier appeared dead yet there were tiny fish, that make their home among the crustaceans, living there watching my video housing with interest. Crabs at the base of the pilings were definitely lethargic.

My intention is simply to record what I see and form an opinion using my senses and intuition. My conclusion today? The beach there is much better than the last time I saw it; however, the beach still contains obvious hydrocarbons and oil-related products that are invisible but evident due to their smell. The water had suspended particles of unknown origin and had small tar balls rolling in the surf. Some animals looked okay while others appeared dead (barnacles) or sluggish. Bottom line: It’s an unhealthy ecosystem trying to recover.

These are images from a month ago and today of Gulf State Park Pier and condos that border the park boundary.

Humanity–Definitions to Ponder

Humanity–Definitions to Ponder

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When I was growing up I was proud to be a part of humanity because I felt like it truly was an honor to be able to express the quality of being humane, kind or benevolent (Random House definition #3). It made me warm and fuzzy inside as a teenager to think that the goal of humans was to express these wonderful qualities to each other, the earth and wildlife. I wrapped these idyllic qualities around myself and went out into the world, as a young state park naturalist, to make a difference.

Upon reaching the half-century mark, I observe the way we collectively mistreat ourselves, each other, the earth, and animals, and I cannot help but wonder, What happened? The #2 definition of humanity is: the quality or condition of being human. It seems we have changed what used to be a positive reality of humanity into something that, quite honestly, I am ashamed to be a part of many times.

As I was downstairs lifting weights this morning a wild turkey hen and two juveniles arrived at the glass door leading to the deck and invited me to watch them. I quickly bolted up two flights of stairs to get my video camera and returned to have a very close interaction with these wondrous creatures. My husband and I have been interacting with them on our walks around the mountain and have marveled at the intelligence and beauty of these wild birds.

Anxious to complete my workout and walk, I rushed through the workout and set out with camera in-hand to see if we could see them again.

We walked up and down and all around and only in the last few minutes of the walk did we see the turkeys. But this time trespassers to the mountain had their dog off leash and allowed her to chase this family of regal birds, to the point of encouraging Lucy to “get it.” The two hens and seven juveniles that call our mountain home scattered as best they could into trees, squawking and cackling as this large dog terrorized them.

I admit I’ve been a bit on edge covering the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. I’ve been deeply disappointed in humans…in humanity (#1 definition–all beings collectively in the human race). In BP, our government agencies, tourism boards who put dollars above tourist’s health…yes, I’ve been on edge. Today I snapped. I looked at the guy, holding the empty leash in-hand and said, “I am PISSED off! We have a leash law for animals and I just told you baby turkeys were in this area.”

When did humans stop caring? When did we become so selfish? When did we put everyone and everything else aside to satisfy our own jolly’s? When did we, as a collective group of beings, redefine the word humanity to be a negative thing? We have reduced the quality of who we are…although there are kind and benevolent people on the planet (thank God!)…but as a whole we are failing. All we have to do is look around and see the fruits of our actions and behaviors…the oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, Nigeria, China and the continued drilling on sensitive land and waters…laws that protect corporations at the expense of our environment and our own health….blasting mountain tops for coal and destroying communities downslope….egocentric behaviors that are beyond belief. If we could only rise above our own deception and view what we’ve created from a higher perspective…..

Through this rant I have come to a point of realization. In order for there to be change, we must see the darkness we have created. Presented to us is a huge opportunity to change and grow into beings that are humane, kind and benevolent. It takes effort, sacrifice, and commitment but in the end, we can restore our ability to create a better world and to be proud to count ourselves among a collective of good people.

Hope

Hope

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Today I visited the Theodore, Alabama, Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. For the first time since first coming back to Alabama to document the BP Oil Crisis in mid-May, I have hope.

I have witnessed so much disorganization with cleanup crews, local, state and federal governments and have left the beaches very frustrated and angry, not just at BP but at all the agencies involved. Today’s experience at the rehab facility was a breath of fresh air for me.

Under the guidance and direction of Dr. Heidi Stout, Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research director, the Theodore center is doing an amazing job of helping wildlife. FINALLY! Something related to this oil crisis is working. (Please clap out loud and dance). Along with staff from all over the country, Dr. Stout provides excellent care for oiled birds and other animals.

When a bird is captured, it is stabilized over a period lasting from 1 to 3 days. It is treated medically and monitored. Then the bird is cleaned and, depending on the bird’s size, cleaning can take 45 minutes (pelicans) to 10 minutes (gulls). They are cleaned in diluted Dawn in 104 to 105 degree water, their body temperature. They are thoroughly rinsed and kept for two weeks or so for monitoring and recovery.

The center has been open since early May and was fully prepared to receive wildlife prior to any known oilings in Alabama. So far they have treated 50 animals successfully. Dr. Stout and her staff give us hope that agencies can work together effectively and produce an organized, well-run program. Agencies involved in the center include the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. The center is funded by BP.

These northern gannets have been cleaned and are recovering nicely. Visiting this center gives me hope that we can come out on the other side of this disaster. Step by step, one bird at a time, we have hope.

The Big Disconnect

The Big Disconnect

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Imagine seeing this on the beach, smelling almost overwhelming heated diesel smell, and watching people in protective gear cleaning the beach. What would you do?

Would you be curious and concerned and walk out on the beach? Maybe take a few photographs? Touch it? Take a bit of oil as a souvenir?

Or would you stare blindly at cleanup workers, laying on your beach chair sipping cocktails while your children frolic in the surf? It’s not that I want to be a party pooper but now is the time for brains to engage and synapses to fire correctly. We are, you see, living in a very toxic environment…in case you’ve been in a media blackout for the past 70 days.

Just ask the sea gulls. I witnessed several whose feet were showing signs of walking in the toxic sludge. The webbing between their toes is beginning to ‘melt’ away. I know many folks don’t want to hear this news but I can only report what I see and feel. I don’t want to be disconnected from this horror because I am a part of it as are all of us who drive cars and use petroleum products.

I had dinner with a friend who has been on the beach a good bit during this crisis and she shares the same concern I have–there’s a schism in many people’s psyches. They see the oil, smell it and see cleanup crews lining the beaches but somehow cannot make the leap to understand that their kids don’t need to play in it and they don’t need to sit out for hours in the hot sun breathing the fumes.

Is this part of a larger disconnect our society has about cause and effect, about conservation of resources versus rape of the environment. Are people really that out of touch with the physical reality of now?

Turtle Prayers

Turtle Prayers

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Today the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center released a plan formed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA-Fisheries and the Florida Wildlife Commission to translocate an anticipated 700 sea turtle nest eggs this season along the Florida Panhandle and the Alabama Gulf Coast. This is not an event to be taken lightly as nest disturbance risks killing the eggs; however, given the oiled beaches and waters, biologists think this is the best plan for the potential hatchlings.
In this extraordinary plan, permitted surveyors search the beaches at night for sea turtle tracks. Since females come on land only to lay eggs, the tracks lead to nests. The nests are marked and left to incubate until a point is reached in the incubation cycle where disturbance is less likely to injure eggs.

Experts will then place the eggs in special containers and transport them to a secure, climate-controlled location. Once the hatchlings emerge, they will be released on the east-central coast of Florida.

Under normal conditions a retrieval, removal and remote hatching of an entire season’s nesting would never be considered but given the unlikely survival of hatchlings due to oil in the water and on the shore, scientists feel they must make this drastic move.

The majority of sea turtles nesting along the northern Gulf Coast are loggerheads but we also have Kemp’s ridley, leatherback and green turtles.

As you go through your day say a little prayer for the mother turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. They are moving through toxic waters onto shores that are sometimes covered in oil and dispersant chemicals. Just the task of surviving to lay eggs this year is difficult. Then…say more prayers for the babies as they lay safely tucked inside their eggs. May their ocean dreams be filled with much love.

Image of green sea turtle in rehab with helpers Hans (holding turtle) and Tim Tristan, DVM …Texas.