Gulf Restoration Network

Bird's Eye View: Troubling Images From Above Blog - BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday, 29 June 2010 19:10

On Thursday and Friday of last week,  I took two more flyovers to the “Source” of the BP drilling disaster and over sensitive marshland like the Delta National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR). It has been over two months since this disaster began and yet there seems to be no end in sight to this atrocity. On both days I flew at a relatively low altitude over the DNWR and was heartbroken to see the refuge getting slammed with oil. I will be heading down into the DNWR later on this week by boat and will be capturing more evidence of the carnage.In the meantime, the pictures posted herein are from the "source" and a few from above DNWR.

It's worth mentioning though that on my first day out into the DNWR by boat, just a few days after the Horizon sank, I zigzagged through the DNWR looking for impacts, but all I found was lush vegetation, a multitude of fish, birds, and animals. The area looked healthy as did the alligators, pelicans, peregrine falcons, and other bird species that peak during the spring. On that day I was full of hope and optimism. I remember thinking to myself that the oil couldn’t possibly make it all the way into this delicate, magnificent estuary.  Surely the oil would stop flowing into the Gulf, thereby, threatening the delta. Man, was I wrong. It is clear from these photos taken only days ago, that BP and the Unified Command still do not have a handle on this disaster. Now, the DNWR is in the bull’s-eye and taking a direct hit.

Jonathan Henderson is the Coastal Resiliency Organizer for GRN