Defenders of Wildlife Blog

I woke up this morning in Fairhope, Alabama.  It seemed so appropriate, staying in a town named Fairhope.  As we wait for this disaster to unfold, we all are embracing any sort of “fair hope” that damage caused by the spill won’t be as bad as anticipated.    

We learned late yesterday from our board member Jeff Corwin, who is down here reporting on the spill for CBS, that oil had reached the shores of the Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana.  This morning I turned on the news to hear that they had just started to lower the dome over the oil leak.  The reporter said that it will take a couple of days to get the dome placed over the leak and we should know by Monday if it works. Let’s cross our fingers that it does!

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Pelicans with Boom (Krista Schlyer)

That’s what the people all along the Gulf coast here are doing now. The locals, the reporters, the researchers and the wildlife. We are all waiting. We spent the morning in a coffee shop in Mobile with Julie Cart of the LA Times and Steve Gorman of Reuters. They are waiting too. Waiting for the spill to reach shore and we all know it’s coming. Worrying about the impacts once it does. And the longer we wait, the more personal it becomes. Even if we are not from around here, now that we have been here, it has become intensely and disturbingly personal.

So while we waited, we traveled across Mobile Bay this morning on the ferry, passing numerous gas rigs easily within eyesight, Coast Guard boats and thousands of feet of booms that have been laid out to protect this valuable shore line and the wildlife that call this beautiful place home. Brown pelicans look out onto the water from the docks and jetties and were flying around overhead. The few folks that were on the ferry with us all had stories to tell. One very talkative gentleman who makes his living in the seafood industry was concerned about the future. He said he was sure this spill would change the shrimping industry for decades if not more. He was certain he would not see it the same for the rest of his lifetime (and he is only in his mid-50s!). Another man was telling us about his invention, an environmentally safe chemical that could be sprayed on the coastline so the oil would not soak into the sand. Wouldn’t it be nice if it really works??? While we were on the ferry, one of our staff in DC decided to shave her head to donate her hair to the oil spill efforts. Others were planning to as well. Another staffer was making arrangements to collect hair from dog groomers. Everyone had a story to tell and everyone wanted to do something to help. And still, all of us were waiting. Continue Reading

Pelicans and an Oil Rig off Bon Secour NWR (Krista Schlyer)

We made it to Mobile, Alabama on a mission to see the national wildlife refuges along the gulf and what is at stake before the oil slick hits shore. Once we landed, we immediately headed down the coast to Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The name comes from the French meaning “safe harbor” which seems appropriate, and hopefully not ironic, as over the next few weeks oil threatens the shore line. What struck me immediately was the beautiful white sandy beaches, which could sadly turn black from the impending oil. We walked along the Jeff Friend Trail to the shoreline, passing lizards running for cover, a small and patient copperhead snake (who posed for a few pictures for Krista, our photographer, before moving back into the scrub) and numerous migrating song birds and dragon flies. When we hit the beach, it became all too real what a sanctuary this place is for the many plants and animals that reside here. The refuge is surrounded by beach houses and other shoreline development. We all do love the same beautiful places that the wildlife love, don’t we? This refuge is fairly small, compared to most national wildlife refuges, but is the largest undeveloped parcel of land left along the Alabama coast and has been designated one of the 10 natural wonders of Alabama. All too critical for the many critters that call this place home.

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Trees in Bon Secour NWR (Krista Schlyer)

Posted by Krista Schlyer, a photographer for Enviro-pic.org and member of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama

On a late afternoon walk in Bon Secour NWR an eerie normalcy prevails in the upbeat melody of birds and frogs. This is the first day of a three day trip with Defenders of Wildlife to document the coastal wildlife habitats of the Gulf, before and after the impending resolution to the mass of oil accumulating from an exploded offshore oil rig.

I’m traveling with Defenders’ Executive Vice President Jamie Rappaport Clark and Cindy Hoffman, Vice President of Communications to try to get a sense of exactly what is at stake here for some very rare remnants of coastal habitat and their inhabitants. One of those remnants is Bon Secour—a French phrase that translates as “safe harbor.” Depending on Gulf currents, these brilliant white beaches may soon be anything but safe for the wildlife they were first protected for in 1980. Continue Reading