Gulf oil hits land and wildlife (Nationalgeographic.com)
May 3, 2010 by Craig Guillot
Filed under Articles and Features, Features
Louisiana’s coast serves as a winter resting spot for more than 70 percent of the country’s waterfowl, and the region is used by more than a hundred tropical migratory birds, said Melanie Driscoll, director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society’s Louisiana Coastal Initiative. (See waterbird pictures.)
Officials with the joint federal-industry team responding to the rig accident said that more than 217,000 feet (66,142 meters) of containment booms have been deployed to try to keep the oil slick from reaching the ecologically sensitive area. Wildlife workers are also firing loud cannons to “haze” birds from the water’s edge.
