Gulf of Mexico Wildlife Casualty Update

Credit Tyler Karaszewski

June 22 was Day 63 of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the wildlife death toll that has been recorded is: 957 birds; 387 sea turtles; 47 marine mammals. Obviously these are only the numbers that the NOAA and the wildlife rescue organizations in the gulf have managed to record. Countless other species up and down the food chain have been decimated.

I'm all for a balanced work/life ethic, but President Obama spent the weekend golfing and BP CEO Tony Hayward, staying true to his earlier comment about wanting his "life back," spent the weekend yachting in British waters.

Perhaps even the CEO of BP deserves a day off, but to publicly engage in a water sports activity truly shrieks "I don't CARE" from across the channel, no? Talk about adding insult to injury! In any case, it was a clear demonstration of either his insensitivity or his indifference to the magnitude of suffering by the oil spill victims: humans and animals alike.  

We are the solution, dear friends. If you would like to do something to help right NOW, here are a few immediate ways you can help both animals and humans in the gulf immediately: 

1) Text "NWF" to 20222 to donate $10 to the National Wildlife Federation.

2) Call 1-866-404-5826 to donate to the United Way Gulf Recovery Fund, which provides emergency assistance, including food, rent and utilities now.

3) Text COAST to 50555 to donate $10 to the Nature Conservancy.

We've all felt helpless at one point or another and there's no end in sight. Let's stick together and take action. Let's vow not to be helpless. Let's stop looking up the ladder of command for answers. We can be the solution in numbers.

Jay Holcomb Named Ocean Hero for 2010

Before and After Oiled Brown Pelican
Credit IBRRC

New dirt on BP: it's more like 60,000 barrels per day. Not five. So sue me. No, sue BP. Wait! We don't want to boycott them or sue them, else how are they going to pay for the massive cleanup that should take the next four decades? Wow. What a sticky mess.

Sticking to the mission of this blog, let's focus on the positive and celebrate the organizations that are performing holy work to save wildlife, one creature at a time. I've got a soft spot for the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) because their work is so painstaking - it can take more than one hour to clean just one bird. Jay Holcomb, IBRRC's executive director, is leading the center's rescue work in the gulf and was recently named Oceana's Ocean Hero for 2010. Oceana, an international organization focused solely on ocean conservation, created the contest in 2009 to recognize individuals making a difference for the ocean and winners are announced on World Oceans Day.

Jay Holcomb (left) and the IBRRC team Cleaning an Oiled Bird
Credit IBRRC

In an interview with Oceana, Holcomb emphasized the power of individual action: “I have always approached my work one bird at a time,” he said. “My hope is that this award reminds people that whatever we can do personally to protect our oceans does make a difference, no matter how overwhelming the task may seem at times.”

Bless your heart, Jay. Thanks for providing a beacon of hope during this horrific crisis. We salute you!

Spillin' bout' da Spill

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

So... the oil spill. Having just completed an article about marine debris, with the leading culprit as plastic, I've remained inexplicably silent about the 5,000 gallons of crude oil that have been pumping into the Gulf of Mexico for the past 30 days and counting. What this disaster means to Gulf of Mexico wildlife and the environment can best be explained by photos, rather than words. The Boston Globe published a series of photos today and sliding through them, I was struck by this one of a young heron, crumpled in a soggy heap, surrounded by oil where oil should never ever be. 

The first thought that struck me when I heard about "the spill" was that we've left the keys to the planet on the kitchen counter and the teenagers made off with them. I dunno. Call me naive, ignorant, whatever you want. If we can't guarantee that disaster of this level will not happen, then we shouldn't be drilling at all.

I mean, here I was, obsessing with Andie MacDowell about all of our garbage and trying to shed some more light on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and now this. Now all I can picture is a horrifying Sci Fi film where Patch meets Spill. Wait a minute...polypropylene absorbs oil! This could be a match made in heaven!

For information about the impact of the oil spill on marine mammals and sea turtles, visit the NOAA website for daily updates. To donate $10 to support Gulf wildlife now, Text "WILDLIFE" to 20222.