Part 2: The Wildlife Refuges
No Tar Balls … Just Garbage
May 16, 2010
I had a bunch of chores to do this morning, and the weather was not very cooperative, but in the evening I decided to hit the beach. I had been reading that tar balls were spotted in Long Beach and The Pass, and I wanted to go and see for myself.
When I got to Pass Harbor, there was a man walking down by the water, so I walked out to meet him. He told me everything was still quite beautiful. And a couple I saw wading in the water told me the same thing. No tar balls … yet.
But that monster is out there. Whether it stays underwater, or washes ashore in bits, pieces and chunks, this oil spill is an environmental disaster. We will be feeling the negative effects of this for a very long time.
But what can I do? I am just one person. Here’s one answer: I’ve been from Lake Ponchartrain in Metairie to the Pascagoula River in Moss Point, and I’ve seen nothing but garbage along the way — litter, plain and simple. Beer cans, paper and styrofoam plates and bowls, plastic forks, spoons and straws, discarded ice bags and grocery bags. And cigarette butts by the thousands.
Several people I met on the water described how they boated, fished or surfed out there, but nobody picks up the garbage. That is something each and every one of us can do. If we all just picked up after ourselves, it would make a HUGE difference! The future is in OUR hands.