We bear witness so we might tell stories. Since I have joined NRDC, my own story is growing, but this one is all of ours to write.

Last week I took a trip with NRDC executive director Peter Lehner, other staffers, and another friend of NRDC to see what was REALLY happening in the Gulf of Mexico. I was burning to find out and privileged enough to jump on a plane at the last minute with my 22-year-old son to go see for myself. I found out what I feared and much more. The press is not doing its job. It is not telling the truth, and in my eyes that is more than a shame, it is a crime.

I wrote to Rocky Kistner at the NRDC Resource Center in Buras, La., asking for facts to include here.  But I wonder, do I truly need them? They are outlined loud and clear in Peter Lehner’s new book In Deep Water, and I will let my photos provide some evidence while I pass on a few of my observations.

Oil is everywhere, lapping at the booms around the young brown pelican rookeries. The pelicans have just recently been removed from the endangered list ... only to be now so obviously endangered again. The marshland is vanishing for the hummingbird. The marsh is their last stop before their long migration across the Gulf. Oil fumes burned our mouths and tongues (my tongue lost all feeling) as we sat in a boat and watched a raccoon and heron feed in the oil-soaked banks of the marsh. The air was fetid and hot as we marveled at the cleanup workers -- without respirators, their white, plastic body suits around their waists -- using vacuum cleaners to suction up the black stuff into barrel drums to no effect. Imagine vacuums roaring in the Gulf -- vacuums and oil? We saw pelicans perched on the booms, or the booms blown helter-skelter into the wetlands. Booms were stretched everywhere, not to mention miles and miles of antiquated pipeline crisscrossing the marsh, leaking slowly, and the thousands upon thousands of disabled wells rotting across the region. 

Rocky wrote a blog post describing the beauty of undisturbed marsh, which I encourage all readers to visit. I had no idea of how surprised I would be by it. I was brought to tears by its quiet peace and obvious shelter for all life.

This is our story. This is our story of undisciplined, unregulated greed. Growth with no boundaries and no oversight.

If I had all the money in the world I would see to it that as many people as possible could see from above and up close these terrible wounds we humans have made on our home. I truly believe we could change the world this way. There is nothing so powerful as witness. Truth must prevail to preserve what is right. This is our story and only we can change the ending.