Earth Equity News

Ecological Impact from Ike Significant and Could Be Long-Lasting. By Matthew Tresaugue, HoustonChron, October 1, 2008. "Thousands of migrating warblers pass through the Bolivar Peninsula about this time every year, making one last stop for food and water before their 600-mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico. But the warblers and other migratory birds might not be able to find refuge for a while on the remote and particularly vulnerable place. Hurricane Ike stripped the birds' favorite mulberry trees, leaving little fuel for their long journey ahead -- one of the sobering consequences of the storm. Even without a major oil spill, Ike caused widespread environmental damage to Southeast Texas, ripping through the region's barrier islands, washing debris into Galveston Bay and the Gulf, and imperiling animals, fish and plants by pouring excessive amounts of saltwater into marshes. 'The extent of the damage won't be known for a while,' said Larry McKinney, executive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. 'But it's possible that we've had 20 to 30 years of damage at once.'"