Gulf tragedy 1

•



It's hard here in East Tennessee, living in our lush green state not to feel shock and sadness by the oil spill affecting the Gulf Coast States. We are more than just neighbors, we're all citizens of the world, a world becoming ever more fragile with each passing day. For Wayne Mallinger from Madisonville in Monroe County, it's especially heartbreaking. Wayne spent the first 40 years of his life in Florida, usually within five miles of a beach and still routinely visits his mother near Fort Lauderdale.

Wayne has sent me a series of photos including several of "oil-free" brown pelicans he took last year on a visit. This is one of the avian species we have now all seen on the news of late drenched in oil. Tragic.


Thanks for sharing, Wayne.

- Photo of oil-free brown pelican by Wayne Mallinger

•