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It may be capped, the cap could be temporary or permanent but it is not over. The oil that has spilt into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the explosion of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon rig is going to be around for some time. So what can you do to help?

You do not need to live along the Gulf Coast to help, there are many ways to get involved and taking action is one of the best antidotes if you are feeling helpless. There are many, many, many organizations that have pitched in to help, while we cant list them all, we would like to thank everyone that has joined in to help.

Share Information.
Talk about it! Sharing of information is a vital element in improving outcomes and is an essential part of the process of mustering up support. Start by either sharing this post or creating a post of your own, then go out and talk to your family, friends and colleges about the various ways they can help.

Get involved.
Volunteer your time. Join a volunteer program. These states are looking for volunteers to help in clean-up and prevention:

• * Alabama
• * Florida
• * Lousiana
• * Mississippi

Make a donation.
You can help even if you are cash strapped from the credit crunch caused by the sub-prime mortgage collapse by donating your hair. Yes that’s right, hair absorbs oil better than synthetic materials and Matter of Trust is collecting hair to be bundled into booms.

If you would prefer to make a financial contribution there are a number of organisations that would like to hear from you.

• * Audubon’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.
• * National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. We’re tracking and reporting on the impacts of the oil spill, and our extensive network of volunteers is on-the-ground, supporting wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts and restoring the damaged coastal ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico.
• * Greater New Orleans Foundation/Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund. 100 percent of all donations to the Fund will be granted to organizations working tirelessly in the effected areas.

Own or Skipper a boat?
BP will pay you to take part in oil skimming operations. Participate in the Vessels of Opportunity program.

Visit Deepwater Horizon Response.
Visit the official site of the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response

Report broken or damage booms.
About 1.2 million feet of boom have been installed across the Gulf Coast with 900,000 feet in the Mobile Sector to date and another 3.5 million feet of boom is either staged, ordered or in production.
Report damaged, vandalized, adrift, or stolen boom to: 1-866-448-5816

Report Fish and Wildlife
Report injured or dead wildlife in the impact area call: 1-866-557-1401

Share and get Ideas
Gulf Clean is a central repository for resources that anyone can use to build their own recovery tools, harvest oil, and maintain their living while bettering the situation.

Think before you act.
Safety first!

• * Oil is a hazardous material and should be handled by highly trained professionals only.
• * Volunteers should not attempt to clean impacted beaches themselves or attempt to rescue oiled wildlife on their own. Touching oil is a health risk and disposing of it improperly may cause additional environmental damage. Distressed wildlife may become aggressive and cause harm to you.

Always heed local warnings from public health officials.

• * Do not trespass on closed beaches. Even leaving your footprints behind may cause environmental damage.
• * Volunteers should not expect to just show up to affected beaches and work. Showing up puts you at risk for health problems, hinder the efforts of response personnel, and may cause further irreparable damage to impacted beaches.

Valuable resources are needed by responding agencies.

• * Consider donating much-needed cash to responding organizations.
• * Confirm the needs with a responding organization before collecting items.

Engage wisely.

• * Join a responding organization and become trained to volunteer safely and effectively.
• * The need for volunteers and donations is long-term. Time and resources will be needed for cleanup efforts many months later.

Contact Numbers
WILDLIFE DISTRESS: (866) 557-1401
OIL ON LAND / BOOM ISSUES (866) 448-5816
HEALTH CONCERNS (800) 222-1222
DAMAGE CLAIM (800) 440-0858
REGISTER YOUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: (281) 366-5511
VESSELS OF OPPORTUNITY: (281) 366-5511