Quick Update

It was a busy day today. I spent the morning shooting a couple of wonderful interviews at the Audubon support center this morning and am arranging for a third that I think will round out that video segment quite nicely. So that was time very well spent. These people, both the staff and volunteers are really working hard to make a difference, and their succeeding.

What I learned from them that sticks out is that you don't have to be here or open your wallet to help. Go to their web site and poke around a bit. If you live on a migratory route that passes through the Gulf region, you can set up a "feeding station" (my words) in your back yard where birds can chow down during their travels. If for some reason those birds' normal Gulf feeding grounds can't provide the food they need, you can help fatten them up a bit in preparation. They say it better than I do, so go there and see if you might be able to help.

The afternoon was spent at a community center in Moss Point where a presentation about the spill for kids had presentations from BP, the Mississippi Dept. of Environmental Quality and a host of other groups to inform the local children what was going on and to answer their questions. One child wondered when they could go back to the beach and swim. In Mississippi, they can now. The beaches are open. Another wanted to go fish. He can now. It's catch and release only, but that's for now. Another child asked, "What about the turtles, are they OK?" That just broke my heart. But it did my heart good to know that they care about what happens in their community. More on Moss Point in another post. I'm working on a video segment about this and will be online this week. It's second in the queue.

Finally, props go out to WLOX 10 TV for seeking out stories on the spill. I first met Krystal Allan at Kenny's bait shop when she was chasing a story. We've kept in touch and she's trying to help me with contacts and moral support. Big thanks to her for that. Today, Patrice Clark was on scene in Moss Point covering the presentations. She pitched something to me that has me intrigued. More on that in another post.

I haven't seen any other reporters or news vehicles in my travels except for in Orange Beach, AL for the Buffet show. Even CBS was there. For the local media I have a question. Can there be a more important story to your viewers, listeners and readers than the spill? Surely it touches their lives in large or small ways every day. Is there any other story you're following that does?

I want to say, "shame on you" to the other assignment editors, but I won't. Not yet.