Lorraine Margeson: Gulf Coast Activist

This someone you should know: Lorraine Margeson, Tampa Bay's best known environment activist; a woman working on the forefront of the gulf oil spill. Her story is compelling because she is not wailing or wringing her hands, she is not standing around feeling depressed or helpless about all this nor is she ranting on net about how bad it all is without doing a thing herself. Instead, she does what I think any one of us can do; she does the good that's in front of her:

She and her husband built a three-story house with a bird-watching deck on the roof. They replaced plants from foreign lands with native vegetation. They joined Audubon, they joined Sierra, they became friends of whatever park needed them. On her block, she persuaded neighbors to stop killing rattlesnakes.

She and her husband have a computer hardware business. They would rather watch birds. They count robins. They see hummingbirds and cedar waxwings and the occasional rose-breasted grosbeak. They drive over to Fort De Soto to look at the warblers in the mulberry tree. Then they head for the beach, where Lorraine picks up trash and snarls at "idiots" who get too close to the endangered least terns that nest on the sand. She watches black skimmers. She never tires of watching the pelicans.

And now there's oil in her gulf. And it may end up here, on Lorraine's beach, where it might hurt Lorraine's birds.

So that's why she's on the phone today. That's why she is on the computer. She is networking with other people, leading their next move.

You can read the rest of her story here at Tampabay.com

Brava!

Sia

More oil spill & environmental news can be found at BirdGarden

Oil Spill Update: Volunteers Needed & Animal Hotline

Right now, 42,000 gallons of oil is leaking into the gulf every day. Update: It has tripled in size and the protective booms are failing.

Help is needed.

ANIMAL HOTLINE: an emergency phone number (866-557-1401) has been established where people can report animals affected by the oil spill. The public is encouraged to have ready the number and type of animals, the date and time they were seen, their location and any observations about the animals' behavior.

CNN reports that these groups need volunteers.

Efforts to minimize the damage from the huge oil spill from last week's rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico are under way, but wildlife conservation groups say the oil could pose a disaster for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coastal areas.

How can you help? A number of organizations are recruiting volunteers.

The Audubon Society, which is affiliated with the Louisiana Coastal Initiative, is making its Center for Birds of Prey in Florida available for bird cleansing and rehabilitation. Elsewhere, Audubon said it was gearing up to mobilize volunteers and provide assistance as the oil reaches land in Louisiana and elsewhere.

The Deep Water Horizon response team is looking for help in identifying shoreline and animals affected. Oiled wildlife should not be captured but instead reported at 1-866-557-1401. To report areas with oil ashore or to leave contact information to volunteer in the affected areas, call 1-866-448-5816.

These local organizations also are gathering volunteers' information as they prepare for the environmental damage this oil can cause:

The Alabama Coastal Foundation is collecting contact information from volunteers for cleanup efforts along the Alabama coast should the oil spill reach the state's shores. Call 251-990-6002

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is looking for volunteers to help reduce the potential impact of the oil spill in Mobile Bay. Call 251-431-6409.

The Mobile Baykeeper is asking for contact details of volunteers is collecting contact information for volunteers to respond anywhere along the Gulf Coast, if needed. Call 251-433-4229.

Save Our Seabirds is a Florida bird rescue group that is looking for volunteers and support as its response team prepares to help oiled wildlife. Call 941-388-3010.

To that I would also suggest that donations be sent to:

International Bird Rescue & Research Center. These wildlife rescue experts are on the ground as we speak. You can also donate to those organizations listed above.

Discovery notes that

...wildlife experts from across the country are traveling to Louisiana and other states to handle cleanup of Gulf oil spill animal victims, frustration and fear remain over the organization and predicted cost of the rescue efforts, as well as the projected long-term scope of the damage.

..."the actual cost of collecting and caring for oiled sea otters is about $4,000-$5,000 and marine birds $600-$750 each

Again, members of the public cannot and should not go out and try and rescue animals on their own. Wildlife rescue volunteers undergo hazardous waste operations training before they can work with oil-affected animals. This is for their own safety as well as that of the wildlife effected.

There are lots of other ways you can help - check out the links listed above.

Oil & Gas magazine says this about the environmental impact:

The Gulf region contains about five million acres of wetlands, which are an essential habitat for three quarters of all of the migrating waterfowl that cross the US.

There are more than 3300 marine species in the Gulf, including six endangered species of whale. Its shores include the only known nesting beach of Kemp’s Ridley, the world’s most endangered sea turtle. There are also populations of protected Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, which are about to begin their nesting season and would be particularly vulnerable to oil washed up on beaches.

There are several shark species declared to be "of concern" because of declining populations. The Gulf is also home to one of the world’s largest populations of bottlenose dolphins, with an estimated 45,000 in its waters.

I recommend going to these groups directly as BP is slow in training and using volunteers, nevertheless:

BP and the federal government have established a hotline for volunteers. Please call 1-866-448-5816. We anticipate that there will an ongoing need for volunteers in the environmental cleanup effort. If you want to register your desire to help and receive updates click here.

For up to date information go here: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

Animal Groups will be using the lessons learned from The Exon Valdeze Oil Spill in Alaska.

Discovery News reminds us that rescuing, handling and cleaning animals covered in oil is a difficult and dangerous process and should only be done by those trained in this work.

There are lots of ways you can help: Get the word out, donate funds (no matter how small), and supplies (check websites to see what these groups need), sign petitions for clean energy and let your voice be heard at the local and federal level.

I will continue to post updates several times a day on Twitter at Birdgarden. (You don't need to be signed in on Twitter to read these, just click on the link or read them from the Twitter feed in the right column at the Full Circle blog)

Sia

Related Articles:

from BIRDERS MAGAZINE: Gulf Coast Oil Spill: What You Can Do To Help

Updated 5/3/2010

Rescue Me: Birds, Fish & Other Wildlife Threatened by the Gulf Oil Spill

Today my thoughts are with the wildlife rescue volunteers at International Bird Rescue Research Center and other groups as they get ready for the call that everyone dreads.

IBRRC's site announced that:

As of today the spill is still over 30 miles offshore. That is good for coastal birds but it all depends what happens with the winds and currents. There are trajectories that show that if the certain conditions occur then some of the oil could impact coastal areas anywhere from Louisiana to Florida. See: Oil Spill Expanding, May Reach Gulf Coast

If the spill stays offshore then the impact will likely be minimal to birds. Coastal birds that are highly at risk if the spill hits shore are brown and white pelicans, terns, gulls, shorebirds, skimmers and herons. Nesting and feeding areas for birds and sea turtles such as marshes and beaches could be impacted.

Update: Their emergency response team has been activated

Hotline for volunteers:

IBRRC has been receiving many calls from people wishing to volunteer to help at the Gulf Oil Spill. Although our team has been activated, anyone wishing to help must contact the local Community and Volunteer Hotline at 1 866-448-5816.

To report oiled wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill please call the Wildlife reporting hotline at 1 866-557-1401.

Thank you,
The IBRRC Team

Twitter: @IBRRC
You can also follow their work on Facebook

What's At Stake:

A press release for the National Audubon Society says that:

"For birds, the timing could not be worse; they are breeding, nesting and especially vulnerable in many of the places where the oil could come ashore."

Sensitive coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are all potential targets of the growing spill. "The efforts to stop the oil before it reaches shore are heroic, but may not be enough," added Driscoll. "We have to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, including a true catastrophe for birds."

In Florida, Audubon is recruiting volunteers and making its Center for Birds of Prey available for bird cleansing and rehabilitation. Elsewhere, the organization is gearing up to help mobilize volunteers and provide other assistance in the event the oil reaches sensitive shorelines.

Blue Fin tuna and other ocean creatures are also at great risk as is tourism, and thus jobs, in the states affected.

The Live Science website looks at Clean Up Tech and warns that

Responders will have their hands full...As the Deepwater Horizon cleanup effort is demonstrating, many of the current methods of cleaning up oil spills are decidedly low-tech.

A Greenpeace activist reminds us that:

The phrase “oil spill clean up” is an oxymoron. In most cases, the lion’s share of spilled oil is not removed from the environment, it is dispersed, diluted, burned, or it sinks in globs, or it is left behind in one form or another to wreak havoc on the environment for years to come...Regardless of where the fault lies with the Deepwater Horizon — BP, TransOcean, or some other entity — people who have lost loved ones or their livelihoods because of the spill will have to fight a long, uphill battle for recompense and justice.

On a related note, just last year BP and TransOcean aggressively opposed new safety regulations proposed by the Minerals Management Service, the federal agency that oversees offshore drilling. The impetus for MMS’s new regulations was a study that found numerous accidents occurring in the industry.

This is bad, folks. Offer help, supplies and donations where and how you can.

Sia


Related Articles:

600-Plus Species At Risk

Oil Spill FAQ

Oil Composition & Chemicals and the Effects on Wildlife

Other websites:

Deep Water Horizon Response
Updates on coordinated efforts.

Note:

Volunteer.org has a sign up sheet for general volunteers.

Painting: Brown Pelican by Judith Vivell. You can view her art gallery at her website.

The endangered Brown Pelican is that state bird of Louisiana and is at great risk from this spill.