Gulf Restoration Network

What's at Stake? Blog - BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday, 11 May 2010 14:15

Last Friday, P.J. Blaize, a charter boat Captain, took a videographer from Voice of America TV and I out into the wetlands and near-shore waters of Louisiana, east of the Mississippi.   We traveled through freshwater wetlands, salt water wetlands, and traveled out to some interior barrier islands, where hundreds of birds were nesting.  It was amazing to see pelicans on their nests, right next to the water, but at the same time distressing to think that these majestic birds and their brethren might soon be directly or indirectly impacted by the spill.  Check out the report by Voice of America TV:

While we were out on the water, we didn’t see any signs of oil, but our boat was too small to go out very far.   However, depending on what happens to the oil that continues to spew from the ocean floor due to the BP oil drilling disaster, these birds and wetlands could be at great risk.

Pelicans nesting on an interior barrier island east of the Mississippi River, photo by GRN

Check out the rest of the pictures on our Flickr site.

Matt is the Water Resources Program Director for Gulf Restoration Network