The Guardian has described Louisiana chemist Wilma Subra as BP’s “worst nightmare.” A winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant, Subra has spent 30 years giving technical assistance to local groups dealing with environmental problems. She says there’s ample reason for concern about human health and seafood safety on the Gulf Coast. Told entirely in Subra’s […]
Charter Boat Captain to GCCF: “I’m Not Settling”
The Gulf Coast Claims Facility has predicted that most businesses will recover from the BP oil spill by the end of 2012. Like many others, Bryce Michel isn’t so sure. Business at his company, Topwater Charters in Cocodrie, Louisiana, is down 50 percent this year. Michel worries it may never fully recuperate. Told entirely in […]
Louisiana Musician Finds His Own ‘Solution to Pollution’
Drew Landry’s “BP Blues” helped focus attention on the plight of fishermen and oilfield workers after the Deepwater Horizon blowout. Now Landry is collaborating with bluesman Dr. John on a CD of environmental songs. A sampler will be released April 20, the one-year anniversary of the oil spill, during a New Orleans concert. Produced by […]
For One Cajun Shrimper, a Journey from Despair to Defiance
April 20, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, and it’s still too early to measure the complete cost of the ensuring disaster. But we do know that the BP oil spill upended lives in ways that defy quantification. Here’s the story of shrimper Darla Rooks, who lost everything but her fighting […]
Grand Bayou, Self-Sufficient and Shrinking, Prepares for a Fisheries Collapse
Members of the Atakapa-Ishak tribe have found a creative use for a high-tech fencing material that has protected soldiers in Iraq and strengthened levees outside New Orleans: They’re building gardens that will keep them fed in the event of a seafood shortage sparked by the BP oil spill. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar […]
An Oystering Community Contemplates Life Without Oysters
In Pointe-a-la-Hache, Louisiana, the oyster harvest feeds widows, sustains relationships, and keeps the rural economy humming. But oysters can’t migrate, and they’ve been particularly vulnerable since the BP oil spill. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar for KRVS, Lafayette, Louisiana, and the Louisiana Public Broadcasting “GulfWatch” series. Narrated by Barry Yeoman. Photo by Stanley […]
Oilfield Worker’s Wife Sets Off for White House—on Foot
Cherri Foytlin is an environmental activist in Rayne, Louisiana. Her husband, Forest Foytlin, worked on a deepwater rig before the BP oil spill. On March 13 she leaves on a 1,200-mile walk to Washington, D.C. Her message to President Obama is surprising and complex. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar for KRVS, Lafayette, Louisiana, […]
Researchers Call Oil Spills and Climate Change a Devastating Combination
Most of us shudder to imagine the impact of another large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and for good reason. A spill in future decades could have even more far-reaching consequences than the BP spill. The reason is the growing influence of global warming, explains Tulane University’s Torbjörn Törnqvist. Produced by Barry Yeoman […]
200 Ailing Pelicans Change One Man’s Life
The BP spill triggered an outpouring of volunteer energy. Americans lay boom, picked up tar balls, and performed mundane tasks like answering telephones. A few transported and cleaned oiled birds. Regardless of what they did, many volunteers found themselves transformed. Meet party-photographer-turned-bird-lover Bart Siegel. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar for KRVS, Lafayette, Louisiana, […]
Pointe-au-Chien Indians, Reeling from the Oil Spill, Watch as Their Land Washes Away
The 700-member Pointe-au-Chien indian tribe south of Houma, Louisiana was one of the first communities to take a direct hit from the BP oil spill. For them, the disaster is ongoing—and part of a larger threat to their ancestral home. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar for KRVS, Lafayette, Louisiana, and the Louisiana Public […]
