This is a message that is very dear to my heart. Please read and help out.
Sea Turtles Struggling
Help Restore their Habitat today
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It was a year ago April 20th that BP's Deepwater Horizon well exploded, ultimately sending over 200 million gallons of toxic crude into the Gulf of Mexico.
Under the Clean Water Act, BP must pay fines for each barrel of oil spilled. However, the current law requires that this money be deposited into a trust fund in the federal treasury. Unless Congress takes action soon, the Clean Water Act penalties from the BP oil disaster will not be reinvested in the Gulf.
A few weeks after the spill, a juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle--the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world--was searching for crabs in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 35 miles off the Louisiana coast. But sadly, instead of finding something to eat, the turtle found itself covered in crude oil, spewing from BP's Deepwater Horizon well. The little turtle's eyes, mouth and skin began to burn, and it found itself struggling to breathe. This turtle was one of the "lucky ones"--it was found by state wildlife officials, rehabilitated and eventually released back into the Gulf.
Unfortunately, many Kemp's ridleys were not rescued. Of the more than 600 dead sea turtles collected in the months after last April's oil spill disaster in the Gulf, nearly 500 were Kemp's ridleys. Many more were lost, their bodies never recovered. There were even reports of sea turtles being burned alive in fires set by BP's cleanup crews.
Just last month--almost a year after the spill began--seven times as many turtles were found stranded as would be typical. The cause of these recent standings is still under investigation.
The Kemp's ridleys need Gulf Coast restoration projects to restore their habitat so their populations can recover from the oil disaster.
(this is a link to a very easy and fast way to email them Thanks for all you do for wildlife!
Sue Brown
Executive Director, NWF Action Fund |
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