Florida’s marshes, wetlands and estuaries will have priority in any Gulf Oil spill prevention measures, according to Governor Charlie Crist because they are the most vulnerable and hardest to clean. That should put Virginia Key’s 700-acre Bill Sadowski Critical Wildlife Area at the forefront of local efforts.
Although you wouldn’t know it from looking at Miami-Dade County’s Environmental Resources Management Department website, which offers scant information on the County’s plans. The County does have a link for those who want to volunteer, in the event the Gulf Oil reaches our shores: http://www.iaminvolved.org/
Looks like it will be up to people to get organized. Taking photos to document current conditions is one way. Getting informed (check out the resource web sites below) is another.
So is: Holding hands across the sand in solidarity (and protest).
Saturday, June 26, you’ll get a chance to join an international movement at the Hands Across the Sand events - from “Dog Beach” on Virginia Key to in front of BP’s London headquarters - to “Help say NO to offshore drilling and Yes to clean energy.”
The Big Event in Miami Dade County - sponsored by 1 Sky, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Surfrider Foundation, ECOMB, Environment Florida and the Urban Paradise Guild - takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at 5th Street, (on the sand), South Beach. www.handsacrossthesanemiami.com
The Dolphin Foundation (www.savethedolphins.org) is hosting an event on Virginia Key at the “Dog Beach,” one of many thoughtout South Florida. More info: contact@thedolphinfoundation.org, (305) 305-8212.
Photo Project: Tropical Seike photo project is collecting photos of shorelines to document existing conditions. The photo-baseline project will collect images of our beaches, estauries, and harbors before and after the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil/tar arrives. Include the name of the specific site and date. The project site is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tropical-Selkie-gathering-the-ocean-tribes/231034041891?ref=mf
Other web sites/resources:
http://www.miamidade.gov/oem/deepwaterhorizon.asp (not too helpful right now, but they promise to keep us posted).
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm
http://www.thegovmonitor.com/world_news/united_states/florida-outlines-bp-gulf-oil-spill-response-for-june-20-2010-33924.html
http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/
I hope some tourism officials show up, too. Instead of touting our clean beaches to tourists they should be working to stop oil drilling off our coasts and any coasts if the technology doesn't exist to clean up mistakes - like the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.
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