S O S Save Our Shore

There is a monster in the Gulf - unleashed from the depths by BP offshore drilling.

It is having massive impact on the lives of Gulf Coast residents and of thousands of miles of beaches and wetlands. The wetlands are critical to the gulf coast environment and, once gone, are irreplaceable. The oil is, as of this writing, invading the wetlands, bays and beaches of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.  The oil and the toxic dispersant sprayed by BP to "hide" the oil from view, is killing every living thing it touches in the Gulf of Mexico. 

This is a story about a disaster of unprecedented proportions... but it is also a story about a community's response.  As residents of the Gulf Coast we can't stop the leak - but we CAN protect or at least minimize the damage to our wetlands and beaches.  The time to prepare for this is past, the oil is here. 

 If you have a passion for sunsets on the bay,  shrimp boils in the evening at the beach, or a love of the wildlife in the Alabama wetlands, join us. Click on members and join our website. Help if you can. Donate, contribute or volunteer.  We can't just sit back and expect BP to solve this...they won't.  We have to do what we can, hold BP to every agreement, insist that our elected officials do what we elected them to do and we must act now.

The SOS Save Our Shores organization is a community-based volunteer group supporting community efforts such as monitoring community health in the face of daunting threat, creating oil-absorbent hair booms for use in the critical shoreline and wetlands, supporting wildlife rescue, recovery and protection and alerting the residents of the Alabama Gulf Coast to wildlife assistance training and volunteer programs  The group, composed entirely of volunteers, is heavily involved in building miles of hair booms to protect shorelines.

   All funds donated to this organization are used in the efforts described in the above stated mission.  We have no paid workers or administrators.  

adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

This story has appeared all over the web in various forms, usually with no credit given to Mr. Eiseley. Loren Eiseley was a anthropologist who wrote extensively. He was the 'wise man' in the story, and he was walking along a beach after a storm and encountered the fellow throwing the starfish back.  Sometimes it is a little girl throwing the starfish into the ocean, sometimes a young man, once even an elder.