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On March 24, 1989 the tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on Bligh Reef in the upper part of Prince William Sound in Alaska. The tanker was carrying approximately 53 million gallons of crude oil. Within a few days, almost 11 million gallons of the oil were spilled into Prince William Sound. The ship's captain Joseph Hazlewood was accused of operating a vessel while drunk, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. Exxon agreed to pay over $1 Billion towards the clean-up. Big deal!

Prince William Sound has probably sustained 10,000 years of environmental damage...for what, a few years of oil reserves or to help Exxon profits? Man is the only creature on Earth who fouls his own nest! The first image shows three beautiful sea otters; the second is a crab loving sea otter; the third is of a pair of wonderful killer whales (orcas); the fourth is a breaching Humpback and the fifth the tragic, ill-fated, and grounded Exxon Valdez; the sixth shows some of the oil swirls on the waters of Prince William Sound and the last is an animation of a breaching Humpback .

S.O.S

                        Just off our rocky Northwest Shore,
                        Swift Orca Pods hunt Albacore;
                        Furred Sea Otters, dark Depths explore,
                        For Abalone, Kelp Beds store.

                        From Arctic Coasts to Monterey,
                        Great awesome Whales, Humpback or Gray,
                        O’er open Seas, migrate Harm's Way,
                        To find a Place, to feed and play;
                        Keep safe, from a Valdez, we pray!

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