A blue heron stands in the water at Lake Shelby in Gulf Shores, Ala. The oil spill occurred just before the peak tourist season, hampering the region’s usually bustling summer scene. (Dave Martin / Associated Press)
Mary-Kate Oldham, 6, of Tennessee puts tar balls in her sand bucket on Pensacola Beach, Fla. during a family vacation in June. “I think we’ll just take [the kids] home and scrub them,” said Holly Adkins, Mary-Kate’s mother. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
As part of the national Hands Across the Sand gathering, people unite on the beach in an “SOS” formation to show their concern for the gulf oil spill and some to voice their opposition to deep-water drilling. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Workers combating the oil spill regain control of their boat that came ashore on Orange Beach, Ala., where oil has stained the waves brown. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Oil has reached islands close to Grand Isle where thousands of birds are nesting. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
