Gulf Tides 15: The Dead Zone

We recently wrapped up another episode of "Gulf Tides", a web video series for the Gulf Restoration Network.

I've been reporting on, writing about, and filming the Gulf Coast environment for what seems like quite some time now. The stories I tell all seem to lead back to the same idea: that the Gulf Coast region and the Mississippi River Delta are economically important environments that need to be taken seriously and protected from degradation.

The Gulf Restoration Network is a homegrown New Orleans non-profit that focuses on the health of the Gulf of Mexico and the wetlands it borders. I'm very proud to work with the people they have on staff to make sure the public is aware of the dangers that face our region if we do not take action.

This episode features the Dead Zone and its impacts up and down the Mississippi River. I learned a lot about what goes on up river to cause the Dead Zone in the Gulf. This episode was also a great opportunity to polish up my archival footage researching skills as we were not able to just go out and get most of the footage we needed.

BP Oil Leak - On the ground update #8

Yesterday I filmed at the BP Oil Leak command center in Hopedale, LA. I did interviews with some of the fisherman who are working as temporary contractors for BP under the Vessel of Opportunity Program.

Under the program, BP moved quickly to hire local fishermen work as crews to prevent the oil from seeping into the marsh. Because of this initiative, many fisherman who would be out of work due to fishing closures are able to earn an income.

The fisherman I talked to shared thoughts, ideas, and concerns of the oil leak and it's suspected ability to damage the abundance of fish and wildlife in the coastal estuaries. One gentleman I talked to, Raymond "Bozo" Couture, told me that he thought the marsh would take at least 10 years to recover from a major hit by the oil leak.

Others were worried about the long term damage to their health from exposure to the dispersant chemicals that are being used to break up the oil slick. Without any solid public information on the chemical makeup and danger of the dispersants, I certainly share their concern.

State Senator A.G. Crowe who represents St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Orleans parishes seems to be one of our public officials who is pressing the State's Attorney General Buddy Caldwell to further investigate the danger of the dispersants. I would encourage those of you who share my concerns to write Senator Crowe an email of support as well as one to Attorney General Caldwell asking that he pursue Senator Crowe's requests.

BP Oil Leak - On the ground update # 7

Today I went to Delacroix Island in St. Bernard Parish. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries Delacroix was a thriving village of Spanish families that found sustenance in the waters and marshes of the Breton Sound Basin. I myself am a descendant of these people who call themselves Los Isleños.

Today, most of the original Spanish families have left Delacroix for higher ground in the western parts of St. Bernard Parish. Still, some Isleños have remained, choosing to continue the traditional way of life as fishermen.

My first stop was at the Destination Delacroix Fishing Lodge where its owner Freddie Dietz was doing some long over-due maintenance to his place. Normally, Freddie would be taking his charter clients out for some early summer speckled-trout fishing, but because the Louisiana Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries has closed fishing in the Breton Sound Basin under pressure of the encroaching oil leak, Freddie was on dry land today.

I talked with Freddie about what the oil leak meant for the productive estuary where he makes a living. He certainly was alarmed, but he showed it with the resilience it took to survive multiple hits to his business from hurricanes Katrina, Ike, and Gustav.

Freddie also told me why the oil leak could be devastating to the estuary. He explained that this the time of year marks the beginning of the life cycle for many of the species of wildlife that inhabit the area and a strike during this stage could deplete their abundance for many years to come.

After talking with Freddie for a bit, I made my way up Delacroix Highway back towards the western end of the parish. I didn't go far before I ran into a old timer who I knew was an Isleño upon first sight. I can't explain how I knew, but those from the area will know what I mean.

I got out of my car and introduced myself and before long the man and I had determined that we were actually third cousins. His mother and my great-grandfather were sister and brother. I was not surprised.

The man's name was Thomas Gonzales, 71-years-old., and he has been a fisherman since he was old enough to work on a boat. We sat and talked under his mobile home which he had raised 17 feet off the ground in 2007. Mr. Thomas told me about oil spills that had happened in the interior marshes many years ago. The clean-up method back then was to burn the affected marsh, and let a new layer of grass grow from below the ash. This process is something that is being considered if the current BP leak finds its way into the marshes.

Mr. Thomas told me, as many others have, that the oil leak will be much worse for the estuary than a hurricane. He was fishing crabs only 3 months after Katrina, but if the oil gets into the marsh he had little faith that it would recover soon.

On the ground update #1

I went to a hazardous materials training session today facilitated by the St. Bernard Parish Government. There were over 200 commercial fisherman as well as a number of recreational charter fishing captains. The session was sponsored by BP as a way to fast-track certification for those who will be working to corral the oil leak.

I was supposed to actually film some of the session but after talking with an old family friend, Mr. Charles Robin, I decided to take the training so that I could work with him on his double rigger by laying out protective oil booms. I won't be able to start working with Mr. Charles on the Ellie Margaret until I have fulfilled my obligations to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to film sessions with their CEO and president Larry Schweiger.

Phase 1 of the operation will begin tomorrow morning and will consist of teams of fisherman on their personal vessels laying out oil booms. They will be assigned to certain areas in the eastern part of the Breton Sound basin in St. Bernard Parish.

I will be heading to Venice, LA in the morning to film a boat tour with the folks from NWF. I believe that NWF is going to play a huge role in the national response to this tragedy and I consider myself very lucky to be working with them.

This is a very stressful time for the people of St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Those of us who've invested much of our lives into the estuaries of the Breton Sound basin know that this oil leak will be detrimental to this great American natural resource.