Gulf Slick Hits Wildlife Refuge

Oil from the massive Gulf of Mexico slick has begun washing ashore in a wildlife preserve off the coast of Louisiana. Officials say there is "oiling all over" the uninhabited Chandeleur islands, the BBC reports. The island chain is home to large numbers of endangered birds. Pelicans and gannets have been found covered in oil.

Local authorities have dispatched a clean-up crew of 22 to the islands, America's second-oldest wildlife refuge. State and federal authorities still haven't provided enough boom material to protect the islands, the president of St. Bernard Parish told the Times-Picayune. "Part of the problem is a lack of comprehension of just how massive of an event this can be for St. Bernard," he said.
(More Chandeleur Islands stories.)