Grand Isle Report

Well, good morning. It's another beautiful day on southern Louisiana. Today marks a week that I have been down here working.

There has been a lot of negative and inaccurate press about the work we are doing. It is a bit disheartening to the dedicated men & women, experts in their field, from all over the country, who have left behind the comforts of home & family, to help out.

While the Deepwater Horizon has pumped out far more oil than Exxon Valdez, this is a totally different situation. Whereas Exxon Valdez dumped all its oil all at once in a small area, the spill here is spreading throughout the Gulf and much of it has not impacted the coastline, YET. The potential for serious impacts exist, but at present I see good protection with booms and absorbent material, great coverage of area looking for wildlife.

Yesterday we only brought in a few birds. The number has been declining as the date of the last wave of oil recedes. I worry that complacency will cause a withdrawal of interest and support that erodes our numbers here, leaving an inadequate response team in place for when the "BIG OIL" hits. Perhaps there is. I'm not privy to any of that and don't have time to sit down and watch the news.

My other concern is that there needs to be a plan in place for massive rapid response should, or when, a large mass of oil comes ashore. What oil I have been seeing is fresh and unweathered. And I've heard some of the captains report that there is a large slick not too far offshore.