The Dead Wildlife We’ll Never Know About

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Louisiana spill zone. All up and down this shoreline angry and scared people told me some scary and infuriating stories in the past few days. I heard about the the dead and dying wildlife we’re never going to see because the victims are being carted away to early responder ships and to inaccessible buildings onshore.
 
Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. It all seems like a bad Hollywood script. Except it isn’t. I’ve seen some of those photographs which can’t be shown (according to BP’s new orders) of dolphins swimming through thick gunky oil, struggling sperm whales trailing wakes a mile long in thick gunky oil, dead jellyfish in gunky oil.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Louisiana locals are really angry about the lying, threats, and bullying they all complain is coming their way from BP and their contractors. The dead wildlife they’ve seen, which then miraculously disappears, doesn’t actually disappear from their memories. Some of the people I’ve talked with have signed non-disclosures. Whether they have or not, all agree, the people here are furious and desperate. It’s a powder keg, ready to blow. This is Louisiana, they say, we don’t do quiet and obedient. 
  

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

The upshot: Being able to rally $253,000 in donations over these next few weeks is vitally important simply because it is the number that keeps us right on track, helping make sure we don't end up with a bigger gap than can be filled again, helping us avoid any significant (and knowable) cash-flow crunches for now. We used to be more nonchalant about coming up short this time of year, thinking we can make it by the time June rolls around. Not anymore.

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