Perhaps the largest marine disaster to happen in decades, and now considered the largest oil spill in the history of the United States, the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, 2010 has led to an environmental catastrophe that continues without abatement and whose oily clutches extend from slicks on the ocean’s surface to deep swells near the ocean’s floor. Armed with mops and rags, seeming trifles compared to the magnitude of the oil’s reach, the human response to the disaster has been one of caution and vigilance. With no real solution in sight, coastal inhabitants, volunteers, even the government, can only try to redirect the slicks away from fragile coastal regions or don the tools of the domestic and use brooms and rubber gloves in an attempt to clean house. That, and wait.

While it goes without saying that the oil spill has led many consumers and legislators to question and call attention to our dependence on oil, the spill has also demonstrated to what extent our world is an ecological network, where the health and survival of one species depends on that of another; where the destruction of an environment may affect ecosystems across the planet. Carl Safina, president of the Blue Ocean Institute, has illustrated the importance of the Gulf Coast as an aviary highway and stopover for many migratory birds who depend on the food sources and breeding grounds found there. But with the toxic oil and dispersant residues permeating not only the shoreline and nesting habitats, but also killing and contaminating fish populations, the survival of bird species from as far north as the Canadian Arctic and as far south as the southern tip of South America is put in jeopardy.

We at Deep Roots Animal Sanctuary grieve for the lives, both human and non-human, lost to this terrible tragedy. While we mourn the ecological consequences of this catastrophic event and support efforts to clean-up and change energy consumption in the United States, we also recognize that habitat destruction and species endangerment is a chronic issue. That is why we at Deep Roots are dedicated to providing refuge and rehabilitation to wild birds and waterfowl. Now, more than ever, we need your help–bird species around the world need your help–to protect their livelihoods and preserve their futures.

If you would like to be a part of our efforts to rescue and protect birds and waterfowl, please visit us at deeprootssanctuary.org or contribute to our kickstarter campaign where we are raising money to build a bird rehab center.

“The Japanese government’s “scientific” whaling program is a sham and a source of diplomatic tension between Japan and countries that support whale conservation, like the United States. Whaling has no place in Antarctica – it’s a place of peace and science, and this is not science,” said Karli Thomas, expedition leader aboard Greenpeace’s Esperanza.

Greenpeace is collaborating with a team of scientists on the “Great Whale Trail” project to prove that you don’t need to kill whales to study them. The project uses data from satellite tagging of whales, harmless skin biopsies and fluke identification.

“Japan’s whalers are deceiving the Japanese public by painting the word “research” on their ships,” said Junichi Sato, Greenpeace Japan Whales Project leader. “Real scientists don’t need to kill whales to study them. This is commercial whaling poorly dressed up as science.”

The Japanese fleet will consist of four whaling ships, including the 8,000-ton Nisshin Maru (pictured to the right being approached by Sea Shepherd’s Robert Hunter). While Greenpeace has announced that they will track the Japanese fleet through the duration of its hunt, the Sea Shepherd says it will stick to its traditional role of enforcing international law and preventing the hunt from taking place using direct action.

“I did not establish the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as a protest organization,” said Captain Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd. “I have not gone to sea over all these years to simply bear witness to the atrocities that whalers continue to inflict upon the most gentle and intelligent beings in the seas. We are sea cops-operating legally under the guidelines of the United Nation’s World Charter for Nature, which allow for the enforcement of international conservation law by non-governmental organizations in international jurisdictions.”

If you would like to help stop the whale hunt, you can do the following:

Donate to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Tell Japan to stop the whale hunt
Donate to Greenpeace

Read more about this on from Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd.

Along with five friends, the 18-year-old actress from Australia paddled out on a surfboard to stop a pod of dolphins from being trapped and killed in a cull in Japan. Panettiere and friends were confronted by anglers who used their boat’s propeller and a boathook to force the surfers back to the shore.

From Sky News:

Panettiere, who is a keen surfer and a committed marine conservationist and supporter of the campaign to save the Japan dolphins, said: “It was really frightening.

“Some of us were hit by the boathook. But in the end all we really worried about was the dolphins.

“It was so incredibly sad. We were so close to them and they were sky hopping, jumping out of the water to see us.”

The six friends immediately drove to the airport and returned to Australia to avoid arrest by Japanese authorities. It is believe that the dolphins were taken into the cove and killed.

Click here to see a video of this story along with some background info on the dolphin slaughter.

More than 22,000 dolphins are killed in Japan each year. While this number pales in comparison to the number of other animals that are killed throughout the year for food, there is a nearly global consensus that dolphins should be protected. So now is the time to act on that consensus.

How You Can Help
Stop eating fish: Many of the dolphins are rounded up and killed as a form of pest control. They are seen as competition for the sea’s depleting fish population.

Boycott the captive dolphin industry: This includes zoos, aquariums, and the military. You can also send a letter. From Save Taiji Dolphins:

The tragic secret behind the slaughter is that the US and International dolphin captivity industry is fueling the massacre. They are organizing and funding the hunts in order to buy “show-quality” dolphins from the Japanese fishermen to use in dolphin shows, “Swim-with-the-Dolphins” programs and aquariums.

Donate to Save Taiji Dolphins: Help keep there team on the ground in Japan.