The Ulvila family from Kalispell, MT., was enjoying a quiet morning on a Fort Lauderdale beach the first week of May. The sun was shining and the waves were crashing unusually hard and rough on the shore.
A young Bonito washed up and Mr. Ulvila showed his son and daughter the fish and tossed it back into the ocean. A small act of kindness to save a life. It was second nature to help the fish as it gasped for air.
There was no sign of oil-covered birds, suffocating fish, dead wildlife from the BP oil spill. The damage was beginning miles from beaches where hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil gushed freely into the ocean every day, one mile below sea level.
The Slick Has Hit the Sand
One month later, brownish, reddish oil and tar balls hit the sand on scattered shore lines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Residents of Gulf Shores, AL., tell NPR that there is a strong smell of oil inland. The New York Times reports the oil could be carried as far as Cape Hatteras, N.C. Motionless birds covered in tar-thick oil, suffocate and die on-camera as TV news teams fly overhead. Dolphins swim just below the murky, oily surface water as seen via YouTube stories shared by ex-fishermen. BP streams its live feed of the spill, its efforts to stop the catastrophe scrutinized by the world.
Snapshot of the BP Oil Spill
- The size of the slick is estimated to be between 2,500 and 9,100 square miles
- NPR and the Associated Press reported that 500,000 to 1 million gallons pour into the ocean daily
- Wildlife is dying: pelicans, egrets, terns, ducks, snowy plovers, seagulls, dolphins, whales, turtles, manatees, fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, corals
- BP may not be able to contain the leak until August, possibly December
- The oil flow is carrying crude under water at up to 100 miles per day
An Experiment in Natural Disasters
Scientists and experts say the oil spill will affect nature in ways never seen before and its influence cannot be predicted. From the hurricane season to the oceans’, wetlands’, and human ecosystems…the spill’s affects are unfathomable. It is an experiment in natural disasters.
What to Do
Helping is as easy as dropping a fish back into water. Donate to existing, established organizations to allow them to continue helping where the damage is worst and while salvage and prevention efforts are still possible. Here are charities rated and recommended by Charity Navigator: http://www.charitynavigator.org/
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary: http://tinyurl.com/39q8wnj
Oceana: http://tinyurl.com/2chxopo
American Bird Conservancy: http://tinyurl.com/3yk2lbe
Greenpeace: http://tinyurl.com/243zcs5
The Greater New Orleans Foundation: http://tinyurl.com/32cvegq
National Audubon Society: http://tinyurl.com/29wsjkz
National Wildlife Federation: http://tinyurl.com/2dxrv5q
Who Will You Help Today?
©2010 Rebekah Brown
