Jimmy Buffett Gulf rescue mission: rescuing marine life

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and two friends are hoping their new rescue boats may save birds and marine life under threat from the worst of the nation. Boats specially designed to navigate shallow marshlands, coming from a wide range of wildlife, coast of the Gulf ".In principle, we can set something on a cocktail napkin and provided the idea, "says Mark Castlow, a boat builder in Vero Beach, Fla. That was the second day of the disaster, he says, as he watched television images of the spill and saw the need for a boat that could achieve the shallow waters of the Gulf Coast estuaries.Castlow shared the idea with his friend Buffett, who agreed to operate the boat cost $ 43,000, "he says. "Called and Jimmy and says:" Let's go for it. Let's do it, "" Castlow says. "It is so like all of us. He's got in suicide. "Shortage of equipment to help contain oil — and rescuing wildlife — have been a recurring problem since the April 20 deepwater Horizon on oil rigs, the outbreak of the Carys Mitchelmore, says he is a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "If you can get in these areas, shallow and rescue everything can be oiled, this is great," says Mitchelmore, who has testified before Congress on oil spill pollution. "If anyone can help, I think it is an excellent idea, especially if you do not want to be costing anything."Buffett, who graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1969, met with school President Martha Saunders this month brainstorming ways it can help, "says Beth Taylor, University news and Media Relations Manager.Miss decided to grant the first boat at the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Ocean Springs, the composer then. He was expected to arrive late this week or next week, and Castlow says there are plans to build three other boats of the same type of boat is needed, "says Taylor, because boats lab will not be able to navigate in shallow waters, such as the 10 cm depth, such as new, donated. "Our boats are larger, and they cannot be find around in the shallow water, "he says. "This will be used by our scientists and our graduate schools to go out in the estuaries and wetlands."Castlow and Jimbo Meador, friend and colleague at Castlow's Dragonfly Boatworks, designed for boats s.w.a.t. — an acronym for shallow water account terminal — running misting to cool the injured wildlife, after he is taken on board in the Gulf of summer heat. "Crown wraps around the boat, and that there is a great case, because now you can work in the shade and misting," says Castlow that "sounds like a great idea, because you might want to do meaningful right there," says Ed Verge, an instructor, a boat building lead Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, North Carolina, N.C.Madilyn Fletcher, Director of the school of the University of South Carolina for the reduction of stress on the injured party srodowiskamówi nature is the key to the animals recover and idea is sensible. "Everything you can do to save these bird damaged is all the better, and the more you can do to reduce the load on them when you are trying to do this is all for the better, as well as" Fletcher says.Monday 724 birds apparently array had been rescued off the coast of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, in accordance with the consolidated fish and report collection of wild animals, which tracks the number of reported by government agencies and rescue Centers to the Unified area command in the zone of the spill. 247 other birds of the five Member States have been found dead. "When you see something is thinning what to do for life — what you love — it simply tore everyone, "says Castlow."Simply we thought, "we have the opportunity to make a difference here." "Sharing in the Community Guidelines: USA TODAY so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally and keep your language decent. Use the "report abuse" button to make the difference. Learn more.