Category: Gulf Oil Spill

How to Save the Planet

How to Save the Planet

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Over the past year I have experienced an inner struggle. I feel profound love for the Earth yet the environmental damage I’ve witnessed from the oil spill has created immense inner frustration and anger. Love has kept me present while walking the beaches, yet there has been a progressive closing of my heart. I did not know what to do to make a difference, how to take action, how to help the planet. I felt the pain from the water, land, animals, plants….people.

I fully immersed myself in the Gulf work because of love, yet have rarely allowed myself the pleasure and joy of connecting with pristine areas since I began it. If I opened myself to these areas of beauty, I would have to open to the pain within.

Because by nature I am a positive and open person, the fire of my heart began to speak loudly. Girl, get out there and deal with your ‘stuff.’ So yesterday I journeyed to the Smoky Mountains in an effort to reconnect with this sacred area, to commune with the land and water, the plants and animals there–and to take the risk to open to beauty.

I left my home before sunrise and spent the entire day opening and connecting with treasures of the Earth. One hour into my trip and the heaviness on my heart was gone. My spirit had broken through the sadness, the grief for Mother Earth. There was snow, ice, hoar frost, moss-covered rocks, pristine streams, blue sky, happy people, elk, hawks, deer, fog, mountains….endless opportunities to see and experience precious life. As I drove from place to place, I listened to music, sang, whooped and shouted ‘thank you’ to everything I passed and even danced (not THAT difficult to do while driving…even on steep, curvy roads). The day became a celebration of life!

In Cades Cove I came upon a giant tree that had fallen with a winter storm. I climbed onto the massive trunk and peered into the hole that had caused the beautiful tree to fall. As I put my hands on the wood, I realized that closing my heart created a hole within me. As I moved through the rest of the day I pondered this truth.

If I close my heart, for whatever reason, I create a chasm that cannot be filled. Only an open heart can receive….and give.

Questions echoed within me as I walked and sat within nature. What if I open my heart without any expectation that others will meet me in that space? What if I choose LOVE as a way to make a difference? What if I dare to open to the dance of helping others learn to care for this precious planet out of love, out of compassion?

At the end of the day I knelt beside delicate wildflowers and whispered sweet words of gratitude for their presence. I sat on moss-covered rocks in the middle of streams and laughed as clear water danced onward. My heart connected with the amazing life force in the woods and streams and I gently came into balance again.

*Love–exponential….sweet…..transcendent…luminescent….this is the key to saving the planet, the key to saving ourselves. My vision quest ended with this truth.

The Universe can only fill an open vessel.

(*this series of words comes from the song Foundling by David Gray. “At the feet of love, sweet transcendent love, exponential love, luminescent love. Feast your heart on love.”

Breath of Spring

Breath of Spring

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The morning started with my usual walk down and back up the mountain. After breakfast, I was opening the door to the deck to add some orange peels to the ‘compost.’ I saw two turkey hens. Then four…no six….no eight! I ran and got the turkey call box my brother made. Just two tries and a resounding GOBBLE!!! came from another direction. WHAT?!!?! I tiptoed across the deck and beheld two beautiful, puffed-out tom turkeys strutting after the hens. All of this was happening within ten feet of my deck. I felt lifted by the beauty of the morning.

After bursts of energetic laughter, I came upstairs to work. But my thoughts turned to a beautiful connection I have made recently, another soul on the path of service to the Earth… and then to Joanna Macy’s words that I heard last night on the radio. It felt as if doors were flying open in my heart and mind with the fresh, warm, spring breezes.

I reflected back to last Sunday. I sat at my computer working on prints for an upcoming exhibit. I received a notice on FaceBook that Malidoma Patrice Some was speaking in five minutes at a local bookstore. After two minutes of arguing with myself about whether to go, it felt like hands pushing me out of my chair, away from my desk. I ran downstairs, leaving the printer working.

I arrived 15 minutes late but just in time to see him stand and begin his teaching. Many things he said spoke to me, especially about ancestors and remembering the help we have from the realm of Spirit. He said by virtue of becoming aware of Spirit, we are qualified to do the work we came here to do. We have to ask for help and be specific.

During the past year of documenting the oil spill and recovery, I knew that I was doing the work, was on task and fulfilling my purpose. But how far did the Work reach out into the world? Was anybody listening? So I decided to put into practice what Malidoma suggested and ask for help. I was specific about needing doors opened so the Work could move out into the world. That was a week ago.

Yesterday, in Atlanta, I met with two of the guys that are participating in the Spirit of the Gulf Coast project. I thought I heard echos of universal laughter as we shared ideas about creating Work that moves out into the world to help people recognize the beauty of Earth and love our planet more. The two meetings we had caused me to return to Asheville later than usual. Because of this ‘divine timing,’ I heard an interview on NPR, while driving, with Joanna Macy that grabbed my attention. She said some of the EXACT words that Brandon and I had shared at our meetings. And to bring this story full circle, this morning I dove into Joanna’s website with an appetite like a starved soul. She shows the way to put into action what I have dreamed of and prayed for over the past year.

I feel as if I can breathe again. Spring has entered into my consciousness. I asked the ancestors to open doors and they were ripped from their hinges with joy and light! Joanna Macy says that we are experiencing The Great Turning, a point where people are awakening and turning toward caring and loving the Earth and each other. We are alive during this wondrous shift of consciousness. We are aware of the horrors being done to the planet now, and in the past, and we are coming together to make a difference. We are collectively beginning to realize, in the web of life, everything is interdependent.

For the doors that are opening, I am grateful. For new connections with kindred spirits, I am grateful. People are hearing the call to help the planet and we are finding each other. We are becoming catalysts for each other. Joanna said that this is a time to join with others of like-mind, to do what we cannot do by ourselves, to understand with others what we cannot understand by ourselves. I find peace in knowing just how true those words are as they echo through my mind, my heart, the depths of my being.

Gulf Coast Recovery-Final Thoughts from My March Visit

Gulf Coast Recovery-Final Thoughts from My March Visit

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The past week has offered another opportunity to witness the absolute beauty of the sacred shores of the Gulf Coast. While some areas appear unchanged or even worse, other areas appear to be slowly recovering. Unlike hurricane recovery, which is somewhat predictable, recovering from such a catastrophic environmental disaster, like the BP oil spill, is filled with unknown consequences, unknown outcomes.

Of the seven areas I continue to document, the one that had the greatest impact from the oil was the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Mobile Street access. One improvement I noted on the three visits I made there this trip was a higher number of sanderlings foraging along the tideline. Other findings? There was an unusually high number of worm casings washed up in large clusters at this beach as well as an unusually high number of bird feathers littering the beach…from pelicans, gulls, loons, terns. On my first visit it looked as if someone had plucked various birds and left their feathers along the beach. I kept expecting to see carcasses that would explain the source, but I never did. There were thousands of Portuguese Man-O-War jelly fish washed up on my third visit to this beach. Another oddity I have never seen before this visit.

While it is normal to see shells washed ashore after high surf, the beach at the refuge had enormous piles of shells lining the tide line. None of the other beaches I visited had such a tremendous amount of shells washed up. With all of the oil still submerged offshore here, I wonder what is happening to life that lives on the bottom at this location.

In addition, Bon Secour NWR area at Mobile Street continues to have a large shelf of mostly buried oil along the tide line. As well, the middle beach area is littered with tar balls that also get covered and uncovered by migrating sand. There continues to be a crude oil smell that varies in intensity with surf conditions. When waves stir up submerged oil, it becomes airborne evidenced by metal signs on the beach and my cameras and face becoming coated with salty-oily, brown mist blowing across the water.

March 7, 2011July 2, 2010

The beach at Gulf State Park Pier has definitely improved since the spill, at least in appearance. The snow-white sand is restored due to a deep-cleaning process which sifted 18 inches of sand through giant machines. This process of ‘strip-mining’ the beaches is not without potentially damaging side effects, one being negatively affecting potential nesting areas of sea turtles which need tightly compressed sand to lay eggs. At least it looks better. Of course, there are still tar balls washing up on the beach. Thankfully, there are visitors who take sand buckets and pickup tar balls, in an effort to keep the beaches clean.

March 7, 2011
July 2010
Each area shares a teaching in this puzzling recovery from the spill. I’ve been documenting a flock of sea gulls at Gulf State Park Pier beach since oil came ashore. When the oil was thick on the beach, I noticed gulls panting, acting lethargic and exhibiting other odd behaviors. With each subsequent visit, new signs of chemical poisoning appeared. I documented orange growths on feet and legs of the shorebirds there as well as much foot and leg damage. Also, with each visit to the beach there were fewer birds. Eleven months later there were only four gulls on this beach. Two were migratory. The other two were laughing gulls. One appeared okay while the other was exhibiting the same panting behavior I noted during the worst of the oil spill. Can birds get asthma? How is their respiratory system affected? Where are all the gulls of the pier beach?

At Romar Beach, the sand was white and the water appeared clean. I stood on the beach, watched and waited, and I very randomly caught a whiff of crude oil smell. It was not consistent, but it was apparent. Beautiful beach, clean water? REALLY clean sand? How can we know?

Gulf Islands National Seashore has been one of my favorite beaches to visit due to the remote location and the pristine beauty. It was affected by the spill but did not have the damage that areas further west suffered and continue to suffer. It is a long spit of sand surrounded by the Gulf on one side and inland waters on the other side. On the inland side, I saw hermit crabs and schools of small fish in the water. There was a large flock of canvasback ducks, a few buffleheads and loons either hunting for fish or feasting on submerged grass beds. Even with large tar balls washing up on the Gulf side, this place reminds me of what the beaches of the Gulf Coast should be…what they can be with diligence and good stewardship.

Residents of the Gulf Coast endure tropical storms and monstrous hurricanes, yet they persevere. People compare the BP oil spill to hurricanes but in reality, there is no comparison. The recovery curve of a hurricane is somewhat predictable. With the oil spill, the Unknown looms as constant stressors. Questions abound–What will be the side-effects of chemical poisoning due to volatile chemicals from the oil and toxic dispersant? How will this effect human life, marine life? Will there be fish and shellfish to harvest from the affected areas in three or four years? How many people will develop cancer? Will there be birth defects in babies? How will the economy in this tourist-driven area recovery? And the list goes on and on.

My visit to the Gulf Coast coincided with Mardi Gras, a time of celebration and fun. At first glance, the idea of documenting the Mardi Gras celebration may seem at odds with my work documenting the BP oil spill and recovery. But one of the things that makes this area so incredible is the people, specifically the resilience of the residents here. There are things to celebrate on the coast. With careful observation, subtle clues of the recovery can be seen….if we pay attention.

May we be diligent in our efforts to stay focused. The subtleties of recovery have much to teach us as do those of struggling ecosystems.

My process when visiting beaches? Stop. Watch. Wait. Observe. I think this could be applied to all aspects of the Gulf Coast Recovery.

March 4, 2011–News from the Gulf, Part Deux

March 4, 2011–News from the Gulf, Part Deux

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Due to high winds and huge waves, I decided to visit the wildlife refuge again to document the process of sand migration as it applies to uncovering and covering the oil shelf that remains at the beach there. When I arrived cleanup workers were being called off the beach due to poor visibility and high surf…I suppose. After a few minutes my sunglasses were completely coated in oily haze.

As I walked, slabs of oil started to be uncovered. As well, the smell of crude oil was almost unbearable today. It reminded me of the summer when this particular beach was heavily oiled.

Over lunch, I chatted with a friend who lives locally. She said that many residents believe the oil is all cleaned up and all is well. It is difficult to believe that people who live along the coast actually believe the oil is gone, but I don’t doubt it a bit. The general consensus, nationally, is the oil spill is over. Media has disappeared for the most part and so the Gulf Coast is no longer news. However, the wildlife refuge beach is still covered in oil. And from time to time the huge shelf disappears, but eventually sand is moved in the natural migration process and voila! Oil emerges from its hiding place.

After my two hour walk on the beach, I neared the boardwalk to return to my car. The major part of the oil shelf was starting to be exposed. I walked on to my vehicle and as I sat and began to take notes, I glanced over to my cameras on the other seat. They were literally DRIPPING with the oily, brown moisture that was being blown from over the Gulf across the beach. I wiped my cameras down with a white napkin and the result was a brown, oily residue on the napkin. I hesitantly wiped my face with a clean napkin and had the same result.

I apologized to my body, especially my lungs, and realized how serious the situation still is in SOME locations. Maybe the chemicals are not as volatile, but if you can smell it and see it, does it not pose some risk? Of course, last year the beaches remained open while children romped in water highly contaminated with crude oil so I do not expect any beach closings at this point. If we all believed the BP web sites and tourist boards we, too, would believe that all is well on the Gulf Coast.

Walk with me…walk and see….I’m just saying…..

Dare to see the truth for yourself.

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.