Volunteer boats needed for oil clean-up

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama (WALA) - An environmental group asking for volunteers with boats to help with clean-up on Dauphin Island. Mobile BayKeeper is calling on volunteers to help in the preparation for the oil slick threatening Alabama's coast. Outreach director Tammy Herrington says the only requirement is you've got to have a boat.

"We had to plan all this very last minute. We finally got permission for the boats to get out there in the water,'' Herrington said.

Tommy Lightcap agreed to take us out on his boat Wednesday. Lightcap said it was prefect weather to go boating, but this trip was not for pleasure. It gave us our first close up look at the work that's been done so far to get ready for the potential disaster.

There are several miles of boom on the south and Gulf sides of Dauphin Island. The booms are first line of defense if the oil makes it way to our shores.

While we were out we spotted a boat loaded down with more boom.

Volunteer Ray Mayhall had his boat out for the clean-up. In addition to taking along a German Media group, Mayhall was searching for debris off the shoreline.

A dead fish was the only thing we spotted on the water. It was not an oil casualty.

Both boats went ashore on the five mile stretch of beach that was cut off from the island by Hurricane Katrina. That's where a little debris was spotted.

The idea is to clean-up the debris before it gets contaminated with oil.

''Get the debris out to where you're only dealing with oil, and not debris. This is hazardous material that we'll be dealing with, and not to have objects to deal with will help a great deal," Mayhall said.

The volunteers say they don't know how long time will be on their side.

"Mother Nature has cut us a break, and honestly that's who is in charge here, so we are against the clock. Our real thing is we have a lot of people who signed up to volunteer. But I'm retired so time is my greatest asset.'' Mayhall said.

The organization will be meeting at the marina on Dauphin Island Thursday at 8:00 a.m.