The Gulf and her pain - 41 days and counting

Weeks ago the Horizon well exploded into a raging fire and sank into the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, oil has spewed from the uncapped pipeline - today is its 41st consecutive day of conintuous gushing, creating new dead zones... hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil... floating and choking the waters and the marshed of Louisiana's coastline. But the surface isn't the only area covered in oil... the weight of the crude oil also causes it to float in huge underwater clouds. Hundreds of thousands gallons of dispersants were used as a preventative measure in a frantic attempt to keep the oil away from the coastline, but it now seems that the dispursants are creating a worse disaster because of its toxicity to marine life.

The sea's entire food chain could suffer years of devastation. Already we see images of bags filled with dead pelicans, sea turtles floating in the waters, young juvenile herons struggling in the oil, and thousands of acres of oyster beds contaminated. The timing during this breeding and nesting season, could not have been worse. And its not over yet. Hurricane season begins on June 1st and it is predicted that this year will yeild a higher number of named storms. Just a lightweight tropical storm can spread the oil everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

I find myself emotional... tears threatening to spill with every image that flashes on the news. My gut hurts just thinking about what we have already lost. When will we (humankind) wake up?

Isn't it bad enough that toxic fertilizers from farmlands all across the midwest wash their poisons into the Mississippi river where they travel to the Gulf and create a dead zone? And now Louisiana gets shafted from below... more poisons reach from south of the state, creeping across the waters - chemical dispursants poured into the water to try to diffuse the oil slick that has been breached from the belly of the Gulf floor.

In two weeks I am to go on a cruise with my daughters and grandchildren and my parents. We leave out of the port of New Orleans... I suppose right through an oil slick. If the ship actually sails, I brace myself for the sight. As an artist... and one with a strong connection to my totem, the blue heron, I wonder what I can do to help. Artists are being called upon to paint these threatened species and the beautiful seascape that is being fouled by humankind. Hopefully auctions, sales, etc, can be a small help in aiding the releif workers and wildlife rescue attempts. Until then, all I can do is pray for an awakening in the hearts of humankind. We need to invest in sustainable, renewable energy sources, focus on energy conservation, recycling and the like... TIME TO WAKE UP, PEOPLE!