Since my post yesterday I’ve run across a few more organizations who are crucially involved with the Gulf oil spill in several different ways:
All three of these organizations have been awarded 4 stars by Charity Navigator, which means they are very very good at using donations effectively.
Also, I’m thinking through how we might hook up the volunteers with people who could help sponsor their travel expenses. Do you have ideas about how to do this, or resources that might help it happen? Please contribute your ideas in the comments below…
This is a listing of a variety of specific ways you can help with the Gulf oil spill.
In compiling this list, my starting place was the article Heroes needed: how to help the victims of the Gulf Coast oil spill. I’ve added more specific information and live links, to make it easier to get involved. If you can’t help in person, there are still several one-click opportunities to donate to the organizations who are on the ground and helping with wildlife rescue and cleanup. No donation is too small.
· The National Wildlife Federation is working with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana; to get involved with these organizations you could donate to the NWF oil spill fund to help fund wildlife protection and cleanup in affected areas, or volunteer as a spotter for distressed wildlife, or volunteer to help with cleanup
· The International Bird Rescue and Research Center has sent a team of specialists to the region to help with oiled wildlife. If you spot oiled wildlife, call the Wildlife Reporting Hotline at 866-557-1401. Please note that oiled birds (or any other oiled wildlife) should not be captured, but reported to the hotline. A couple of good ways to get involved with IBRRC are to adopt a bird, or set up a monthly donation.
· The National Audubon Society is recruiting volunteers to be trained to help wash oiled birds. They are also encouraging members of the public to contact the Interior Department and encourage them to halt the expansion of offshore oil drilling in the eastern United States. The Audubon Society is asking that people NOT call them–please contact them online, as their phone lines are inundated.
· Alabama residents are asked to contact the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program at 251-431-6409; or contact the Mobile Baykeeper at 251- 433-4229 to volunteer anywhere along the Gulf Coast, or volunteer online at the Safe the Gulf website; you can also donate to the Coastal Estuary Restoration Fund (there is a field in the form where you can designate that your donation be used to help with the oil spill).
· Save Our Seabirds is a Florida bird rescue group that is looking for volunteers as its response team prepares to help oiled wildlife. To help, call 941-388-3010. They also welcome donations. Their volunteer coordinator has posted a list of sister organizations you could contact, as well.
· The Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary’s G.R.I.T. (Gulf Response Involvement Team) is looking for donations of life vests and other supplies as needed (their webpage says they will keep updating current needs).
The following suggestions were contributed by Clairee, a volunteer, in the comments field of the ‘Heroes’ article cited above:
MOST IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: Just because you might not be able to get there in person doesn’t mean you can’t help in a very direct way. Volunteer to help in your local wildlife shelter to help take up the slack of those trained individuals who are about to leave for the gulf, or want to go but can’t find anyone to help cover their duties at home. Plus, you’ll start getting that wildlife experience in doing so. Win/win.
Sponsor a volunteer. If you know someone who is about to go to the gulf, sponsor them. Travel expenses add up. A gift certificate to a gas station might be just the thing to ease the financial burden on a volunteer. Or if you have a coworker who needs to get off of work to go volunteer, cover shifts for them. Do whatever you can to help that trained volunteer get to the site and do their job.
