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The oil spill disaster unfolding

Almost one month ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana. Since then, the disaster that claimed 11 lives has escalated into an environmental crisis with impacts felt far beyond the central Gulf Coast.

A huge volume of crude oil continues to spew from the rig's broken pipework on the ocean floor. BP Officials conceded yesterday that the flow rate is higher than the 210,000 gallons per day previously estimated. Several attempts to stop the leak have not slowed the spill much and have increased uncertainty about the short and long-term impacts of the spill.

Photo by David J. Ringer, Audubon Audubon Magazine is publishing daily reports from the Gulf on their Audubon Magazine blog.

We’re already seeing some ecological and economic impacts, which may be far greater as more information becomes available and if continues at current rates.

• Oiled birds have been recovered in the spill area, and many other animals and sealife, including sea turtles, fish, dolphins and additional birds, are expected to be impacted.
   
• Oil continues to arrive on Louisiana marshes and beaches and we do not know the long-term impacts on wildlife and coastal communities that rely on these areas for habitat and storm protection. Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser reported yesterday that 24 miles of marshland had already been lost in his parish alone.
   
• Mitigation efforts to prevent some types of oil damage create other problems. Dispersants (chemicals that break up the oil slick), may keep some of the slick from reaching land, but could harm offshore ocean life including fish, their spawning and feeding grounds and other offshore habitat. Beach and marsh clean-up activities, which may include disruptive activities using earth-moving equipment, also can damage sensitive wildlife habitats.
   

  Photo by Yuki Kokubo, Environmental Defense Fund View slideshows and videos from EDF's travels through the Gulf.

• Many of Louisiana’s extremely productive commercial fisheries are closed, which hurts fishing families, seafood processers and the economies of coastal communities. Many recreational enthusiasts are cancelling trips to visit and fish, which hurts the coastal tourism economy.

The organizations that produce Delta Dispatches have been working in coastal Louisiana for many years to restore the coast for wildlife and people, and are committed to continuing that work.

Each organization has staff on the Gulf Coast addressing short and long-term needs to restore the coast and improve its resiliency to natural and man-made disasters. Efforts range from recovering oiled wildlife to organizing volunteer efforts to clean the coast, and meeting with BP about clean-up and mitigation plans, to submitting guidance to the president and Congress about the need for an aggressive and immediate restoration program for this region.

NWF president Larry Schweiger and staff learn about volunteer opportunities and efforts in Louisiana.

Even before the spill, the Louisiana coast had already lost nearly 2,300 square miles of wetlands, more than the size of Delaware. This loss is due largely to decades of management of the Mississippi River for flood protection, navigation, oil and gas production, and other activities that benefited the nation at the expense of the coastal ecosystem. Now that the nation’s attention is focused on this region, we’re working to make sure it receives the restoration and protection it deserves.

Visit our organizations’ websites and some of our blogs to stay up to date on the spill and what we're doing to help.

• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
   
• Environmental Defense Fund and its Restoration and Resilience blog
   
• Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
   
• National Wildlife Federation and its Wildlife Promise blog
   
• National Audubon Society and its Audubon Magazine blog
   

Local organizations like Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Barataria Terrebone National Estuary Program are coordinating volunteer, education and mediation efforts.