Volunteering to help clean up after the oil-spill?

[thoreau]

Two training sessions for volunteers who want to clean beaches in the Bay Area will be held Saturday at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park (north through the Lincoln Way and Ninth Avenue entrance). The first session runs from 8 a.m. to noon; the second from 1 to 5 p.m.

The Department of Fish & Game and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide training to certify volunteers for participation in San Francisco and Bay Area beach cleanups. The training will include instruction and safety guidelines necessary for successful cleanup of beach-related hazardous waste operations. The certification training will allow volunteers to take part in organized beach cleanups for the duration of the recovery effort. Volunteers who participate in beach cleanups must be able to lift five pounds and be comfortable working on their feet for extended periods.

and if you are outside the bay area and are wondering "what oil spill?" - a tanker collided with one of the support structures on the bay bridge spilling 58,000 gallons of toxic bunker fuel oil into the bay. In Katrina-esque fashion - the Coast Guard has made a total mess of the cleanup and containment effort. click here for a graphic from this morning's chronicle showing the extent of oily beaches and it's affect on wildlife

Comments

[delmarmar.livejournal.com]

Good local response to an awful situation. I don't know if I could handle collecting dead birds. The graphic lists LOTS of dead birds. Washing the live ones in Dawn, that I could do. If I lived a few thousands miles to the left of where I am. I'm sure there's things for the squeamish to do.

if you go...

[yangming.livejournal.com]

Wear vinyl gloves or other gloves and safety gear that won't break down. I keep seeing volunteers just wearing rubber dishwashing gloves which is just asking for trouble.

Re: if you go...

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

thats why I think I might go to the training - because they'll tell you all the 'right' things to do.

[kenwoodville.livejournal.com]

I think it's a great idea that you are thinking about going to the training session! If I were closer I'd do the same...

On a side note, I saw this comment on a local website and it made my blood boil.


"How much of a disaster is this anyway?.......

Aside from the point of impact.....You know, the part where the spill first occurs and thousands of birds and other animals are caught up in the spill and end up dying from it......How much of a long-term ecological impact does the oil spill have?.......

Doesn't oil COME FROM the ecosystem?.....Haven't you ever seen landscaping crews spraying oil on new plantings to give 'oomph' to the growth?......

And for that matter, there are those who would say (fishermen are among them) that the loss of some seals would be a GOOD thing. After all, they are oh-so protected (for some GD reason or another), and the bay area and others are overrun with seals who gleefully gobble up a large portion of the catch of commercial and sport fishermen before they even reach the boat.....What can the fishermen do about it?.....Nada....The seals are protected......Maybe the spill is God's way of saying "we need to get rid of a few seals" because MAN is too politically limp-wristed to handle it himself.......

To me, the big disaster is the loss of all that oil......Again, this is a matter of political will, because if Americans in general---and politicians specifically, would get off their duffs and exploit the resources that WE have right here in CONUS, we wouldn't have to rely on tankers crossing the oceans to bring us our oil 'fix' at $95/barrel!........"

[whatuttercrap.livejournal.com]

What prompted them to change their minds with regard to volunteers? I read on www.sfgate.com that all volunteers were being turned away.

Horrible graphic. Makes me want to get on board the next plane home.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

well - what they need are properly TRAINED volunteers - this kind of environmental response can be made worse if everyone that's helping is meerly - wallowing in oil - or worse, accidentally making it worse or opening themselves up to negative exposure.

[gayhawk.livejournal.com]

I've been watching the drama unfold and carry on - it's pathetic!

[cubdaddy.livejournal.com]

I'd read initially that it was 150K+++ gallons of crude that had spilled? Were I closer, I'd most certainly volunteer for clean up duty.

[gayhawk.livejournal.com]

While no where near your scale, but why can't we just be better stewards of htis planet?!! The mighty Miss should be revered.
http://kstp.com/article/stories/S257974.shtml?cat=210

[lovetakesyouin.livejournal.com]

**grumbles** Well if all those oily birds would just stay out of the water, we wouldn't have a problem would we?

/sarcasm

(Good for you, bro! Thank you!!)