OntheWilderSide

For lots of background and research on the Gulf Coast ecosystem, and for action items, you can go to The National Audubon Society’s how-to-help page: here.

(excerpt from) Newsday
Gulf birds get help from Islip’s Olivia Bouler, 11
by Jennifer Maloney

…Olivia’s family was gathered in their Islip home three days after the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, as her grandfather, on the phone from Alabama, described the gushing well and the ecological disaster. Listening, Olivia sobbed.

That night, she wrote to the National Audubon Society. “I am a decent drawer, and I was wondering if I could sell some bird paintings and give the profits to your organization,” she wrote. Beside a hand-painted cardinal, she signed the letter: “Olivia Bouler, 11 years old and willing to help.”

The Audubon Society suggested she create a Facebook page offering watercolors for donors. As her audience exploded – she now has more than 18,000 fans – AOL took notice, and, pledging a $25,000 donation, invited her to create an AOL Artists page…

KW: What I liked was how truly wise this young lady was. Here is another quote from the story:

“We need to get off oil,” she [artist, Olivia Bouler] said. “Even plastic is bad, you know? It’s made of oil.”

Filed under: Action Alert!, Art, Ecology, energy, Environment, local, long island, nature, News, progressive politics Tagged: | bird paintings, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf Birds, Gulf Coast art, Gulf Coast fundraising, Gulf Coast Oil Disaster, Gulf Coast oil spill, oil dependence