ANIMAL CONNECTION

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The oil disaster has been a challenge in many ways.  Since the oil leak began, BP has been adding dispersants to the water.  The first 2 months they used Corexit 9527. There is proof that this product is harmful to animals and humans. After 20 years, the people affected by the Exxon disaster are still getting sick and cancer from the use of this dispersant. The past 2 months BP has been using Corexit 9500.  They say they don’t think it is as hazardous, but who wants to find out the hard way? I was naive about dispersants before my trip. I found out that it works like soap when you do your dishes.  It breaks down the oil over time by depleting the oxygen.  I have also had people contact me about “natural” options that can be used like the dispersants and the won’t harm animals or people.  I have a friend who is doing private testing of the water and dispersants. I hope the results will shed light on how damaging the product really is.   I am not sure anyone really knows what is safe, and will work, since nothing like this has ever happened before.  Most of the other products I had people tell me about sound good but have never been tested for something as large as this.  Using products in the Gulf of Mexico is not the same as testing them in a swimming pool.

Today I was informed that there are still 100 birds A DAY being treated for oil exposure. The media has us thinking that the worst is over.  From what I have seen, and heard, I think we have a long way to go.  PJ told me that he has seen a number of oiled birds that needed help ASAP!  PJ calls the 800 number that NOAA and Wildlife and Fisheries tell  you to call.  He said they ask you questions like:

He tells them he is in the middle of a marsh with an oiled bird and then he gets no response. If he can’t get an oiled bird helped, with all of his connections, how can we trust that this oil situation is being taken care of properly?

There are reports that the oil has gone as far as 5,000 Ft. under the water. The concern, how this oil will impact the whole food chain. The seafood, (Ex: shrimp, crawfish, crabs)  live on the floor of the sea and eat plants/ dead creatures.  This seafood is the perfect meal for small fish.  The small fish are eaten by larger fish which can be eaten by whales, sharks, seals, etc.  Humans eat most of these creatures.  If the creatures at the bottom of the chain are impacted, everything and everyone can also be impacted.  The water all over the world is connected.  It’s the land that is not connected.  Once the water in Gulf begins to move, so will the oil that is still there.

If all of this alone were not bad enough……When I was out on the water I saw a number of flat boats and air boats deep in the marshes.  There is NO REASON for those boats to be there. When people do things like that they are destroying nests, babies, the marsh land itself not to mention spreading the oil around to other areas. The boats should stay on the outside of the booms.  I saw one area where these boats had been driving around.  The marsh area was completely flat and dead.  Because of this, the marsh land is being lost.

When I was growing up in New Orleans it really bothered me when I was told, “the coast is eroding away and the area I was fishing in would eventually be gone”.  Right now Louisiana is loosing 1 Football Field of land every 45 minutes. There are ways to restore the land AND protect the area from storms.  The challenge is that it takes about 6-8 years to get the approval from all of the authorities: EPA, Wildlife and Fisheries and NOAA.

I addition to these challenges, the families in the area are having a hard time making a living.   One night I went to to have dinner at a favorite seafood restaurant in the area.  I was surprised to see the place was nearly empty.  The owner told me that before the oil disaster you had to wait to get a table. Now, they are not sure how they will stay open.  They had to let a lot of their staff go.  Now the owners are the waiters, bus boys and run the business.  Katrina destroyed their restaurant, they rebuilt and opened 6 months ago.  People in the community were so happy to have the restaurant back in business.  Now they are not sure they will be able to stay open because people are afraid to eat the seafood. I had shrimp, oysters and soft shell crabs.  It was wonderful!

I saw firsthand how this crisis is affecting the people who live off the land (fishermen), the retailers (restaurants, markets), commercial real estate owners and attorney’s, etc.    I also heard a number of stories from people who can hardly feed themselves, much less their pets.  They had to take their loving animals to the pound. The shelters are so full that they can’t keep up with the demand. Many of these animals are losing their lives because they don’t have a place to live.  The Humane Society of Louisiana had to move their rescue from Louisiana to Mississippi after Katrina. The shelter was destroyed.  They have over 200 animals and only 6 workers.  It is a no kill shelter and they have so many people wanting to place animals with them. Mississippi was suppose to be a temporary location, until they could find new land and rebuild in Louisiana.  They still don’t have the funds to buy the land and build the shelter.

Two weeks ago I was going to have a fundraiser in Sarasota Florida.  I wanted to raise money to help the wildlife and other animals affected by the oil disaster and bring more awareness worldwide.  I had to postpone it.  Now that I have been home, in New Orleans, I think I might do the fundraiser there.

This situation has a far reaching affect on everyone, everywhere.  The first step is to find alternatives to oil.  The US consumes so much more than any other country in the world.  In addition, we import most of  it from other countries, like Canada.  It’s not like we are buying our own oil.  The world we live in is amazing!  This planet has been through so much and keeps on going.  It has the ability to regenerate itself, no matter what the human population does to it.  Unfortunately, regeneration takes a lot of time and it is being destroyed much faster than it can be repaired.  I hope this is a wake-up call and the world can learn from this situation.  Let’s take steps to improve the way we live.  Humans are so intelligent.  We are so advanced in medicine, technology, etc.  At the same time we seem to destroy things faster than we are advancing.

I was really glad I got to go to New Orleans.  I realize how much that place means to me.  It is one of the most unique, interesting, culture rich places you will ever visit.

You have to go visit and check it out yourself!!

Governor Jindal has declared August 20th Louisiana Wildlife Appreciation Day!

Here is a Copy of the Proclamation

As they say in Louisiana:  Laissex Les Bons Temps Rouler…..Let The Good Times Roll!!!