Because I Really Love Oysters

Ok...so first, let me start out by saying that I'm a conservation scientist who used to work in large part for something called the "Upper Mississippi River Program". That's what this is based on, but it's purely MY opinions.

Disclaimer over.

So. At a conference in February of this year, I heard the director of The Nature Conservancy's Louisiana chapter talk about how much work they'd put in over the last few summers lovingly restoring oyster reefs and how they needed volunteers to go down and help them out this summer as well. I seriously considered going down there at the time, but I ultimately decided that the timing wouldn't work out for me to go this year. Less than 3 months later, all that work they'd done to help out these oysters is in SERIOUS danger of being for nothing. And I regret my decision not to go down there and help out the good people of coastal Louisiana.

So. In order to try and fulfill SOME of the duties I feel I've failed on, I'm going to post some links. The Nature Conservancy was featured on the CNN Telethon to help the Gulf last night, and there are still a myriad of ways that we can all give to the Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration or any other of the fine charities that are getting involved to help out in what's pretty much one of the most heinous environmental disasters that I've seen in my lifetime.

That said...here are some links. Please help out if you can:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/30/impact.oil.spill/index.html

http://www.nature.org/multimedia/features/art31637.html

http://blog.nature.org/tag/gulf-oil-spill-tnc/

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/gulfofmexico/


And...as an added bonus...I'm going to take a minute and link to an article that makes me want to scream and hit people for being completely uninformed about things and then presuming that they have an obviously correct opinion.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/06/13/kemp.oil.river/?iref=obnetwork

Here's what's wrong with this.

It's not like the Army Corps isn't using SCIENCE to control the river levels. I mean, come on. I appreciate you thinking that they're obviously flawed as they're technically a branch of the American armed forces (eyeroll), but let me tell you something. I have the pleasure of working with a LOT of Army Corps of Engineers' Mississippi River scientists .......the water levels aren't just arbitrarily assigned....they're assigned to minimize risks to both fragile environments AND the people living along the river floodplain.

In addition. I present to you some info about the other river/basin in question...the Atchafalaya. It's in pretty big trouble most of the year due mostly to........LOW WATER LEVELS!!! Yeah. Let's take it's water away.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchafalaya_Basin

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1987/02/23/1987_02_23_039_TNY_CARDS_000347146

http://www.fws.gov/atchafalaya/


There....my piece on the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico spoken. Mostly.