May 2010 Newsletter
May 2010 - We are now entering the fourth week of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; each day that passes without a solution to stop the well’s flow underscores the sobering threat that we face on the Gulf Coast. The trajectory maps seem to be telling us that we are safe for now, that the methods being used to control the spill are working. But those methods bring with them a separate set of questions that we need to be asking on the Gulf to make sure that the cure isn’t worse than the disease.
Below you will find an overview of the response effort, links to information and what organizations like ACF are contributing to the response effort, as well as information about how you can get involved. I hope you find it helpful- please feel free to contact our office with any questions or for information...if we don’t know the answer we will certainly try to find it for you!
Just as the sun continues to rise and set as literally thousands of people try to find a solution to this unprecedented threat, so the “regularly scheduled programming” that you have come to know and expect from ACF continues. Below you will read about our recent Coastal Kids Quiz (our 9th annual) as well as several upcoming workshops. We have been able to expand our efforts in the oil response as well as continue work on the other important environmental issues in South Alabama because of YOU! Thank you to the dozens of volunteers who have come in to answer phones, update our web site, compile volunteer databases and brought us food- we can’t do it without you.
Septic System Care and Maintenance Workshop May 27
ACF, the Mobile Area Water & Sewer System and the Alabama Clean Water Partnership will host a Water Quality workshop at the Semmes Public Library (9150 Moffett Rd) on Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 6pm. This workshop will focus on Septic System Care and Maintenance and will feature speakers from the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Attendees will learn basic septic system function and proper maintenance procedures that will improve system performance while protecting water quality. Properly maintaining your septic system can save your thousands in repair fees, so don't miss this important workshop!
Wetland Compliance Workshop Set for June 3
Once again, ACF and the Weeks Bay Reserve are teaming up to provide real estate, development, legal and other professionals involved in land development and land use activities current and accurate information about wetland regulation, permitting, and compliance issues using actual case studies to promote wetlands protection and better development practices. The workshop will be held from 8am-1200 at the Weeks Bay Reserve Resource Center. Download the registration form here. Continuing education credit is available for attorneys and real estate professionals.
Coastal Kids Quiz
The 2010 Coastal Kids Quiz took place on Tuesday, April 27th at Daphne United Methodist Church. Fourteen teams of 5th graders from Baldwin and Mobile Counties competed in this years’ event, testing their knowledge on science and environmental issues. Winning teams receive scholarship bonds and their teacher receives $500 to use for science education at their school. In September, teams register for the competition and receive study materials from the Alabama Coastal Foundation. Questions are taken from the study materials, regular 5th grade science textbooks, and two interactive CD-ROMs from The Project CATE Foundation. For a list of resources, visit our website
2010 Coastal Kids Quiz teams:
1st Place: St. Patrick School (Robertsdale) – Each team member receives a $600 savings bond.
2nd Place: Bayside Academy (Daphne)- Each team member receives a $400 savings bond.
3rd Place: Gulf Shores Elementary - Each team member receives a $200 savings bond.
Bayshore Christian (Fairhope), Castlen Elementary (Grand Bay), Christ the King School (Daphne), Council Traditional Schoo (Mobile), Foley Intermediate School, Hutchens Elementary (Mobile), J. Larry Newton School (Fairhope), Knollwood Christian (Mobile), Little Flower Catholic School (Mobile), Silverhill Elementary, St. Mary Catholic School (Mobile)
Thanks to all of our volunteers, teachers, parents, and sponsors. Your dedication to science education is a testament to your commitment to protecting our natural resources. We truly appreciate your enthusiasm and support. For more information about the Coastal Kids Quiz and our other education programs, visit www.joinacf.org.
Oil Response Info
How is ACF working to address the oil spill?
In the wake of this ongoing emergency, the Alabama Coastal Foundation (ACF) has been working around-the-clock to provide citizens accurate information about the oil release, identify resources available to assist with the response effort, coordinate activities with local and regional government and non-profit partners, and devise safe and effective opportunities for volunteers who wish to assist. ACF has an established history of bringing together diverse stakeholder groups to work toward common goals and our status in the community as environmental leaders who can be relied upon to provide factual information and work tirelessly in support of our coastal resources has never been put to more valuable use.
ACF Executive Director Bethany Kraft gained access to Incident Command last week and is working closely with the Coast Guard, government agencies, other NGO representative Mobile Baykeeper and BP to improve information flow and create and execute a comprehensive volunteer plan. We are focusing our efforts on three primary areas that we view as critical to the response effort:
· Volunteer Response and Coordination including the development of a Field Observer Protocol
· Area Plans for protection of sensitive habitats
· Long-term environmental impacts of both oil and dispersants
Since April 21st, volunteers have played an integral role in ACF and other partners’ Oil Release work:
· Over 4,000 signed up to receive volunteer updates from ACF and our local partners
· Over 400 assisted in Pre-Event Clean-ups at area beachfronts
· A dozen assisted in the office: answering phones, bringing food and water for volunteers, and providing technical support for database management and web updates.
We are updating our website at www.joinacf.org as well as our Facebook Page to provide you with the latest information we have regarding the release. Please check back often. If you have any questions or want to provide information to our office, please do not hesitate to contact me at 251-990-6002 or via email at info@joinacf.org. We will be in the office all weekend to answer your calls. Your ideas and support are critical as we continue our work to ensure the response effort is successful.
Important Phone Numbers
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Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816
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Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
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Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511
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Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858
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Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401
Monitoring Data
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently conducting monitoring to ensure that any effects of the oil release on air or water are quantified and addressed should those effects pose a threat to human or environmental air. Following are the links to monitoring data.
Air Quality Information
Water Quality
EPA’s most recent water sampling results found some of the chemicals usually found in oil. However, these results still indicate that water quality does not pose increased risk to aquatic life, such as fish and shellfish, or to human health. Click here to view EPA’s monitoring data.
Important Information Regarding the Use of Dispersants
Today (May 20) the EPA issued a directive requiring BP to identify and use a less toxic and more effective dispersant from the list of EPA authorized dispersants.
Click here for a list of questions and answers about dispersants from EPA’s web site. This link will take you to EPA’s page that contains information about dispersant monitoring protocols and other information.
Is it safe to fish or eat Gulf seafood?
To make sure that seafood caught remains safe to consume, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued closures for approximately 19% of Gulf Waters. Click here for a map of the currently closed areas (accurate as of May 20).
How can I help?
ACF and local partners are working with Incident Command to identify meaningful opportunities for volunteers. Although at this time volunteers will not be taking part in clean-up activities that involve contact with oil, there are many other needs that will be filled by volunteers should oil reach our shore. In the meantime we are working to develop a “pre-event” shoreline assessment program that will use volunteers to provide responders with important baseline data about our shorelines. If you receive the ACF newsletter or have signed up with any of the 3 local organizations taking contact information from interested volunteers, you will be notified of these opportunities. In the meantime, here is some basic information about training and volunteering that is accurate as of May 20, 2010.
Oil-Impacted Shoreline Employment Opportunities
To ensure the safety of our citizens responding to the oil release, only people trained and hired by BP and their approved contractors to serve as Qualified Community Responders (QCR) will conduct clean-up activities on oil-impacted shorelines. This means that in order for you to participate in any activities such as oil-impacted beach clean-ups or oiled wildlife rehabilitation, you will need to go through the hiring process at BP.
If you are interested in pursuing employment opportunities, BP and its contractor, P2S, are in need of up to 1000 workers for beach cleanup, should the oil come ashore in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. To apply, go online to http://www.joblink.alabama.gov and f,ollow the instructions under the “Environmental Cleanup” link or go to your local Career Center and apply there. A listing of Career Centers is available at http://www.joblink.alabama.gov or at www.dir.alabama.gov.
Volunteer Activities
As a volunteer, you are volunteering your time without being under any legal obligation to do so and without being paid for your services. Although volunteers will not be utilized in activities that involve contact with oil, there is still a vast need for dedicated individuals to provide critical support for this response effort.
Several different organizations have already collected contact information from thousands of volunteers like yourself who are standing by to help when needed. We are currently consolidating our contact lists and are working to identify volunteer activities that will be needed in the coming days and weeks. We will provide more information about these activities as needs arise and will ask you to provide a bit more information about your volunteer placement preferences in the coming days.
Training Information
All volunteers and QCRs are required to go through training in order to participate in any response activities. BP’s contractor, PEC, will be providing these training sessions to volunteers and QCRs.
Training for general volunteer activities (remember, these activities will not include response efforts on oil-impacted shorelines or with oil-impacted wildlife) will be available at Volunteer Reception Centers in both Mobile and Baldwin Counties during the registration process.
QCRs will attend a minimum of four hours of Module 3 training. Depending on the job description, more training may be necessary.
For updates on training opportunities, please visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com and follow the link to Alabama’s page.
Thank you for all you have done and all you will continue to do to fight for our coastal way of life.
