Oil Spill – Archived EDEN Topic Page

This page contains information that was preserved in August 2017 when the EDEN website moved to this new system. The information here has not been, and will not be, updated. For more information on this topic, please use the EDEN Website Search function in the header. If you reached this page from a bookmark, please update that bookmark. Now in the Gulf! Oil is spilling into the Gulf of Mexico from a location on the gulf floor 50 miles southeast of Venice, La. As efforts are made to halt the release, emergency responders and volunteers are working to keep the oil from reaching wetlands, fisheries and beaches in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and to contend with oil that has begun washing on shore. EDEN and eXtension have recognized and supported Gulf Coast Sea Grant members’ lead in providing information and expertise. In addition to linking to the Sea Grant oil spill website , EDEN has added the disaster to its Response Notes utility, an online feature that allows delegates to capture and share their disaster situations, needs and activities. Extension directors in five Gulf states first conferenced on May 6 to discuss Extension’s response, and those calls continue on a weekly basis. This site is developed to help implement their developing strategy. Challenges for Extension Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant program directors in the five-state area have identified their current issues and program directions. EDEN is working with the directors, using this site to help implement their strategy for educational response to these challenges: Maintaining consumer confidence in Gulf seafood safety and quality Assessing damage and economic impacts on various sectors Managing volunteers and donations Responding to media inquiries and calls for experts Helping fishermen and others impacted by the spill understand recovery opportunities and assistance Helping communities adjust to the spill-induced economic and social stresses Understandi…