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BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill - One Year Later

It may take decades for wildlife to recover from the worst oil spill in American history, one that dumped more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.  The long-term impacts of oil and dispersants on pelicans, sea turtles, manatees and the other animals that make the Gulf Coast a unique and special place is far from certain. The oil may have stopped flowing, but efforts to heal the Gulf Coast are a priority now more than ever.

The crisis is far from over - the impact on our national wildlife refuges continues to this day.  From mid March to mid April, a total of 200,000 pounds of oil were removed from the Southeastern Louisiana Refuge Complex alone.  In the last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service devoted half a million hours to oil spill crisis response and restoration activities.  The Service deployed over 17% of their total workforce over the course to 12 months in direct response to the spill, diverting resources away from important conservation elsewhere in the country.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is leading efforts to ensure that Congress and the Administration hold BP responsible to its commitment to restoring the Gulf, and that our national wildlife refuges and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have the funding and staff to successfully address critical conservation needs.

National Wildlife Refuges on the Front Line

The National Wildlife Refuge System is our first line of defense in protecting America’s wildlife.  Totaling 150 million acres of protected land around the country and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, national wildlife refuges protect habitat throughout the Gulf Coast region - from Texas to the tip of Florida.  Thousands of brown pelicans raise their young on Breton NWR in Louisiana, endangered sea turtles nest at Bon Secour NWR in Alabama, and lazy manatees loaf in the warm springs of fChassahowitzka NWR in Florida.

Thousands of hard working USFWS staff from around the country have been deployed to the Gulf Coast to address the oil spill.  See and hear the stories of dedicated Fish and Wildlife Service employees working tirelessly to protect wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico:

How NWRA is Taking Action to Protect Gulf of Mexico Wildlife:

• NWRA is working closely with the Administration and Department of the Interior to insure that acquiring and restoring habitat to protect wildlife throughout the Gulf region is a top priority - and that BP is held accountable for untold damages to our natural resources.
• We are educating lawmakers and the public about the importance of adequately funding successful wildlife conservation programs - especially on our National Wildlife Refuge System - many of which suffered from neglect as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff from across the country were deployed to the Gulf during the crisis. Working with a diverse coalition of national conservation and recreation groups, we are a constant presence in Washington making the case for refuges and wildlife. To learn more, click here.
• We are supporting local “Refuge Friends Groups” in their on the ground efforts through our Gulf Coast Response Fund. To see how the Friends of Bon Secour have made a difference in responding to the spill, view this video.

Take Action!

• Tell your lawmakers that protecting wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico is important to you and that restoring and conserving national wildlife refuges should be a national conservation priority! To protect America's wildlife our national wildlife refuges must be funded at $578 million in Fiscal Year 2011. Click here to take action!

Learn More:

Gulf of Mexico Wildlife Refuges and the Critters That Depend on Them

Refuge Association Grant Helps Support Dune Restoration at Bon Secour NWR

Press Information:

PRESS RELEASE: Southwest Airlines and National Wildlife Refuge Association Partner to Help Wildlife Recovery in the Gulf (9/21/10)

PRESS RELEASE: Refuge Association Announces Grants to Assist Gulf Coast Refuges (7/7/10)

PRESS RELEASE: SC Johnson Assists National Wildlife Refuge Association with the Gulf Oil Disaster (6/30/10)

PRESS RELEASE: On Birthday of Silent Spring Author, Wildlife Again in Danger (5/27/10)

PRESS RELEASE: NWRA Urges Donations to Aid Gulf Coast Refuge Friends Groups (5/6/10)

Notice of Media Availability (4/30/10)

Media Contact:

Desiree Sorenson-Groves, Vice President, Government Affairs, National Wildlife Refuge Association
Direct: 202-292-3961, Cell: 202-290-5593, Email: dgroves@refugeassociation.org