Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted March 31, 2009 The devastating effects of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill are still being felt 20 years later. Thousands of animals were killed immediately after the spill, but the destruction lingers: Several species, including the sea otter, have not yet fully recovered to their pre-spill populations. Ensure we don't have another disaster like Exxon-Valdez >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFlwM/zjZ2/ANR12 Researchers estimate that as much as 40 percent of the sea otters who lived in Alaska's Prince William Sound died as a result of the Exxon-Valdez spill. And high mortality rates of juvenile sea otters occurred for years after the disaster. Indeed, the sea otter population continues to decline in heavily oiled areas of the spill like Knight Island, likely because of chronic exposure to hydrocarbons from the Exxon-Valdez disaster. Sea otters forage for food in locations still harboring oil from the spill, perpetuating their exposure to the harmful oil. Instead of opening the door to more Exxon-style disasters, we should be embracing the clean energy solutions that will keep our beaches and marine life intact and will help combat global warming. America's coasts and marine waters provide sanctuary for fish and wildlife like sea otters. Offshore drilling would industrialize our coasts and put our coastal communities at risk. Tell Secretary Salazar: The cure for our dangerous oil addiction is not in seeking a bigger fix by drilling the few remaining protected places >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFlwM/zjZ2/ANR12 Thank you, LiAnna Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
