Currently, more than 25 million birds are threatened by the spill — including, of course, pelicans, which were only recently removed from the endangered species list. The following organizations are putting donated funds toward helping the birds: the Audobon Society, Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research (which treated the first oiled bird discovered in the spill), the Seabird Sanctuary, and the International Bird Rescue Research Center.
     And while the damage to nature is almost unparalleled, we can’t forget about the fishermen and people in the tourist industries in Louisiana and Florida whose livelihoods have been destroyed. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is providing food to those affected by the oil spill — an estimated fourteen parishes. Oxfam is also working with the families and workers who are now struggling because of it.
     For those looking to help in a more tangible way, Matter of Trust is actively seeking out hair donations to create oil booms (human hair is a surprisingly effective material for soaking up oil). There is also a grassroots project that allows volunteers to take inexpensive aerial photos with balloons and cameras; they’re accepting funding through Kickstarter to equip citizen journalists with kits to document the spill from the air. Speaking of citizen journalism, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade has created an Oil Crisis Map that anyone can add to through tweeting, texting or calling in sightings of “fishermen out of work, endangered wildlife, oil on shore, oil sheens, health impacts, and other problems”.