After the Gulf Coast oil spill, the recovery process poses substantial challenges, said Jim Burkhart, a representative of the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge.
However, residents are strong, capable and up to the challenge.
“The people here are extremely resilient,” Burkhart said. “It’s been encouraging. They know we’re facing a daunting task, but they’re willing to do anything.”
As tar balls washed onto the shore, Mobile residents Sandee Kelly and Debbie Clark continued vacationing on the beach.
“The businesses need us and our money,” Kelly said. “We’re staying here until someone tells us we’re not allowed to or that it isn’t safe. If we stop coming here, who knows what will happen to the economy.”
Realty agencies, souvenir shops and other ecotourism businesses are pleading with tourists to continue visiting the beaches, Kelly said, while other businesses have adapted to salvage profits.
For example, The Gulf Shores Marina in Fort Morgan would typically be entering its peak season this month, and this year was expected to be a record year for fishing, said the marina’s manager, Jason Pepperman. However, because all state and federal waters are closed to fishing, the Marina caters to contracted BP workers by providing fuel for the boats and slips to dock at night, he said.
The Marina has also altered operations in the dock store. Now, energy drinks, work gloves and other necessary items for BP workers stock the shelves.
Pepperman said he will do all he can to keep the operation running.
“I look at it like every other challenge I face. We’ve got to figure out a way to survive through it,” he said. “I have to recognize what opportunities are out there and make decisions to move forward.
“I’d love to tell you what exactly is going to happen, but I just don’t know.”
Because the timeframe for the clean up is unclear, many seasonal visitors and citizens are left wondering how their lifestyles will change.
Birmingham native Sonja Daniel donned a gas mask while sunbathing to poke fun at the situation, though she harbors strong emotions regarding the uncertainty about how long it will take to clean the tarred coastline.
“I’ve been coming here since I was 3 years old,” she said. “I’m 46 now. This may take 20 years to clean up. What if I don’t have 20 years? They’re taking away my youth. This may never be the same in my lifetime, so I’ll be here every day until I can’t any more.”
