— from Miguel Villarreal —

The 11 Million Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, imposed on the Pacific NW coast

Island Oil Spill Association (IOSA ) has been responding to spills in the San Juan Islands since 1985, when an oil spill was spotted at Wasp Pass and a group of citizens took it upon themselves to take on the task of clean up. The origin of the spill was never determined, but these people and their actions were the seeds of an organization that can truly be said are at the front line in the battle for the environment.   

Since then, they have responded to over 500 calls, and grown to become a trained team of certified first responders, that can have crew and equipment to anywhere in San Juan County in amazingly short time, working with the Coast Guard, local fire departments, and vessel operators for little to no compensation for expenses incurred. 

At this time, according to their website, IOSA is not able to respond to any calls due to lack of funding and personnel. Considering that most spills come from small craft accidents, some of which can carry thousands of gallons of fuel and oils, and no one else is able to respond as quickly to an incident as they are, we should all be concerned for IOSA’s existence.

Of all the non-profits in San Juan County, this one should rank high on our list of importance. And while funds are always needed to make ends meet, it also takes people to be proactive at this cause. Not everyone can put in the time, or has the abilities it takes to do this particular task … but, we can all do something for this worthy cause. 

Please checkout the IOSA website to see what can be done for the environment today, right now.

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