Since April 20, 2010 the world has been reeling from the shock of a massive disaster. Not a natural one, but one inflicted upon us by our own greed and desire to satisfy our way of life and need for petroleum. This disastrous oil spill was caused by British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that sank after exploding.
President Obama has been vocal about his interest in addressing efforts to clean up the mess. Additionally, the press has splashed the controversy across the headlines. We at SAFE wonder what steps have been taken to protect the archaeological heritage of the Gulf region?
The National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior is responsible for reacting to this threat to our cultural resources. According to a fact sheet, issued on their website, eight National Parks are threatened by the oil spill. While the oil slick grows daily according to updated maps, many of the parks remain open to the public even though health concerns abound. The NPS response is to undertake an assessment of the potential threat. Is there more we can do to protect our shorelines and underwater cultural heritage? Do you have the answer?
A recent New York Times article focuses on the consequences the spill has on the tourist economy of Florida along with their campaign to lure scuba divers to visit the state. Nothing is mentioned about the possible damage to or initiatives for the protection of shipwrecks. Maps are tracking oil sightings and the effects on the wildlife, but there is no mention of possible damage to cultural sites.
This is the beginning of a SAFE initiative to research the efforts for the protection and preservation of the cultural heritage sites in the Gulf. We hope to promote awareness about the issue and encourage your support.
Soon to come are a Flickr campaign to post photos of sites, responses from archaeologists and cultural resource specialists, and updates on measures undertaken.
Let’s protect these sites before they are destroyed in the wake of this disaster.
Photograph by Sean Gardner, Reuters
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4 comments:
Please note the company is now called 'BP'. For details on nomenclature see here.
Thank you for your insight Cherkea. Unfortunately an archeological viewpoint is probably not on the critical issues list to consider when wildlife and food sources along the Gulf are being depleted at such a rapid rate. People are losing not only their livelihood, but also a way of life. I am glad you spelled out the acronym “BP”. This could have easily been one of the USA corporations’ problems. Not wanting to start a verbal war, I don’t believe that BP has enough money to turn this tragedy around and to clean up their mess. Nor do they appear willing to listen to alternate methods for this cleanup. We can only hope that eventually there will be a way to save not only the treasure of life, but also the treasures of our cultural past – now hidden and possibly covered in the depths of fossil fueled sea water.
Your latest post "Oil in the Wake" Content is very nice. The amazing line "This disastrous oil spill was caused by British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that sank after exploding." is important to understand that topic.
Thank you for your comments and interest in the subject. I certainly don't want this to turn into a debate of the name of the corporation. Instead, my interest lies in how the catastrophe gets cleaned up and the measures taken to protect the archaeology in the Gulf. Ultimately, this is not just a problem for BP or the US, but it is the world's problem. It will take all of us to encourage the preservation of our heritage. If we lose sight of this, we lose our past. Even with all the other problems, we must remember to protect our culture!
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