Audubon Oil Spill Response Team Update #1: Hope, uncertainty, preparation
Gretna, Louisiana, 2:54 a.m.
A jumble of emotions – complex as Louisiana's marshes and bayous – plays with my consciousness tonight. The oil spill, the specter, looms out there in the Gulf, growing in magnitude and malice every moment, threatening this place that teems with more life and color than my mind can take in.
Forster’s Terns grasp silver fish in orange bills tipped black. Tricolored Herons pepper one island in dozens; White Ibises swirl in a tight, brilliant flock.
Laughing Gulls laugh, cry, murmur, wail, and the air makes my skin sticky. A frigatebird makes an appearance.
And the Brown Pelicans, a bird Audubon has been fighting to save since the organization began, sit on their nests, taking in the world through clear white eyes.
For today, these birds are safe, and to be among them is bliss. That no threat is visible gives me giddy hope that all is well, that nothing will come of all the warnings and dire predictions.
But birds elsewhere are under siege, beginning to make contact with oil as they dive for fish in contaminated waters. We are stuck in a sickening waiting game, knowing that some birds are oiled and that others soon will be, knowing that the entire ecosystem is being poisoned, wondering what tomorrow will bring, and the next day, and the next year.
Audubon isn’t idle as the crisis unfolds. We’re working around the clock, and with your kind permission and the blessing of the staff at Audubon magazine, I’d like to tell you that story bit by bit in the coming days. But first, I’ve got to get some sleep. I will see pelicans when I finally close my eyes. I think I see them already.
David Ringer
Mississippi River Initiative
National Audubon Society
Comments
Birds so special
I will always rember this quote
God loved the birds so much he gave them wings and man loved them so much he gave them cages.
as an bird owner and an ornthologist I thank you for helping our friends out there. There is so much to be done. BP making good money is not will sustain our fragile wetland out here. Money means nothing. when all life is destroyed out here. Thank you from my bird MiMi's heart and my own also.
MY HEART IS SWOLLEN
i JUST GOT BACK FROM ROCKPORT TEXAS AND THE SOUNDS OF THE BIRDS BLOWING IN THE OCEON BREEZE ARE STILL WITH ME. MY FAMILY AND I GO THERE OFTEN TO RENEW OUR SOUL ,FISH , ENJOY THE SUNSET ON THE BAY AND TO SIMPLY LISTEN... AND WATCH IN AWE THE DANCE OF THE SANDPIPERS, THE DELICATE BALLET OF THE EGRET,THE MAJESTY OF A BROWN PELICAN FLYING AT TOP SPEED BARELY INCHES ABOVE THE GLAZED WATER . THANK YOU DAVID FOR TAKING US WITH YOU ON YOUR DIFFICULT RESCUE MISSION BY KEEPING US INFORMED . KNOW THAT MANY OF US SHARE WITH YOU AND PRAY TO KEEP YOU STRONG AND SAFE THROUGH THE DAYS TO COME
What to Do
Just like the earthquake in Haiti, perhaps THIS is what it takes to get our attention. It is not JUST Tree HUGGERS who are hurt when the ecological balance is devastated. Perhaps, we can look at this disaster as
the natural consequence of letting oil companies and greedy politicians run the world right into the ground. All the short sighted negotiations to approve
OFF SHORE drilling is about paying more profits to oil companies that are already subsidized And unregulated.
Congratulations to Us....If we can use this tragedy to regulate the oil barons into making sure they at LEAST have shut off valves and back up shut off valves. That they Had the technology and did not bother to activate it shows how reckless and greedy they are. It IS criminal and the politicians who looked the other way should all be arrested and fined.
If each of us takes a week and volunteers or sends money, we may be able to save a few birds, but the whales, dolphins and turtles are lost.
Why do we protect humans alone?
your right you know..
It really pisses me off to see that so many have no controll on what is clearly dominated by the fat headed oil tycoons.
Now is the time to come together, we need the oceans and the life in it, and right now they need us more than anything.... In this circle of life we see that where there is an action, of course. There is an oppisite and equill reaction. Its bad enough that 1/3 of the water on this planet is being destroyed..... in such little time. We have to make an important desission..
Are we going to save ourselves, or are we going to change and save one another? Im talking spiritualy, are we still going to fallow blindly? Money is power, sad but true.. but we cannot give in to all of there bullshit all of the time, we let outselves down. We need to think with our hearts.. open our eyes.. our minds.. Bring out the goodness of our souls.
just think about our "goal" to controlling everything we come in contact with... from people to animals.. lands and now the great distruction to OUR home... we have to live with this one way or the other, but are we going to stand to let it happen again?.. or are we going to hear the great message from our lord.. and come together with love and unity.. find faith all over again....... I see it dim. and with that note.. we should be ashamed of ourselves that hath the blood of our planet in their hands and continue to look away and be so heartless and cruel... It is murder to our planet, and that deserves more that a stupid fine or jail time.. Why let the life around us suffer when we know what was right the hole time. We need to let go of power. regain our love..our pride in the masterfull world wich is ours. Where do you stand in these hard times?
Dont try to be a great man.. Just be a man.
Thank you for letting me speak my mind.
Thank you David
I am thrilled to hear of the great work Audubon is doing in the gulf. I hope and pray that this disaster does far less damage than expected and with the help of so many volunteers on the job these beautiful birds and their habitats can be saved for future generations to enjoy.
Like the commenter above, I hope this monumental disaster wakes people up to the dangers of off shore drilling and the destruction that can ensue. Alternative fuels and continued movement away from dependence on oil is our only hope.
Thank you for the moving post David. I look forward to future updates on the situation there.
Larry Jordan is a member of the Wintu Audubon Society and is the Shasta County Coordinator for the California Bluebird Recovery Program. You can visit his website at www.TheBirdersReport.com
I live on the NC/SC border
I live on the NC/SC border and the highlight of my day is take a quiet walk down to a small sliver of preserved wetlands in hopes of sighting "my" blue heron. When I spot him in a small pond or flying overhead, it is heaven on earth. His quiet elegance and simple majesty reawakened my love for birding and has prompted me to change many habits that have been destructive to the blue heron in this area of the country.
I hope this tragedy awakens thousands of Americans' by giving them a glimpse of the magnitude of loss we are about to face. Our mantras must change from the selfish and short-sighted "Drill Baby Drill" (now "Spill Baby Spill") to "Heal Baby Heal."
Our work has only just begun
I have been researching shorebirds and seabirds for a decade and wake each morning realizing life as I know it has changed. No longer am I pouring through CITES red lists and endangered/threatened lists of the USFW, Cornell, Audubon and ABC; I will now be documenting species of waterbirds as endangered and extinct only, watching them parish and having no control over this abominal slaughter of what I love most on our planet.. I am heartbroken, feel helpless and basically will never be able to form the words for the rage I feel toward those who made the most innocent, beneficial and beautiful creatures God entrusted to us suffer in the misery of toxic waste and suffocation. I hope my Creator has a special place in hell for those who mindlessly ruined a precious piece of Earth.
Weeping for the birds
I love birds so much!! Their soulful beauty gives peace to my spirit, and calm to my soul. You can learn a lot from them.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Of course...no excuse for "previously" not understanding the ecosystems and knowing about the abundant wildlife that live and visit the islands, beaches and marshes in the Gulf of Mexico.
I didn't realize it was such a beautiful place.
Ever since this nightmare oil spill began, I now know all about this magnificent haven with it's many Wildlife refuges. For me I felt like "We don't know what we have till it's gone." BUT IT'S NOT GONE ...I CRY OUT!
I feel such a sense of loss and despair, yet hope beyond hope, like the other blogger wrote. I hope all the animals and fish will somehow be spared.
As I write this I think, it's so hard to accept what's happening. yet, no comparison to how much harder it will be for the precious wildlife, birds, fish, turtles, sharks and so many other forms of life that will suffer and die.
Earlier today I was horrified to see on the news, from an Aeriel view of the spill, how gigantic it is.
How can we help if we live out of state and don't have much to donate financially?
Originally from Louisiana
You are so sincere and you have caught my attention. I think you have already helped by your wonderful letter. God Bless you, Marlene
I live in Alaska now, if you go to AlaskabyMarlene.com check out the eagles.
Thank You
My heart and thoughts are with you, and I thank you for documenting this disaster. You are helping keep BP be more motivated to stop the leak, because with extended coverage, they can't mask the true effects of this like they would like to do The know the eyes of the world are on them. What you are doing is of vital importance, and makes a critical difference for the wildlife you are helping. Please draw strength from knowing you are doing a great service for the animals affected and for the people who care about this national treasure.
Good work
Praying for salvation of the land and sea as you work alongside thousands to protect it. And may we all learn something from this disaster.
Getting the word out
We are working diligently inland to get the word out to those who can help in this extremely vital cause. Do not give up hope, even when you start to see oil seep up on the shores.