This was sent to me and I'm passing it on. I'm getting first hand reports from friends who are in the front lines, some who have left their homes and jobs in order to meet the oil head on as it washes ashore.

I'm struck by similarities in the reaction of the guilty party which are amazingly similar to TVA's early statements designed to deflect blame and responsibility to some degree. We even heard the rumor that "environmental whackos" had used a bomb to cause the ash spill, an amazing similarity to something that Rush Limbaugh stated on his radio show regarding the exploded drill platform.

Update on Oil Spill

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kristen Kordecki

I spent Friday and Saturday morning in Venice, so I have a bit of an opinion, as anyone who spent time there would. I am reflecting on what is needed for the average person to become engaged and questioning if they can right now. This thing is like a concentric circle; the primary response by the responsible part, BP, is taking certain actions along with the Coast Guard and other rings of state and federal agencies. Then there's a fuzzy filter ring as it moves further out that we call corporate media who are not getting the public the whole story for reasons that include inability, negligence, willingness to accept basic information, etc. It's made more complex by the smoke and mirrors BP has been hiding behind as they continue to try to assemble an appropriate response. Some reporters are doing a good job, sure that is true, but how long did it take for the truth of the magnitude of this thing to finally be acknowledged? Just yesterday, at a press conference in Venice, Rear Admiral Landry of the USCG obfuscated when DIRECTLY asked if she believes BP's report that 5,000 gallons a day are leaking. When pressed, she attempted to turn it to the positive saying that BP is taking as much as action is possible. This helps that outside ring of the concentric circle, ie, the average person, feel confused, helpless and unsure of the situation. NOW, couple this the lack of effective planning and coordination for volunteers.

When we arrived on the docks of Venice, after a brief interview with ABC, we were met with what so many people were likening to a feeling that came before Katrina hit. This is definitely a tight knit group of friends and colleagues who "understand" each other. As we walked the docks, fisherman tried to console each other and get a handle on what was happening. It was sobering. Many reported that they had returned from the slick and the booms were not effective because the oil was just jumping the booms in the chop. It added to the fishermen's fear. One young fisherman, probably about 30, told me he was going to lose $20,000 in May alone. His only income are those waters and he has a family who counts on him. This is one of thousands of similar stories.

Estuaries, oyster beds, bird rookeries...the depth of impact on them can not be fathomed right now. It is enough to give me pause and hang my head. I have been listening to a Jay Farrar CD a lot lately and there is a line he bellows, "I want to bury my face in my hands and moan for mercy." Indeed.

Back home, I'm inundated with emails and phone calls from local friends and those in other states wondering how they can help. I'm not sure how to respond to them. We can't get an assessment on the ground; the marsh is a complex system with inlets and lands submerged and revealed by tides and it takes some serious recon to determine what can be boomed. There are no sandy beaches to congregate at, limited public bathrooms, 45 minutes from hotels and few restaurants of which one will certainly shut down in days because they operate based on local catch.

I know I sound despondent, but the situation does not lend itself well to optimism with a clear strategic response for either the feds or the public.

What is needed? What is that antidote to despair? I'm not sure. I think there are several ways to approach it, but it has to happen now and I wish I was in a position to help that happen. Communication and cooperation, as always, are the most effective way for several organizations and volunteers to respond to something like this. Unfortunately, accurate and timely information is not readily available and things are up in the air from moment to moment. What can volunteers do if they show up down there with a boat? Right now, probably nothing. Drew is trying to determine what action citizens can take. Right now, there is no coordination happening for citizens. It's dangerous and requires HAZMAT training and materials, like oil booms, are not available to volunteers. It takes an established, respected group to negotiate these things with the agencies and BP to make them available to the public who wants to help. Most obvious would be leadership from a non-profit organization that can pull together other volunteer action groups like TNC, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Audubon Society, LEAN, Save our Coast, into one hub that can help develop some assemblage of a response plan and ways for the community to tap in. Are they doing this? To the best that they can. It will not shock you to know that these organizations primarily run on soft money, often with volunteer staff and limited resources. It is simply a situation that does not have a any easy fix on the front end. HOWEVER, groups like Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana are taking volunteers to be on stand-by once the impact is clear and it is determined where volunteers are most needed. Lake Pontch. Basin Found., which also houses the program, Save Our Coast, has their team cooperating with the agencies to assess forthcoming impact.

These organizations are the very ones who will, without doubt, be focusing on restoration efforts when the oil, more or less, settles.

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I regret that I do not have a more positive or definitive plan of action to report. It will require a critical mass of volunteers to get down there with boats and access to booms to prevent further damage. I see that it will also require patience during a damage assessment that will take time. In turn, it will require the public to continually dig deep into their well of compassion and love of the ecological diversity of the coast to help restore estuaries and coastlines when an action plan is developed for public volunteers.

I certainly look forward to Drew bringing perhaps a better more action oriented perspective later today.

Kristen

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Kristen Kordecki
Watershed Coordinator (Bayou Teche watershed)
Acadiana RC&D