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Kinship Circle is focused on wildlife harmed in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. We partner with World Animal Awareness Society to:
OCTOBER 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Ecosystems As Far As Canada In Turmoil From BP Oil Disaster SUBMITTED BY: Michelle Way NEWS MEDIA: BP spill threatens a third of Canadian gannets, CBS NEWS THOUSANDS OF CANADIAN BIRDS AT RISK FROM BP OIL DISASTER 10/21/10, GULF OF MEXICO — NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR, CANADA: Canadian northern gannets of Newfoundland and Labrador are in trouble due to BP's mammoth oil surge into the Gulf of Mexico. Newer research shows 35 percent of eastern Canadian gannets flock to the Gulf each year. "It's difficult to say how many from Eastern Canada have died in the oil spill," says bird biologist Bill Montevecchi of Memorial University of Newfoundland... READ MORE
POP! BANG! BOOM!
10/15/10, BAY JIMMY, LOUISIANA: Responders in Venice, LA use noise cannons set to go off every 2-3 minutes. The loud noises scare away birds from oil-impacted areas. SEE VIDEO NEW OIL DETECTED IN BARATARIA BAY AND ELSEWHERE. WHERE IS CLEAN-UP? 10/12/10, GULF OF MEXICO: Though plugged in July, oil from BP's rig explosion still washes ashore. An American Birding Association expedition describes Gulf Shores, AL beaches overwhelmed with oil stench… “Floating oil in Barataria Bay north of Grand Terre Island was reddish, snotty stuff in linear slicks, extending down into the water column…” READ MORE SUCCESS! SEA TURTLE HATCHLINGS SPARED FROM OIL 10/9/10, FLORIDA, ALABAMA: As oil closed in on Florida and Alabama beaches, a zero-hour effort to save endangered sea turtles began. Officials and volunteers unearthed turtle eggs by the thousands and transported them to Kennedy Space Center to hatch. Kinship Circle-WA2S.org volunteers were involved with one such relocation of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle eggs at Gulf Islands National Seashore. U.S. Fish-Wildlife reports that of 25,000 transferred eggs, 14,676 hatched babies released into oil-free Atlantic waters. READ MORE 
SEP 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Spike In Dead Birds Expected; Other Gulf Species At Risk SUBMITTED BY: Michelle Way CONTRIBUTORS: CNN iREPORT by Darlene M. Eschete (a wildlife photographer and resident oil disaster monitor who accompanied a Kinship Circle-WA2S boat team in the Barrier Islands along Terrebonne Parish in August) - Louisiana Barrier Island, Raccoon Point, 9/5/10; PJ Hahn, Plaquemines Parish Coastal Management Director; On Wings Of Care THOUSANDS MORE DEAD FISH WASH UP IN PLAQUEMINES PARISH 9/18/10: PLAQUEMINES PARISH, LOUISIANA: Bayou Robinson, Plaquemines Parish - For the third time this Sep, Plaquemines officials report a mass fish kill. PJ Hahn, director for Coastal Zone Management, photographs dead fish so dense, they form a canopy over the water. Previous kills were reported in Bay Chaland, 9/10/10, and Bay Joe Wise, 9/16/10. Most fish are menhaden, also called pogie.
DEATH IN A BAG
9/15/10: TRINITY ISLAND, ISLES DERNIERES, LA: Today, while volunteering with National Audubon Society, boats return with two dead terns collected from Trinity Island. The birds are placed in a sack, tagged and recorded. Then the transporter drives them to the rehabilitation center in Hammond, LA. I am forced to photograph their “death in a bag” with my cell phone because photos are not allowed in secured areas. From DARLENE M. ESCHETE, a professional wildlife photographer who lives in Louisiana and has documented oil repercussions on native animals since the onset of this disaster. She has joined Kinship Circle-World Animal Awareness Society expeditions and continues to contribute news from the Gulf.
USFWS RELEASES DETAILED LIVE-DEAD ANIMAL INFORMATION
9/14/10, LOUISIANA, ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, FLORIDA, TEXAS: Today marks the first time U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services publicizes specific data on live-dead collected birds, including entire species and mapped locations. Until now, postings lumped birds by state as oiled, dead or alive. BASIC SUMMARY: USFWS website lists 3,634 dead birds and 1,042 live birds in areas impacted by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. It remains unclear why USFWS reports only 4,676 birds, while the latest Deepwater Horizon Response Consolidated Fish & Wildlife Report lists 8,009 birds. BABY WHALE DEAD ON PLAQUEMINES BEACH 9/13/10, PLAQUEMINES PARISH, LOUISIANA: Southwest Pass, Plaquemines - A deceased baby whale washes ashore. Plaquemines Coastal Management Director PJ Hahn is with Louisiana Fish and Wildlife as they collect the animal. The Gulf of Mexico is home to roughly 1600 resident whales. Only adult males leave. Females and their young remain in the Gulf throughout their lives. SEA TURTLE FOCUS SWITCHES TO RELEASE 9/9/10, TEXAS TO FLORIDA: With less sea turtles found who need rehabilitation, wildlife scientists from Deepwater Horizon-BP Oil Spill Unified Command shift focus to releasing recovered turtles. They continue near-shore stranding and salvage network efforts. Scientists also study how endangered and threatened turtle populations are impacted by the BP oil disaster.
EXPECTATIONS GROW OF A SPIKE IN DEAD BIRDS COLLECTED
9/7/10, RACCOON AND WHISKEY ISLANDS, OFF HOUMA, LOUISIANA: Scientists first begin to search Raccoon and Whiskey Islands for birds this week. Nesting colonies off Terrebonne Parish, previously off limits, will be scoured for about two weeks. Rhonda Murgatroyd, owner of Wildlife Response Services, under BP contract for bird recovery, says scientists did not seize oiled birds in rookeries due to the risk of disturbing nesting birds and their young. “There was a big outcry about leaving these oiled birds,” Murgatroyd said. Louisiana has about 140 nesting colonies. As of 9/5/10, wildlife responders have collected 1,531 live oiled birds and 3,261 dead birds. In June, Kinship Circle volunteers photographed oiled Royal Tern babies along oily edges of Queen Bess Island, LA. But responders authorized to handle wildlife could not risk “trampling” the island as birds nested. We later learned that all these babies perished. Baby birds are oiled because species such as laughing gulls nest near shores. Chicks are very active days after hatching — wandering along shorelines as crude-stained waters roll in.
SEP 5, 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Wildlife Photographer Darlene Eschete Revisits Racoon Island — Dead Dolphin We Spotted Is Still There! EXCERPTS FROM: CNN iREPORT Louisiana Barrier Island, Raccoon Point LOCATION: Raccoon Island And Barrier Islands Off Terrebonne Parish CNN iREPORT EXCERPTS, BY DARLENE ESCHETE 9/5/10: Today I returned to the same island I had visited nine days ago, Coon Point. I was on a chartered boat with Shawn Carey (Migration Productions), Drew Wheelan (ABA) and Charles Bush (photographer). They wanted to “see” what others and I have seen… dead birds and the dead dolphin that had washed ashore just last week that (Kinship Circle's Brenda Shoss) reported to the BP Houma Command Center Hotline for oiled or dead wildlife. Our Captain, Bob Lake, took us to the eastern point of the island… jumped in the water and pulled the boat to shore so we could get out without getting our equipment wet… The first bird I came across was a dead laughing gull. Then another and another. We saw hundreds of terns and thousands of pelicans perched on the rock jetties and sand bar. Many species of waterfowl were present along the island. But, mostly the pelican. The estimated number of remaining pelicans were 3-4,000 from a reported 10,000 strong previously.
Just thinking about how this mammal died… The trauma and pain must have felt devastating. Why did they use so many toxins in our water? If the oil didn't kill them, then dispersants mixed with oil did… But for many others I have called in, they may have survived. And that makes every day that I do this so worthwhile. READ MORE
SEP 1-4 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Black Pellets In The Surf; Another Gulf Oil Platform Explodes SUBMITTED BY: June Towler and Traci Dawson, Kinship Circle Team #7 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Dauphine Island, Alabama SITES-ACTIVITIES, 9/2/10: Scott Rikard, Natural Resources Program Manager for Auburn University Marine Extension & Research Center, shows us an oyster reef situated below the university's building. They are “growing” oysters from larval stage through adulthood. He describes potential oil impact on Alabama oysters, though tests to date are negative. They are concerned about next generation oysters, now in larval stages. Larvae swim the ocean, consuming phytoplankton and algae, and are vulnerable to oil and dispersant. Repercussions won't emerge until larvae move into their next growth cycle. We mention empty oyster shells found in Pass Christian, MS and parts of AL, but Rikard tells us they've not turned up on Alabama's coast… We are again turned away from a BP station on Dauphin Island, with no information forthcoming from security guards. We proceed to Dauphin Island Beach to check out rumors of oil, but are averted by BP security there too. We capture these BP interactions on video… Next, we walk the shores of a public beach and photograph tar balls. Kinship Circle's June Towler accidentally steps on a gooey ball, allowing us to film the residue in her footprints. We encounter five dead crabs here, along with several live ones in the ocean surf. Dead crabs float in a dirty pool of isolated water that a local says emerged over the last few days. Minnow-like fish swim in these separate pools. We see many gulls, two herons and small sandpiper type birds. Ocean waters are a grimy brown. A light oil odor is present. Millions of little black “pellets” pepper the sand where surf waves roll in and recede. Locals tell us they've never seen black pellets before… At 9:18am, the Mariner Vermillion 380 gas production oil platform explodes in shallow waters south of Terrebonne Bay, LA. Thirteen crewmembers escape this new blast by jumping into the water outfitted in protective “Gumby Suits.” No causalities are reported. The media state that this is not an operating platform and thus there are no “oil spill issues.” Houston-based Mariner Energy, Inc. concurs: “In an initial flyover, no hydrocarbon spill was reported.“ U.S. Coast Guard agrees that there is no evidence of a leak. However, USCG Petty Officer Bill Coklough mentions oil sheen, about 100 yards long by 10 yards wide… SEP 1-4 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Rehab And Red Tape; Alabama Manatees Tracked SUBMITTED BY: June Towler and Traci Dawson, Kinship Circle Team #7 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Gulf Shore, Alabama and Dauphine Island, Alabama SITES-ACTIVITIES, 9/1/10: We interview Patty Hall, Director of the Little Zoo That Could, to ask how the oil disaster has affected their facility. Mainly, Little Zoo has seen a drop in tourism dollars. Hall worries about how they'll secure enough funding for animal care this winter. Hall also describes the building that Little Zoo established to receive oiled wildlife. They've acquired many supplies, but no animals have been taken here. In what appears to be red tape, three command agencies — U.S. Fish And Wildlife, Tristate Bird Rescue, and BP — must approve a site for oiled animal rehab. USFW and BP have signed off on Little Zoo, but Tristate will not. In the meantime, Little Zoo fields accusations from people asking why they aren't helping oiled animals. Little Zoo cannot risk loss of its nonprofit status by treating oiled animals without Tristate's approval.
While no oiled manatees have been found yet, the gentle giants travel long distances. No one really knows what repercussions oil will have on their food sources, reproduction, etc. To report manatee sightings in Alabama waters, call 1-866-493-5803, or email: manatee@disl.org
SEP 1-4 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Frustrated Experts Do What They Can For Wildlife SUBMITTED BY: Rachel McKay Laskowski and Craig Hill, Kinship Circle Team #7 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Grand Isle, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES, 9/1/10: At 10:00am we meet Leann Sarco, Interpretive Ranger for Grande Isle Louisiana State Park, to discuss her Hermit Crab Survival Project. Sarco focuses on hermit crabs struggling in huge oil slicks along the park's beach. She has rescued over 7,000 hermit crabs. As we observe her process, we notice oil on the back beach that BP never cleaned. The oil oozes into the ground. If a shovel digs down a foot or two, a layer of pure oil is exposed. In some spots, one shovel-full reveals oil. Low tide shows oiled sand bars along this national park beach. We are told that surrounding islands share this condition.
On 9/4/10, Plaquemines Parish Coastal Management Director PJ Hahn tells Kinship's Rachel Laskowski: “We've found so many dead hermit crabs, it's unbelievable! This week hundreds of starfish washed up along Pass Chaland. I was too busy to photograph the event, but we had contractors take pictures.”
We also interview local wildlife photographer Darlene Eschete, who spots wildlife and records the oil's encroachment. Her emotions run high when speaking about the many dead birds she has seen. We film Eschete after she reports a lethargic gull. While filming, the gull flies away. We are still on site when a U.S. Fish and Wildlife boat arrives. Kinship Circle's Craig Hill films the interaction between Eschete and USFW. The agency tells a story about a pelican they proudly rescued who now inhabits the Audubon Zoo. Drew Wheelan of American Birding Association later joins us for an interview about his experiences on Grande Isle. He informs us of the Royal Tern chick deaths on Queen Bess Island and confesses his regret about not rescuing one oiled pelican who swam across the boom to an island. Wheelan is highly qualified in handling and banding birds, but is threatened with a fine if he touches any animals.
AUG 22-31 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Rescued Sea Turtle Update At Audubon Aquarium SUBMITTED BY: Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle Director, Team #7 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans, Louisiana
AUG 22-31 2010
Will Dispersants Kill Bacteria That Digests Oil? SUBMITTED BY: Rachel McKay Laskowski and Craig Hill, Kinship Circle Team #7 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Panacea, Florida SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/24/10: First stop is Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea, FL to meet with Victor Spencer for an in-depth tour. We interview him about a Kemp's Ridley turtle with bacteria decay. This turtle with a disintegrating shell was found at an unusual location in August. Pollution triggered the bacteria that killed him and Victor feels the oil and dispersants may be a root cause. We discuss tests for water contamination, including university studies that show dispersants are killing plankton. Victor asks: Will dispersants also kill the bacteria that digest oil (bioremediation)? AUG 22-31 2010 Oily Strands In Water; Now More Dead Oil Birds Then Live Ones SUBMITTED BY: Fred Groeger and Jane Allen, Kinship Circle Team #6 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Venice, Louisiana and Hammond, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/23/10: Kinship Circle's Fred Groeger embeds with Chris Pincetich of Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP) on two boats leaving Venice, LA. At 39 miles out in Gulf waters, divers on boat #1 jump overboard in wet suits while Chris snorkels near an oilrig. Chris and Scott Procter return with coral samples to assess at a lab. Divers report two black tip sharks, one Kemp's Ridley turtle, a large redfish, and many smaller fishes. They note that fish numbers, for this area, are down. Experienced diver Deb Castellana, of Bluewater, refuses to enter the water because she doesn't “like the look of it.” At one spot, the water is a dark olive green rather than its normal blue-green. Divers say stringy strands hang in the water — like “swimming through chicken soup.” On our return to Venice, we stop three times to observe naturally occurring “foam fractation” flecked with brown spots and oily brown strands believed to be oil. Both boats gather foam samples for analysis and we record GPS coordinates. During our exploratory tour, we see no sign of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Coast Guard or BP. Meanwhile, Kinship Circle's Jane Allen heads to Hammond, LA to tour International Bird Rescue Research Center. A bird with “old oil” is used to demonstrate the washing process. IBRRC Executive Director Jay Holcomb says older oil never completely comes off. Many “old oiled birds” are now brought in from rookeries where earlier rescue attempts would have caused extensive damage to un-hatched eggs. Delayed captures have resulted in extraction of dead and live birds. IBBRC sees roughly 4-5 oiled birds daily, mostly fledglings, with 10 oiled birds in house. A total 220 birds are on-site, compared to over 500 birds (150 laughing gulls, young pelicans and spoonbills) two weeks ago. Oiled birds are stabilized, cleaned and released in Florida, Georgia and Texas. AUG 22-31 2010 Turtles, Dolphins, And Beach Cleanups SUBMITTED BY: Fred Groeger and Jane Allen, Kinship Circle Team #6 LOCATION: REGION #1 — New Orleans, Louisiana and Waveland, Mississippi SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/22/10: We visit Audubon Aquarium where three rescued Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are on display. About 20 rescued turtles and one dolphin now reside at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center on the Westbank in New Orleans. We then travel to Waveland, Mississippi to meet Chris Pincetich of Sea Turtle Restoration Project. Chris attempts to dig for oil reportedly three feet down in the beach sand. At 18" he finds no sign of oil. AEOTGE volunteers then drive several miles along the shore, photographing portable lights set at intervals of several hundred yards. Beach cleaners work under these lights at night, to avoid daytime heat.
AUG 7-20, 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
3,000 Dead Laughing Gulls. Why Doesn't The Public Know? SUBMITTED BY: Fred Groeger and Jane Allen, Kinship Circle Team #6 LOCATION: REGION #1 — LA: Grand Isle, Mangrove Isle, Bay Jimmy, Queen Bess Isle SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/20/10: We depart early a.m. for a USFWS boat trip to heavily oil harmed areas off Grand Isle. Our first stop is Mangrove Island, a large rookery for pelicans and other sea birds. Earlier, Kinship Circle volunteers Esther Regelson and Darla Wolak spotted an oiled Roseate Spoonbill here, clinging to a boom to keep from drowning. Rescued that day, we are happy to report this spoonbill's recent release. Oil booms still encircle Mangrove Island. Our boats are not permitted inside. From a vantage point about 50 yards offshore, we see hundreds of pelicans fly and perch atop booms. Though nesting season is nearly over, we spy a few unfledged birds. Oil residue stains the mangrove roots. While there, a BP-affiliated Great Britain crew interviews USFW biologist Rick Hanson. The British crew also questions Louisiana Fish-Wildlife biologist Keith Cascio. We record both interviews and later inquire about the number of oiled pelicans found. Cascio says, “I don't like to talk about the dead animals, but we've found 3,000 dead laughing gulls.”
Our next stop is Bay Jimmy, a grassy marshland. Oil booms are lodged well within the marsh, crushing grasses and creating a HAZMAT dilemma for their removal. Rick Hanson reports that no viable tactic is known to remove booms without causing more damage. An experimental method, in conjunction with BP, begins within days. Once booms are gone, contaminated soil must be removed. No one knows what material will replace depleted soil. Our final destination is Queen Bess Island. Like Mangrove, oil booms encompass this huge pelican rookery. All areas visited today have oil-stained shorelines.
AUG 7-20, 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Deepwater Rig Is “Dead, Dead, Dead.” What About Animals? SUBMITTED BY: Fred Groeger and Jane Allen, Kinship Circle Team #6 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Venice, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/19/10: We attend a press conference with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. A boat tour will visit restored parts of Delta National Wildlife Refuge — 49,000 acres with imperiled species such as the American alligator, brown pelican and Arctic peregrine falcon — closed to the public since April. Once there we're told only “pooled press” may join Sec. Salazar in the refuge. The restriction strikes us as odd since ALL EYES ON THE GULF has been in the field identified as documentarians for months. We stay to film the news briefing, which includes NOAA Administrator Jane Lobchenco and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Sec. Salazar declares that “we're nearing the end of Chapter One of this disaster.” Over the next 10-15 days, the Deepwater Horizon rig will be “dead, dead, dead.” Chapter Two will cover cleanup and restoration. EPA's Lisa Jackson delivers a personal message about her own heritage as a third-generation Louisianan. NOAA's Jane Lebchenco speaks briefly about the future, touching more upon restoration. AUG 7-20, 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Oil Disaster Is Good News If You Are A Shrimp! SUBMITTED BY: Fred Groeger and Jane Allen, Kinship Circle Team #6 LOCATION: REGION #1 — In Louisiana: Venice, Belle Chasse, Port Sulfur, Bura SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/18/10: LA Route 23 leads us south to Venice. First, we stop by Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Belle Chasse for a tour with Jacob Stroman. The tiny rescue — housing 20 dogs and 80 cats — moves to larger digs in September. PAWS can only verify two surrenders related to the oil disaster. Both unemployed residents relinquished animals. Mr. Stroman notes a dramatic rise in animal drop-offs since the spill, but can't confirm cause. We next visit Myrtle Grove Marina, Port Sulfur. A lone “shrimper” no longer “shrimps,” because he cannot sell his catches. Local fishermen show us a catch they have no qualms about ingesting. We interview a local resident, off the record, about his "unofficial" test of Evolve, a natural cleaning agent. Our next stop at Joshuas Marina in Buras, LA reveals many shrimp boats, grounded by the oil. AUG 7-20, 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Where Did All That Oil Go? SUBMITTED BY: Fred Groeger and Jane Allen, Kinship Circle Team #6 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Ocean City, Mississippi SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/16/10: A startling YouTube video prompts our eastbound drive to verify images of “oil pouring out of the bayou.” We find the video locale, but no oil except a light sheen on the water. Coast Guard personnel define the sheen as naturally occurring and mention “a few small tar balls” on another beach to the east. We survey a long beach stretch and photograph one dead sea bird. We spot just four dead crabs and many more dead jellyfish. One heron perches on a fishing pier. There are no people in sight. We head west to Davis Bayou Gulf Islands National Seashore. A ranger tells us she suspects the oil is behind sparse tourism. But they've seen no oil for weeks. We proceed to Institute for Marine Mammal Studies for a tour with Delphine Vanderpool, M.D. During the Institute's first week, mostly dead turtles arrive. Since July, about 35-40 hooked turtles, from pier fishermen, are examined. Normally they see just 1-2 hooked turtles per year. Oiled green turtles, a hooked hawksbill, and an oiled loggerhead are in rehab here. The oiled turtles are from Alabama. The young hawksbill is not recovering well. Today, however, he consumes some food. The loggerhead turtle, 2-3 years old, was found clinging to a buoy. They are concerned about changes in his blood work. Two weeks earlier, a 50-70 year old loggerhead was admitted. The 200+ pound female comes from the Mississippi Sound area. Sharks have mutilated three of her flippers, leaving her unable to survive in the wild. IMMS hopes to establish a fund to build a permanent pool for her. A dead dolphin recorded by WA2S-Kinship Circle Team #2 is necropsied here. No abnormalities are detected, but tissue samples at a government lab are not yet analyzed. AUG 7-20, 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Most Agree That Long-Term Oil Impacts Are Unknown SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill and Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES, 8/11/10: We meet with Public Involvement Coordinator Mel Landry at the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. At Nicolls State University, next door, Landry stores supplies for wildlife. Donations are received at Grand Isle. Items and monetary support go to Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. An EPA grant funds Landry's initiative, not BP. In part, the program operates as a 501c3 nonprofit that can accept donations from civilians and corporations. We ask Landry about his overview of the oil disaster. He reports a reduction in cleanup equipment, but says wildlife efforts are still underway. He backs the general consensus that long-term oil impacts are unknown and that a nationwide response will endure for some time. Aug 7-20, 2010: World Animal Awareness Society and Kinship Circle Three Oil Disasters: Shorelines, Waterways, Deep Waters SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill and Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 8/10/10: We meet with P.J. Hahn, Director of Coastal Management in Plaquemines Parish, who is unable to give us a formal interview. He wants permission from parish president Billy Nungesser, but agrees to speak off the record. He shows us video and photos that span early-stage oil relief to the present. Despite a government/BP rosy picture, Hahn believes that dangerous oil lurks underneath waters and beach sands. He shares disturbing footage of black ooze bubbling from a crab hole that his colleague has stepped on. We suggest Hahn revisit these spots for a then/now type comparison. Upon leaving, we bump into Oky Flemming, inventor of the “Oilevator” device that extracts oil below surface levels. He assures us his device is marine-life safe. BP has yet to connect with him, even though below-surface oil removal has no set regimen. Later we meet with Samantha, a marine biologist, and Deb — both from Ocean Blue — at the Astor hotel. They've viewed oil from the skies and stress a perspective we've not heard before. There are three different oil spills: One occurs on shorelines, another in open waters. The third takes place in deep dark waters. From a scientific stance, Samantha says finned fish will survive. But filter feeders such as oysters, shrimps, and crabs share an uncertain future. Oysters will need years of restoration that Samantha thinks BP should fund. Aug 7-20, 2010: World Animal Awareness Society and Kinship Circle 1,415 Birds Recover At Hammond Wildlife Rehab Center SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill and Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Hammond Wildlife Rehab Center in Hammond, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 8/9/10: Today's tour at Hammond Wildlife Rehab Center reveals ample space and equipment for wildlife recovery. Oil impacted birds are received daily. Yesterday's intake of 20 birds brings Hammond's present total to 400, with several ready for release. To date this center has rehabilitated 1,415 birds, mainly pelicans and laughing gulls. They also help turtles and other bird species. No cleaned birds have returned, which suggests oil cleanup is working. We observe pelican washing, a skill for qualified experts only because it is extremely stressful for animals. A BP rep is always on hand. So far, there have been no problems negotiating supply needs for a humane wildlife recovery effort. Aug 7-20, 2010: World Animal Awareness Society and Kinship Circle Citizens, Officials Gather For Gulf Strategic Planning Conference SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill and Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #1 — New Orleans, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 8/7/10: We attend the “Gulf Strategic Planning Conference” at New Orleans Sheraton, where Todd Baker, Program Manager of Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries Coastal Operations, speaks. We also hear Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, U.S. Coast Guard rep Claudia Gelze, and Jefferson Parish Council Chairman John Young. All agree cleanup efforts are optimal, given the power allotted each to take action. All concur that BP be held accountable for the long haul. Long-term effects are still unknown. A panel lets participants ask questions and brainstorm future steps.
AUG 3-6 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
NOAA Finds Loggerhead Turtle With Disintegrated Fins SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill, Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #2 — LA: Gulf Breezes, Florida; Gulf Shores, Alabama SITES-ACTIVITIES 8/6/10: Today we tour the Institute For Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, MS. Tour guide Meagan Broadway says this facility has not received any live, beached dolphins, but has accepted 15 dead ones. An increasing number of turtles come in alive or dead as a result of oil. Many are injured or killed in fishing lines. Dr. Delphine Vanderpool believes the contaminated environment propels turtles inland, often in the direct path of fisherman. NOAA recently delivered a large Loggerhead Turtle with her fins nearly gone. She was rescued about 16 miles from Dolphin Island and no one knows how her fins disintegrated. AUG 3-6 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE “The Dolphin Lady” Tracks Oil In Calves And Pregnant Moms SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill, Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Gulfport, Mississippi SITES-ACTIVITIES 8/5/10: Our day opens with a three-hour drive to Orange Beach, AL to meet with Lori Deangelis, a.k.a. "The Dolphin Lady." She is a vast storehouse of information on local dolphins. We embark on a two-hour cruise in the Back Bay Waters and stop by her favorite dolphin spots. Lori is concerned about long-term effects of oil on calves and pregnant moms. She's already seen evidence of harm in their glandular areas. We advise her to document every dolphin abnormality she sees. Next, we visit Theodore Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Theodore, AL as part of a media event sponsored by USFW. The Center is equipped with state-of-the-art resources to handle numerous birds and other species. We view the delicate and time-consuming cleaning process for several birds. An enormous amount of training is required to handle oiled animals. We learn details about each rehab station and gain a clearer picture of what these animals endure before they are detoxified and ready for release. Right now, some 30 to 40 birds in various stages of recovery inhabit the Center. AUG 3-6 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Fledglings Sometimes Near The Boats, As If Asking For Help SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill, Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Barrier Islands Off Grand Isle, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 8/4/10: We leave New Orleans for Grand Isle, LA to embed on a charter boat with Tom McKenzie of Louisiana Fish And Wildlife. We journey through small barrier islands that comprise habitat for birds. We notice a mass effort to clean and absorb oil, complete with floating hotels for workers. A 36-inch pipe sucks up oil. Still, rusty brown oil stains boat hulls. Hospital Island is oil polluted, but no birds are present. Oil absorbing buoys prevent us from a closer look. We are shocked by the absence of birds here. Other islands are covered with birds. Do the birds know that Hospital Island is contaminated? According to Jared, with Louisiana Fish And Wildlife, fledglings sometimes approach boats as if asking for help. He's rescued 72 birds while stationed here. Our guides tell us that cleanup work has improved, even though much more toil is needed. Additionally, wildlife also risk harm from rescuers themselves — who inadvertently disturb habitats or cause younger-generation animals to become over-acclimated to humans. Life's balance is fragile here, and will need a lot more time to heal. AUG 3-6 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Ingested Oil Climbs The Food Chain SUBMITTED BY: Dennis Pickersgill, Jua-Lezza Ayala, Kinship Circle Team #5 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Grand Isle, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 8/3/10: We revisit Grand Isle, LA for a follow-up interview with Shae Craine, a Tulane University grad student studying crab and shrimp larvae. Shae sets traps for larvae by day, since they travel at night, and ferries captured larvae to a lab. “Blobby” larvae have oil in their bodies that resembles orange blobs. Oil is present in juvenile crabs too. This new study has not yet assessed long-term damage. We help Shae reset traps before heading to a lab at the Louisiana Fish And Wildlife. Larvae live at the bottom of the food chain. Concern deepens about oil climbing up the chain. If shrimp and crab survive with ingested oil — marine mammals and ultimately humans will be affected.
JUL 26-28 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Large Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Is Dead On Key Largo Shores SUBMITTED BY: Darla J. Wolak, Kinship Circle LOCATION: REGION #3 — Key Largo, in South Florida SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/28/10: At about 1:00pm, Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC), a wildlife/rehab center in Key Largo, Florida, receives a call from U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFW) regarding a deceased dolphin. With MMC responders on alert, a boat is deployed to retrieve the animal and a necropsy is scheduled. As a previously trained volunteer with MMC, Kinship Circle's Darla Wolak is able to participate in the event. By 2:00pm, MMC's director recovers a dead Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin whose organs are exposed. It takes four strong men and a towrope to haul the 6-foot dolphin ashore and hoist him onto a truckbed for transfer to the necropsy area. Everyone (including me!) uses Vicks menthol rub to mask the overpowering smell of decomposition. Preliminary necropsy results reveal highly unusual parasites in the animal's lungs. These results suggest that death is linked to the parasites and that a shark attack occurred post-mortem. Sample analysis will determine final conclusions.
JUL 26-28 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Life Proceeds, Cautiously, In The Florida Keys SUBMITTED BY: Darla J. Wolak, Kinship Circle LOCATION: REGION #3 — Key Largo, in South Florida SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/26/10: “Clean! No oil! No sheen or crude! Not a tar ball in sight!” As a South Floridian resident, Kinship Circle's Darla Wolak is relieved that oil hasn't seeped into the Loop Current for a ride into the Florida Keys. This area, teeming with exotic wildlife and tourism, could have been devastated. Instead, as Darla observes aboard a snorkeling boat five miles out from Key Largo, boats are without brown oiled bottoms and waters are free of "peanut butter looking" poison. Waves roll in with whitecaps and no oil rainbows reflect off clean waters. Reefs and marine life are unscathed. Upon return, the boat's captain asks Darla what she'd seen as a Kinship Circle volunteer for the ALL EYES ON THE GULF expedition. He is concerned by Darla's images of polluted shorelines and oiled wildlife. He knows this: If oil reaches the Florida Keys, his business is done. The livelihood of fellow residents is over. For now, life proceeds, cautiously.
JUL 23-24 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
89 Endangered Sea Turtle Eggs Are Moved From Path Of Oil SUBMITTED BY: Brian Truitt and Shawndra Michell, Kinship Circle Team #4 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Gulf Breezes, Florida; Gulf Shores, Alabama SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/23/10: Today we document the excavation and relocation of 89 Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle eggs at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Fort Pickens Area. Anne Callenia and other U.S. Parks and Recreation employees meet with our team, press, and citizens there to witness the excavation. At the excavation site, key staff include: Nina Kelson, Acting Superintendent of U.S. Parks and Recreation Department; Rick Clark, Science and Resources Management; Lorna Patrick, USFWS Sea Turtle Biologist; LTC. Louis Roberson, Regional Director of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Mark Nicholas, District Biologist with Gulf Islands National Seashore; and Lisa M. McInnis, NPS Resource Advisor. The excavation begins at 5:00 pm. For the next 25 minutes, excavation staff delicately gather golf-ball size eggs from nests, to lay them in Styrofoam coolers filled with sand from the nesting area. The coolers, cushioned with shock absorbing pallets, are transported to Cape Canaveral in a climate-controlled tractor-trailer. Upon arrival, the eggs are stored in a temperature-regulated warehouse on Kennedy Space Center grounds until they hatch. BP has spent more than $3 million on Gulf Coast sea turtle relocation. After the excavation we return to Gulf Chores, AL, where a beach walk reveals more oil pollution. As the tide recedes, dark brown sheen remains. Oil balls litter beaches. No people enter the water. Seashells, crabs, seaweed and other life forms are absent. Kinship's Shawndra Michell has experienced headaches, nausea, nosebleeds and fatigue — during most of our deployment — and agrees to let Brian Truitt film her. Driving west on Highway 182, we find a BP dumping zone where workers bag tar balls and other oil waste for mass burial in a landfill. They work without safety equipment or respirators.
JUL 21-22 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Rescued Birds, Tar-Ball Mounds, And Millions Of Dead Fish SUBMITTED BY: Brian Truitt and Shawndra Michell, Kinship Circle Team #4 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Theodore, AL; Gulfport, MS; Gulf Springs, AL SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/22/10: Our day opens with an at Theodore Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Prior to a tour here, we interview National Geographic television producer Charlie Miller. He discusses the public's lagging interest in the Gulf disaster. Wildlife Ops Branch Chief Ken Rice begins the tour with an explanation of focus areas: 1) Oil impact on sensitive lands, i.e., federal lands, barrier islands. 2) Oil effects and response to soiled wildlife. 3) Continuing development of rehabilitation centers. Per USFWS daily consolidated reports, as of July 22, 2010: BIRDS Collected Alive: 1397, Collected Dead: 2599, Released: 551 TURTLES Collected Alive: 226, Collected Dead: 483, Released: 177 MAMMALS Collected Alive: 5, Collected Dead: 62, Released: 1 OTHER REPTILES Collected Alive: 1, Collected Dead: 1, Released: 0 Another USFWS chart shows current rescue patrols in the Gulf: BIRD TEAM: Two rescue patrols per day. In one day, 61 birds are rescued. 353 Personnel 96 Boats (with crews of two to three people) 5 Helicopters 3 Planes TURTLE TEAM: Two rescue patrols per day. A record day is 14 rescued turtles. 12 Personnel 3 Boats We travel to Gulfport, MS to follow reports about Millions Of Fish Wash Ashore in Jones Park. A municipal worker tells us that BP quickly disposed of all fish. People are eerily reticent to talk about the mass death. Gulfport's coast is now colored deep chocolate. Our day ends in Gulf Shores, AL. Oil balls litter beaches here. Tar balls are scattered over tire tracks from BP's sand-moving behemoths. These oil globs are weird, sort of like deep-fried seaweed shellacked in stiff molasses.
JUL 21-22 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
BP Employees — Muzzled And Scripted SUBMITTED BY: Brian Truitt and Shawndra Michell, Kinship Circle Team #4 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Grand Isle, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/21/10: From New Orleans, Team #4 travels to Grand Isle to document cleanup and interview BP employees. But they either won't talk or their words sound scripted. Hard-hit Grand Isle is divided into 14 restoration zones, each with a different task-objective. We ask a BP employee about activities underway at some zones, but he replies, “No one really knows.”
JUL 10 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
A Keen Eye For Oiled Wildlife Saves Two Pelicans SUBMITTED BY: Jonathan Shurtz, with WA2S Executive Director Tom McPhee LOCATION: REGION #2 — Pass Christian and Gulf Port, in Mississippi; Daphne, Alabama SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/10/10: We leave for Pass Christian and Gulf Port, MS. While canvassing shorelines, we find a lot of tar balls and crude oil. Jon sees two oiled pelicans. He quickly calls Unified Command to relay their GPS coordinates. Our report is later confirmed. The oiled pelicans have been collected and transported to the IBRCC bird cleaning operation. Kinship Circle and World Animal Awareness Society are thanked for efforts to spot and report oiled wildlife. We head to Daphne, AL where a strong oil odor saturates the air. While investigating Black Mangrove Island, LA, Kinship Circle's Esther Regelson and Darla Wolak spot a juvenile Roseate Spoonbill. The severely oiled bird fights to stay atop an oil boom. The sighting is called in, but our boat captain cannot bear to watch this bird nearly drown. So the bird is caught, brought to emergency triage, and then transferred to IBRRC Fort Jackson Rehabilitation Center. During one of our regular visits to IBRRC, we learn that this bird will live!
JUL 5 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Dead Dolphin, Possibly Pregnant, Ashore In Mississippi SUBMITTED BY: Jonathan Shurtz, with WA2S Film Director Tom McPhee LOCATION: REGION #2 — Pass Christian, Mississippi SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/5/10: Film Director Tom McPhee and I rise early to interview Alan Schwartz, Large Transport Operator for Sumter County, FL Disaster Animal Response Team. He has a 45-foot climate-controlled truck designed for animal transport. The vehicle has space for surgeries and can serve as temp housing. He is here should a large number of birds need transport from rehab to the airport for release. Next, we explore the Mississippi coastline. There, I photograph tar balls and dead fish, along with a lot of post-July 4th trash. Dispersant residue is evident as well. We interview cleaning crews and several locals. While driving along the shoreline at Pass Christian beach, we observe a waterside truck with several people in masks holding a tarp. Tom asks me to quickly investigate. At the scene, I see the carcass of a large (roughly 100km) female bottlenose dolphin. I videotape volunteers weighing the dead dolphin and running tests to discern if she was pregnant when she died. She is abnormally large and appears healthy — except for oil residue around her mouth.
JUL 2 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Heavily Oiled Birds, One Escapes USFW, Another Is Rescued SUBMITTED BY: Esther Regelson, Darla Wolak Kinship Circle Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Grand Isle USFW Boat, In Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/2/10: We explore Grand Isle State Park for evidence of oil. Whitecaps on the water are tinted yellow, a telltale sign of oil. A photographer we meet shows us a milky substance on shorelines that he believes is dispersant. He also confirms that black “turds” washed ashore are tar balls. Booms line the beach, along with a newly created sand barrier between booms and marsh grasses. At the marina, we meet Alan Crabbe of Fish And Wildlife Service. Our team and other photographers boat out around 11:00am, first arriving at Queen Bess Island. We next see Black Mangrove Island, a rookery filled with myriad seabirds and their young. We notice many pelicans with various levels of oil on their bodies. A fragmented boom on the far side of the island has floated ashore, encroaching on wildlife and their nests. The closer we get, the more oiled birds we see. USFW crew steer the boat to facilitate capture of a heavily oiled pelican. But the leaping bird escapes their grasp. A second circle of the island reveals a Roseate Spoonbill struggling at the boom. The severely oiled bird is too weak to rise from the water. This time, USFW agents successfully rescue the bird. We explore Grand Isle State Park for evidence of oil. Whitecaps on the water are tinted yellow, a telltale sign of oil. A photographer we meet shows us a milky substance on shorelines that he believes is dispersant. He also confirms that black "turds" washed ashore are tar balls. Booms line the beach, along with a newly created sand barrier between booms and marsh grasses. At the marina, we meet Alan Crabbe, Fish And Wildlife Service. Our team and other photographers boat out to Queen Bess Island. We next see Black Mangrove Island, a rookery filled with myriad seabirds and their young. We notice many pelicans with various levels of oil on their bodies. A fragmented boom on the far side of the island has floated ashore, encroaching on wildlife and their nests. The closer we get, the more oiled birds we see. USFW crew steer the boat to facilitate capture of a heavily oiled pelican. But the leaping bird escapes their grasp.
JUL 1 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Baby Birds Are Uncommonly Still In Their Nests SUBMITTED BY: Esther Regelson, Darla Wolak Kinship Circle Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Venice and South Pass, both in Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 7/1/10: Kinship Circle's Esther Regelson and Darla Wolak meet at the Cypress Cove Marina in Venice, where USFW agent Bruce Miller informs us that the Coast Guard has granted permission for boats to go out despite inclement weather due to Hurricane Alex. Aboard a small boat, we move through the marsh, across the Mississippi, and into Dennis Pass to pick up USFW wildlife biologist David. Six boats journey through South Pass, before splitting into two groups. Two hours later we tether our boats in the sand. Accompanied by four USFW agents, we cover three regions. Along the shore oil coagulates at the waterline. We join biologist David behind a long stretch of boom barrier that partially stops the sea from washing into the marsh. Two other USFW agents hike in the marshes, looking for oiled or dead birds. Scavengers drag dead bodies into these marshes to feed upon. David says you can smell oil approaching the shore. You can see crude oil and sheen thickening on the seaside of the boom. We spot a scared Common Nighthawk startled from her nest in the sand. Kinship's Darla sees two chicks where the nighthawk had been. The babies are alive but uncommonly still. We document this odd behavior via video and stills. Nine pelicans fly overhead and at least two look oiled. A nearing storm forces USFW to cancel the rest of our tour. We boat back in a heavy downpour.
JUN 30 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
In Open Gulf Waters, Aboard Tankers On Call For The Spill SUBMITTED BY: Esther Regelson, Darla Wolak Kinship Circle Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Venice and South Pass, both in Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/30/10: We arrive at the Associated Bar Pilots Office to meet James Flynn. By 10:15, we take a small boat to a tanker, where we climb a rope ladder to board. There, we wait to switch ships. With Jim Flynn as pilot, we head toward Southwest Pass. There is no clear evidence of oily water and no booms the entire length of Southwest Pass. Near the end of the pass, we see rough water spilling over jetties due to Hurricane Alex. Here, oil sheens are present. Open waters are too turbulent to detect oil. Another pilot escorts us from the tanker to the pilot station at the end of the pass, leaving minimal time to inspect the island. We do see oily grasses and shore. Jim scoops up grass that leaves oily residue on his hand. A pilot boat returns us to open water where we board a tanker with a Japanese crew. We observe porpoises swimming near the jetty, but no sign of oil. As we head back to the tanker, oil slicks become evident again. We leave on the pilot boat to visit what is left of Pilot Town — an area devastated in Hurricane Katrina. Marshes teem with spiders, birds, nutria, but no oil is seen.
JUN 29 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Some Of The Rescue Effort Is Bound In Red Tape SUBMITTED BY: Esther Regelson, Darla Wolak Kinship Circle Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — New Orleans and New Iberia, both in Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/29/10: Kinship Circle's Darla Wolak and Esther Regelson are out the door by 5:30am, en route to the airport to document a pelican transport. By 7:00, a German documentarian group joins us, but no plane. Dr. Sharon Taylor informs us that we are only permitted to film from outside the gate. Esther asks Dr. Taylor for an interview, but she needs clearance from JIC. She then enters an adjacent building. AEOTGE team members follow the German crew inside, but are pushed out by Dr. Taylor because we are not press. Esther calls Chris Tollefson from JIC, as he originally approved our visit, but cannot reach him. Darla phones WA2S film director Tom McPhee for backup. By this time, the transport is underway. We film it from beyond the fence. At 11:00am we proceed out I-10 toward a town hall meeting in New Iberia. We drive in torrential rains, with some flooding and exit closings along the way. Once at town hall, we search out agency reps involved with cleanup and wildlife recovery. First, we interview Gary Shiganaka and his associates at NOAA about tortoise rescue. Darla asks if we can accompany NOAA by plane or boat and he explains that NOAA is finalizing protocols for media tours, particularly where overwhelmed turtle rescuers are. We also speak to Louisiana Wildlife And Fisheries Department, an EPA liaison, and another NOAA rep, Steve Gittings, who is optimistic in the face of the spill.
JUN 28 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Birds Get Pepto Bismol To Soothe Distress From Oil Ingestion SUBMITTED BY: Esther Regelson, Darla Wolak Kinship Circle Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — New Orleans, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/28/10: We return to IBRRC Bird Cleaning Operation to interview IBRRC director Jay Holcomb. We video oil decontamination cleaning on a "masked boobie" from start to finish. We also conduct a brief interview with IBRRC employee Rebecca that focuses on stress coping tools for animal rescuers in this disaster.While there, a new oiled tern arrives. We videotape the bird mummy-wrapped in a towel so that a veterinarian and several assistants can examine him. The bird is gavaged with a tubing syringe that administers Pepto Bismol directly into his stomach. The long tube is inserted via the bird's mouth so that Pepto Bismol can coat his stomach lining and provide relief from oil ingestion. We learn that authorized bird organizations are trying to determine how to handle fledglings, since they need to be weaned with adult pelicans.
JUN 20-25 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
An Infinite Mess Adrift At Sea — Devouring Everything In Its Path SUBMITTED BY: Darla Wolak with Esther Regelson, Byron Wilkes, Rachel Laskowski, Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Copobrie, Louisiana and Houma, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/25/10: In Terrebonne Parish we embed with a Coast Guard boat to inspect barrier islands. Wildlife is scarce, due to hurricane destruction of animal habitat in past years. Our captain says over 25 islands have vanished. We record evidence of oil in marsh grasses and boats vacuuming oil. Containment booms circle the islands. Later, our team convenes at Houma Jet Center for a Coast Guard flight over the spill site with about 13 press members. During take-off, we see oil engulfing small islands. Further out, oil sheen sporadically reflects off water. Then thicker reddish-brown streams are evident. Oil streams swell at the line where water turns deep blue. Boat traffic increases as we near the site awash in dark crude oil. Two or three boats work a skimming system to collect oil globs on surface waters. Two fires burn from pipes at ships/stations. PERSONAL REFLECTION FROM KINSHIP CIRCLE'S DARLA WOLAK: Skimmers appear to collect oil by teaspoons, from a vast bathtub of oil. I am struck by the immensity of a job that can never be completed. To see this infinite mess adrift at sea, devouring everything in its path as it creeps toward land and animals, is terrifying. JUN 20-25 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Locals Tire Of Bureaucracy That Blocks Animal Rescue SUBMITTED BY: Byron Wilkes, Esther Regelson, Rachel Laskowski, Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — New Orleans, Louisiana and Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/21/10: We head to Fort Jackson and IBRRC Bird Cleaning. We film multiple sessions (i.e., 20-minute wash, rinse, wash, rinse and dry for each adult Brown Pelican). We are advised that nearly 700 birds across 25 species have come to this facility — including adult and juvenile Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gulls, larger seagulls, a variety of terns, and a rare Red Egret. As of 6/21/10, 97 birds have left the facility for other locations. Jay Holcomb, IBRRC director, says they know thousands more birds are oil impacted and that they expect numbers to rise drastically if weather worsens. Their current Fort Jackson location falls in the hurricane evacuation zone, so they plan to move within the next month. Six wash stations are armed with hoses and powerful nozzles, multiple soap mixtures and rinsing agents, towels, cleaning solutions, and hundreds of Dawn soap bottles. Washbasins and cloths are drenched in oil. HAZMAT "tyvet" clothing, gloves and other materials worn by workers must be disposed at intervals. Replacement items continually enter this "production assembly line." Working round the clock, each shift is 20 minutes, followed by 40 minutes of rest due to dehydration concerns. Later we speak to PJ Hahn, Director of Coastal Zone Management in Plaquemines Parish. Parish management and residents are upset about overall damage to the coastal environment. PJ himself inspects every weekend. He says fish clearly swim in the oil. Tiny crabs make trails in the oil. Many birds are oiled too. He worries that current protocol is too restrictive and that Unified Command and IBRRC have rebuffed more trained rescuers. The bureaucracy and inability to access impacted areas frustrates everyone, he tells us. JUN 20-25 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE Team Follows Lead About Oil At Terrebonne Outer Isles SUBMITTED BY: Byron Wilkes and Esther Regelson, Kinship Circle Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/20-25/10: Kinship Circle's Byron Wilkes and Esther Regelson head to Houma in Terrebonne Parish, LA to verify reports of oil penetration in outer small islands and grasslands. Several fishermen inform us that affected areas are about 20 miles off the tip of Cocodrie — a major marina on the Terrebonne coastline.
REFLECTIONS: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
REFLECTIONS FROM OUR VOLUNTEERS AT THE GULF DISASTER SUBMITTED BY: Sister Michael Marie, Kinship Circle Team #2
Gulls who normally circle over fishing boats are gone. The area is silent and without movement. A handful of birds, driven by hunger, hover over one oily shrimp boat in anticipation of a bite. Finally, they fly away with empty stomachs. Brown Pelicans occasionally plummet into dark waters to search for food. They are oblivious to the deadly sheen. In some places oil is invisible when mixed with water, though a fine layer coats any creature who dives into it. For the pelicans, each dive paints their bodies in a new toxic layer. Eventually oil is so thick they are flightless.
JUN 19 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Animals In Oil: Can Unified Command Rescue Them All? SUBMITTED BY: Rachel Laskowski, Jon Shurtz, Tom McFee, Kevin McPhee LOCATION: REGION #2 — Fort Morgan, Alabama and Destin, Florida SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/19/10: Kinship Circle's Rachel Laskowski and AEOTGE's Jon Shurtz, along with Tom and son Kevin McPhee, drive to Fort Morgan, AL to explore Mobile Bay beach. Two dead birds are sited. Tom speaks to a father/son team with a camera mounted on a sky balloon. They are eager to have their baseline data uploaded to World Animal Awareness Society's live map. Tom also engages EcoRigs.org, speaking to Steve Kolin about use of their underwater footage. When time to leave, we discover our vehicle is entrenched in sand. Nearby clean-up crews are not permitted to pull us out due to liability issues. Tom approaches a different contractor with a large beach-crawling rig. He is able to drag our car to level ground. We then travel as far as Destin, FL to interview Christopher Smith, a local who wants BP to purchase his brand of boom. Unfortunately, sea turtles won't approach this type boom, so it is illegal to position it in front of beachside condos and homes. Mr. Smith informs us that tomorrow BP will meet residents at Orange Beach, AL who want to express ideas for circumventing the spill.
Captains Hessemer and Aderhold welcome our presence on board with them and LA Fisheries & Wildlife staff, but cannot make this decision without BP-Unified Command approval. I also speak to three more charter boat captains made inactive by the oil disaster. They are forced to travel over 100 miles to fish because normal fishing waters are closed. On a couple trips more than 140 miles at sea, they glimpse large tuna, chicken dolphins and mahi mahi. All seem to swim away from the oil.
JUN 18 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Sea Turtles Need Rescue From Oil-Burning Waters SUBMITTED BY: Bonnie Morrison, Sister Michael Marie, Byron Wilkes, Kinship Circle Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/18/10: Jacob Stroman of PAWS Rescue in Belle Chasse, LA tells us this shelter does not see oil spill repercussions for companion animals. However, there is a push for pet food and pet food bank donations in Ft. Sulpher, LA. PAWS is a no-kill shelter with a waiting list. Animal guardians fluctuate from anger to pride or shame when relinquishing pets, so it is sometimes difficult to discern the real reason. We follow up on a turtle rescue operation involving Kevin Aderhold, owner of Strike Zone Charters. He has five boats and is under contract with BP to conduct water rescue with Blair Witherington, a research scientist with Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservatory. Mr. Aderhold says they catch 1 to 11 oiled turtles daily. He is aware of 64 turtle rescues and two deaths over the last three weeks. The turtles are brought to English Turn Species Rehab Area in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Kinship Circle's Byron Wilkes also speaks to Mr. Aderhold to clarify whether sea turtles are burned alive when they swim through oil burnoffs. The purpose of the rescue operation, he explains, is to divert them from fiery waters.
JUN 17 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Dolphins Behaving Oddly, Impact On Family Animals SUBMITTED BY: Rachel Laskowski and Jon Shutz, Kinship Circle Team #1 LOCATION: REGION #2 — Perdido Key and Holiday Harbor Marina, Florida SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/30/10: Our first stop is Holiday Harbor Marina in Florida. We discuss the oil spill's effect on sharks with local fishermen. Our next investigative site is Fort Pickens State Park Aquatic Preserve — to look for sharks usually seen on the shoals here. But, we do not see a single shark. Along the side of Pensacola Bay, we videotape workers installing boom. The Coast Guard warns us of an approaching storm, so we leave the area. On the drive back to the marina, we notice a pod of dolphins. We follow them for quite awhile, especially to observe the unusual behavior of three dolphins. They appear to be uncharacteristically mating at the surface of the water… SUBMITTED BY: Bonnie Morrison, Kinship Team #1 LOCATION: REGION # 1 – New Orleans, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/17/10: PRESENT: Kinship Circle’s Randy Wheat, Sister Michael Marie, Bonnie Morrison. We interview Tessa Corthell, Jefferson Parish LASPCA Director, regarding the oil spill's impact on economy and families with companion animals. The shelter is currently filled to capacity. We next tour Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) in Harahan, LA and speak with the shelter manager. Kinship Circle's Randy Wheat conducts a phone interview with ARNO Executive Director Charlotte Bass. Kinship Circle Mary Kelly arranges for AEOTGE to attend a shelter task force meeting. An attending member suggests that AEOTGE Director, Tom McPhee, set up a hotline or email for the public to report the spill's economic effects on people and their animals.
JUN 16 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Island Engulfed in Silence And The Absence Of Birds SUBMITTED BY: Sister Michael Marie and Randy Wheat, Kinship Team #2 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Lafitte, Louisiana; Barataria Bay, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/16/10: Our day begins with a Town Hall meeting with Mayor and council members of Lafitte, Louisiana. In addition to team members, others who accompany our boat excursion from Lafitte include: Mayor Timothy Kerner; Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts; Councilman at Large Tom Capella; Jefferson Parish Council Chief Of Staff Sonny Burman; Washingon Post Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Carol Guzy; local Fox 8 news team plus two other news teams; Lieutenant Commander Michael Heiser, US Coast Guard Liaison for the Parrish EOC; and Michael Melsheimer, Town of Jean Lafitte Photographer hired to document the effects of the oil spill on the town. We leave Lafitte dock to go to Barataria Bayou, past Queen Bess Island (aka Pelican Island). There, team members record a FOX News interview with Mayor Kerner and shoot stills of birds in flight over the island. We stop at the Grand Isle Marina to interview Shae Crane, Mayor Kerner's niece and a student of ecology and evolutionary biology. She is studying the oil spill's effects on crab larvae and crab populations. At 3:30pm, we dock our boat at an island in Bay Jimmy, about 25 miles from Lafitte. Eight feet of shoreline is smeared black and marsh grasses are all dead. The island is engulfed in a peculiar silence, marked by the absence of birds. An odor overcomes your senses, as if inhaling fumes from a gas pump. A barge, with two septic trucks on board, vacuums oil. On our return to Lafitte, we pass a cleanup crew aboard a barge carrying dumpsters, a shade tent for workers, and a lifting crane. At least two-dozen airboats swarm the barge. Fishing boats, rendered useless by the BP spill, are loaded with clean boom coiled inside clear trash bags. They spread out new boom and collect oil-soaked boom to return to the barge. Some workers wear Tyvek suits with rubber boots and gloves. SUBMITTED BY: Bonnie Morrison, Incident Command Team #1 LOCATION: REGION #1 — New Orleans, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/15/10: Kinship Circle volunteer Darla Wolak alerts us to Key Largo Marine Mammal Conservatory — designated by Unified Command as the official morgue for oil-related animal carcasses. There are currently no animals at the facility… Today our attention turns to other victims of this disaster: Surrendered companion animals and their impact on overcrowded shelters. We begin to investigate how loss of livelihood (much like the mortgage crisis) leads to abandonment of domestic animals.
JUN 15 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Investigations By Water, Air And Land SUBMITTED BY: Sister Michael Marie, Cheri Deatsch, Kinship Circle Team #1 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Grand Isle, Louisiana SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/15/10: Sand Dollar Marina is desolate, other than a few sanitation workers who refuse to speak to us. A Jefferson Parish CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) trailer and Emergency Management Unified Command vehicle are visible behind a fence. We speak to a couple on Grand Isle's north beach. The woman, a self-proclaimed “Crab Lady,” tells us that the oil has stopped her family's tradition. We document a resident's property along the north shore that is filled with nearly 100 two-foot high white crosses. Each cross bears the painted name of different fish, sea creatures, and water related activities now jeopardized by the mass spill. SUBMITTED BY: Rachel Laskowski, Jonathan Shurtz, Kinship Circle Team #1 LOCATION: REGION #2 – Perdido Key, Florida SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/15/10: We head for the Holiday Harbor in Perdido Key, FL. Once on the water, we photograph/video Osprey nests near a marsh area southwest of Rabbit Island. We later spot dolphins near Kees Bayou toward the end of Inerarity Point. A Blue Heron is seen standing alongside a boom near the marsh at Inerarity Point. There, AEOTGE team members make contact with the Oceanic Preservation Society expedition.
JUN 14 2010: WA2S AND KINSHIP CIRCLE
Residents Worry Gulf Coast Will Become A Dead Zone SUBMITTED BY: Bonnie Morrison, Kinship Team #1 LOCATION: REGION #1 — Base Camp in New Orleans, Louisiana
Division of Team #1 into smaller breakout teams is discussed during a noon conference call between Kinship Circle president Brenda Shoss, WA2S.org founder-filmmaker Tom McPhee, and Kinship's Incident Commander Bonnie Morrison. Our volunteer spotters will canvas oil affected areas across five states, to record and report distressed wildlife.
REGION #1: New Orleans, Jefferson Parish (Grand Isle) Plaquemines Parish (Venice, LA) REGION #2: Coastline between Biloxi, Mississippi and Pensacola, Florida, Alabama REGION #3: Southern tip of Florida coastline down to Florida Keys, Miami Beach, etc. Kinship Circle Team #1 exits on 6/22/10, with some Team #2 members arriving 6/15 for training. In the field, teams are dispatched via assignment from Tom, who expresses enthusiasm for the project thus far. LOCATION: REGION #2 — Perdido Key Harbor, Florida SITES-ACTIVITIES 6/14/10: A local couple suggests we investigate Orange Beach, an area overtaken by oil on 6/13/10. Around 3:00pm, we notice police stationed along Orange Beach Hwy 182. They inform us that President Obama is en route. We align with WKRG News 5 reporter Debbie Williams to watch the presidential brigade. Ms. Williams also directs us to many more oil-affected sites to check out: - Ponsi Care Wildlife Rescue - Gulf State Park - Lake Shelby Nature Museum - A turtle-nesting site that is under surveillance for oil repercussions - Beach Mounts and Dolphin Island - Gulf Coast Zoo, sheltering affected animals - Cotton Bayou (Orange Beach, Robinson Island, Perdido Island, Cat Island) - Sports Marina boom work - Orange Beach Bridge drenched in oil SUBMITTED BY: Sister Michael Marie, Kinship Circle Team #1 LOCATION: REGIONS #1 and #2 — New Orleans, LA and Pensacola Bay Area, FL SITES-ACTIVITIES: Tom McPhee and Sister leave Abita Springs for New Orleans, while Bonnie Morrison, Rachel Laskowski and Jon Shurtz go to Pensacola Bay. Our REGION #1 group surveys the Audubon Species Survival Center on a forested peninsula off the Mississippi River. This facility conducts wildlife rehab, endangered species reproduction, and marine mammal rehab. Nearly 40 oiled turtles have come through so far. We join REGION #2 team members in Pensacola to scout for oil-affected animals… Thomas and Susan Bizzell of Pensacola offer to help procure boats and aircraft for wildlife assessment. The couple is distraught over physical and economic losses attributed to the oil. Tom feels that most residents believe the Gulf will evolve into a dead zone. The Bizzells say big network news stories are stale and incomplete. They are intrigued by the concept of our documentary and want to help record the reality of this tragedy… Daphine, AL residents Robert and Joanne Reintz generously provide their home as a volunteer base. Joanne is very upset over oil that has already invaded Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Sticky black fingers now reach into Mobile Bay as well. Joanne hopes word spreads about the true extent of damage… |
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KINSHIP CIRCLE
Animal Advocacy | Education | Disaster Aid info@kinshipcircle.org • KinshipCircle.org • KinshipCircle.org/disasters 314-795-2646 | 7380 Kingsbury Blvd | Saint Louis, MO 63130 USA ● Federal 501(c)(3) under U.S. IRS ruling, Public Charity Status: 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) ● Tax Employee Identification Number (EIN) available upon request ● Nonprofit Certificate of Incorporation, Charter: N00071626 ● PRIVACY POLICY |
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