A look back at the Exxon Valdez incident

For those of us who remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the Alaska coast and the horrible images of oil-covered animals and land, the thought of the seemingly uncontrollable oil seeping from the gulf is unbearable. According to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, "The carcasses of more than 35,000 birds and 1,000 sea otters were found after the spill, but since most carcasses sink, this is considered to be a small fraction of the actual death toll." While several species are classified as recovered, several more are still recovering, and Pacific Herring and Pigeon Guillemots have not recovered at all - even after twenty years.

On the human side, commercial fishing is still considered in recovery to this day, as is tourism and Native Alaskan subsistence. Since herring have not recovered at all, that side of the fishing industry was hardest hit. The oil still lingers to this day. From the EVOSTC website: "This Exxon Valdez oil is decreasing at a rate of 0-4% per year, with only a 5% chance that the rate is as high as 4%. At this rate, the remaining oil will take decades and possibly centuries to disappear entirely."

Part of the problem in the Prince William Sound is the lack of waves and winter storms. Will warmer weather and a tendency toward massive storms help the gulf coast? I'm unable to find any data either way. Even if the warm weather and waves do have a positive impact compared with the spill in Alaska, the fact is that millions of humans and non-humans will be adversely affected for years by this spill. Fishing, tourism, local subsistence - still in recovery from the 2005 hurricane season - will no doubt be devastated.

So what can we do to help? I found this article listing several agencies that are calling for volunteers to help with cleaning sea birds to cleaning the oil itself. Of course Dawn dishwashing liquid is what is used to safely clean oil-covered birds and mammals, so even if you can't go to the coast to volunteer, you can do something as simple as buying Dawn.

NBC Nightly News has a great list of ways that you can help, too. I'm super-liking all of the ideas about putting unemployed fishermen to work trying to keep the oil at bay. This article from WWLTV in New Orleans writes:

"In Boothville in Plaquemines Parish, BP is offering a paid program that teaches interested fishermen how to use the oil booms and contain the spill.

The class, which is being offered at the Boothville-Venice School gym, is all about oil safety, so whenever the volunteers who completed the program encounter oil in the water, they'll know how to deal with it."

If anyone knows of other aid needed, please let us know so we can pass along the word, and we'll keep an eye out for others as well.