Press Release

Washington, DC – American Rivers President Rebecca Wodder today released the following statement about the Gulf Coast oil spill disaster:

“This is an environmental and economic disaster of unprecedented scale. The impacts to the Gulf’s communities and its wetlands and estuaries, which are vitally important for fisheries and clean water, will be enormous and long-lasting. The harm the spill is causing to entire fishing communities, and the damage to fish and wildlife is simply heartbreaking.”

“The Gulf coast’s health was compromised even before this tragic oil spill occurred. Years of damming, flood control, and agricultural pollution along the Mississippi and other Gulf rivers destroyed wetlands and made the coast more vulnerable to both human and natural disasters.”

“As we focus on cleaning up and helping impacted communities, we must not forget the importance of restoring all the elements needed for healthy coastal wetlands, including healthy rivers that feed coastal wetlands with the sediment, nutrients and freshwater flows that sustain them. This is a tragedy on a national scale, and the federal government must commit the necessary resources to help the region recover.”

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American Rivers is the leading organization working to protect and restore the nation’s rivers and streams. Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Since 1973, American Rivers has fought to preserve these connections, helping protect and restore more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and the annual release of America’s Most Endangered Rivers®.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 100,000 supporters, members, and volunteers nationwide. Visit www.americanrivers.org, www.facebook.com/americanrivers and www.twitter.com/americanrivers.