Gulf oil spill could 'devastate' South Florida's environment

May 15, 2010

Gulf oil spill could 'devastate' South Florida's environment

As Gulf blowout gushes oil, fears grow for Florida's wildlife and beaches
May 05, 2010By David Fleshler, Sun Sentinel

Few parts of the United States would be as devastated by an oil slick as the southern coast of Florida.

A necklace of federal wildlife refuges wraps around the tip of the peninsula, protecting wading birds, Key deer, American crocodiles and nesting sea turtles. The largest coral reef system in the continental United States forms an undersea rainforest of fish, crabs, sponges and coral, extending from the southern end of the Keys to the shallows off Palm Beach. The beaches from Broward County up the coast are among the most important in the world for loggerhead sea turtles, now just beginning their annual nesting season.

"A major oil spill would devastate the ecosystem and the economy based on that ecosystem," said Larry Crowder, professor of marine biology at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. "It's a particularly bad time of year because just about everything is nesting or replicating.

"In the Gulf of Mexico giant blue fin tuna are spawning, and their eggs and larvae float on the surface," he said. "Seabirds and gulls are nesting. For nesting sea turtles, obviously, oiling the beaches could have a devastating impact."
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-05-05/news/fl-oil-impact-20100504_1_gulf-oil-spill-gulf-stream-beaches

This article I found online, it caught my eye because I have been very concerned about this oil leak that has been going on for a couple weeks now. It saddens me to think of all the wildlife that is going to be affected by this. I leave on the east coast of Florida, and knowing that the oil slick will soon reach the beaches near me breaks my heart. It will negatively impact the wild life for a very long time, as well as the jobs of the fisherman who cannot work now because of this deadly oil covering the sea. The oil rig could not have exploded at a more terrible time than this, it is hatching season for a lot of turtles and they are going to lose their life when they try to go to sea for the first time. Hopefully they can stop this leak soon so it does not cause any more devastation to the environment than it already has.