Yesterday, I ventured down to Elmer’s Island (and Grand Isle) to check on current conditions and impacts in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac and the wake of the BP disaster. Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge, owned and maintained by the state of Louisiana, is a 230-acre tract of barrier beachfront located on the southwestern tip of Jefferson Parish. It is located directly across Caminada Pass from Grand Isle, LA. The state closed the Island to the public in May of 2010 due to heavy oiling from the BP drilling disaster in the Gulf. The state reopened the Island to the public in May of 2011. I have made numerous trips to this island since April 2010 including several flyovers and have reported back on the ongoing impacts, including this post on November 15 of 2011, and this one March 9th, 2012.While the public is, once again, not allowed on the Island at this moment, I was able to get the shots below.http://www.flickr.com/photos/healthygulf/sets/72157631636044226/show/In the interest of time, I ask you to go ahead and open the slideshow fullscreen and click show info. I have given a brief description of each image. You will see that parts of the island are so awash in oil and reek of that oily stench it’s as if the BP disaster began last week and not two and a half years ago. While you are reading this and checking out the slideshow, I will be busy working on another post-Isaac aftermath blog as well as prepping for another monitoring trip that will take place tomorrow.PS- We are now several weeks out from Hurricane Isaac’s landfall in Southeast Louisiana. Many of the communities hardest hit have a long road to recovery. It is during trying times like these that we urge you to reach deep to provide much needed support for our coastal communities. If you’ve already been thinking about getting involved by volunteering or donating, here are some great organizations that could use your help.PPS- If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out our latest episode of Gulf Tides. In this episode, we focus on fish, the marine environment, and opportunities for BP to spend some of their remaining $940,000,000 early restoration pledge to help the Gulf recover right now. I hope you’ll take a moment, learn what’s happening beneath the surface of the Gulf and the headlines, and then add your voice to ours to urge action from BP.Jonathan Henderson is the Coastal Resiliency Organizer for GRN.
