Gulf Coast: Hunting for Oil in Grand Isle

Yesterday, my friend Ben and I hit the road and drove the two plus hours to Grand Isle from New Orleans, in the hopes of seeing the impact of the BP oil spill. I have never been to the South before, much less the Gulf Coast, and it was a totally new experience for me. The marsh lands that extend South of the city all the way to the coast are simply gorgeous and unlike anything I have ever seen. The future of these wetlands it now seems is completely uncertain as the oil continues to flow into the waters even today.

While the beach in Grand Isle is completely blocked off, I was able to go out on a fishing pier and see it from above. As you can see, the oil is clearly visible.. later on I was able to get close to the water and see what the oil looks like (and even touch it—very messy stuff). The air near the water has a distinctly chemical-y smell; perhaps from the dispersants being used or the oil itself.  The extend of this mess is astronomical.. and this is only one town along the Gulf Coast.

The clean up work was well underway, although it should also be noted that President Obama was visiting Grand Isle the day before we were there, so BP had probably directed more clean up efforts to this area. Even though areas of the beach had been freshly cleaned, new oil continues to wash ashore almost immediately. Large plastic garbage bags filled with removed oil lined the beach, waiting to be removed by workers.

We also tried to drive to Port Fourchon, another town on the coast, but the State Patrol stopped us before we could get to the water. It seems like a lot of people are doing what I’m doing—trying to see this stuff first hand. 

Last night, back in New Orleans, the news on the spill took on a new meaning to me, now that I’ve seen this first hand. I am really glad that I came down here to see this. Today I am going on a swamp tour outside the city in the hopes of learning a little bit more about the ecosystems down here and how this might affect them. Stay tuned…