VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
JULY 2010
Satellite images and digital
mapping for environmental
protection, education, and
advocacy
skytruthskytruthsky
truth
Welcome to SkyTruth
!
PO Box 3283
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
Phone: 304-260-8886
Send an Email to:
info@skytruth.org
blog
facebookfa
cebookface
flllickrflic
krflickr
twittertwi
ttertwitter
SkyTruth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization recognized as a taxexempt charity by the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service.
(ID number 54-2059475)
Dear friends - much has
happened since late April when
SkyTruth first challenged the official
numbers concerning the tragic BP /
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico. SkyTruth is now
widely recognized as a credible
provider of key information and –
true to our name – the source of
truth regarding the actual size and
scope of the spill. Our conservative
estimate that the spill exceeded one
million gallons per day has been
validated, as BP and the federal
government were pressured by our
work to provide additional
information and science-driven
analyses.
We are receiving constant
media attention, with appearances
on national TV news broadcasts
(CNBC, MSNBC’s The Daily
Rundown with Chuck Todd, BBC
News, Bloomberg TV), radio shows
(including NPR’s To the Point, and
All Things Considered), major
newspapers (including the
Washington Post, Los Angeles
Times, New York Times, Wall Street
Journal, and many others), and
dozens of websites and blogs.
Several media outlets have
specifically cited SkyTruth as a key
SKYTRUTH- SATELLITE IMAGES AND DIGITAL MAPPING source of credible information. The
SkyTruth blog has ranked as high as
#8 in Technorati’s listing of “green”
blogs, and received 270,000 visitors
between April 20 and May 20; we
had 25,000 visitors on June 8 alone.
Our followers on Twitter have
jumped from 30 to over 1400, and
include members of the media.
In addition to actively publicizing
our findings through the media and
the web, we’ve provided continuing
in-depth analysis to the NGO and
government community, most
recently serving on a panel at
Capitol Hill Ocean Week.
Our discovery of a chronic
multiyear leak at a well in the Gulf,
unrelated to the ongoing BP spill,
underlines the need for continuous
satellite monitoring of offshore
drilling facilities and infrastructure
long after the direct impacts of this
catastrophic spill have faded -something we raised in our
testimony to Congress last year on
the continued risks posed by
offshore drilling.
We appreciate your interest and
support as we work to ensure that
the lessons of the BP spill lead us to
embrace a new energy future.
John Amos,
President
http://www.skytruth.org
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
JULY 2010
FEATURED PROJECT:
GULF OIL SPILL
TRACKER
gulfoilspilltrackergulsoilspilltra
ckergulfgulfoilspilltrackergulfoi
lspilltrackergulfoilspilltrackerg
ulfoillspilltackergulfoilspilltrack
erfuloilspilltrackergulfoilspilltr
ackrrgulfoilspilltrackeroilspilltr
The Gulf Oil Spill Tracker, our userparticipation website operated in
partnership with Surfrider and
Ocean Conservancy, is collecting
and publishing reports from
concerned citizens around the Gulf
Coast. This tool is now
supplemented by the Gulf Oil Spill
Reporter, a free mobile-phone
application that lets our citizenjournalists upload reports and
photos using their cell phones; this
app was donated to SkyTruth at no
cost by our newest partners,
FreedomSpeaks and CitySourced.
How to
Our new Gulf Oil Spill Tracker site can help show the world
what’s going on. If you’re in the Gulf region and have photos
or videos, you can share that information with others via the
Gulf Oil Spill Tracker, and browse the site using an
interactive map to view reports submitted by other folks.
Deepwater Horizon
Report
The Gulf oil spill is now considered to be
the largest environmental disaster in
Fill out a form at the website
U.S. history, and has happened at a
pivotal time in federal policymaking as
PROJECT PARTNERS
the Administration and Congress debate
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental
organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment
of the world's oceans, waves and
beaches for all people, through
surffriderfoun
conservation, activism, research and
education.
dationsurfride
energy policy, climate legislation, and
marine spatial planning.
Our work concerning energy and marine
conservation is designed to ensure that
the lessons learned from this tragic
event are fully acknowledged and
At Ocean Conservancy, our 35-year
legacy continues as we translate threats
into practical policies that protect our
ocean and improve our lives.
oceanconser
vancyoceanc
onservancy
EARTHWORKS is a non-profit organization dedicated
to protecting communities and the
earthworkse
environment from the destructive impacts
of mineral development, in the U.S.
arthworksea
and worldwide
rthworks
SKYTRUTH- SATELLITE IMAGES AND DIGITAL MAPPING incorporated into future policy and
regulation covering offshore drilling and
oil spill response, and the overall
management of our marine resources.
We also are working to ensure that
these lessons are not forgotten as the
nation struggles to develop responsible
energy and climate legislation.
http://www.skytruth.org
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
JULY 2010
What People are Saying about SkyTruth:
“A tiny nonprofit group with one
paid staffer in a one-room office in a small
West Virginia town has been causing U.S.
officials and oil company executives to
backtrack and revise their estimates of
the size and flow of the oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico….SkyTruth's work has been a
thorn in the side of industry and federal
officials during previous spills, and its
analysis of the extractive industry's
environmental footprint has drawn the
wrath of mining and petroleum production
companies.”
“... SkyTruth has been a great site to
follow for visuals and assessment on the
spill supported by reasons.”
Motley Fool CAPS 5/17/10
“In fact, BP wouldn't have even bumped
their estimate to 5,000 if it hadn't been for
the actions of SkyTruth, which took the
approach of simply measuring the oil slick
and calculating how much oil it contained.”
Daily Kos 5/26/10
Los Angeles Times 5/1/10
“John Amos, a geologist, said that
the 5,000 barrels a day was the "extremely
low end" of the estimates.”
The Money Times 5/1/10
“SkyTruth has already called out
government sources twice. Only 1,000
barrels a day?... If it wasn’t for SkyTruth,
CNN and every other media outlet would
be reporting much lower figures.”
Hands Off Country 5/5/10
Features SkyTruth as one of “best sites for
coverage.”
Ruth Group 5/11/10
“…John Amos of West Virginia-based
nonprofit SkyTruth, was the first to notice
the spill, observing an oil slick eleven
miles off the coast of Louisiana.”
Huffington Post 6/8/10
"Special thanks to John Amos
and skytruth.org"
Gizmodo 6/12/10
“Working with SkyTruth.org, the Surfrider
Foundation has been able to build a real-time
map of beaches and coastline on their website
where tarballs from the oil spill have washed
ashore.”
Transworld Business 6/14/10
Our Vision
Our Mission
SkyTruth envisions a world where all
people can see and understand the
environmental consequences of human
activity everywhere on the earth, and
are motivated to take action to protect
the environment.
SkyTruth’s mission is to motivate and
empower new constituencies for
environmental protection. We use
scientifically credible satellite images
and other visual technologies to create
compelling pictures that vividly
illustrate environmental impacts and
provide these pictures and supporting
data to environmental advocates, the
media, and the public.
SKYTRUTH- SATELLITE IMAGES AND DIGITAL MAPPING http://www.skytruth.org
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
FOUNDATION
SUPPORTERS
PATAGONIA
FOUNDATION
TIDES FOUNDATIONALKI FUND
TIFFANY & CO.
FOUNDATION
TRUE NORTH
FOUNDATION
WESTWIND
FOUNDATION
FLEDGLING FUND
...and dozens of individual
donors like YOU!
JULY 2010
How You Can Help
Support from charitable
foundations and private donors
like you helps SkyTruth conduct
projects, provide training to
other groups, and improve our
capabilities in an ever-changing
field of technology.
You can donate online by
using PayPal or Network for
Good, or you can mail us a
donation (checks only, please) at
SkyTruth, PO Box 3283,
Shepherdstown, WV
25443-3283.
SkyTruth is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization
recognized as tax-exempt public
charity by the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service.
You can also confirm our
status at Guidestar, an online
registry of tax-exempt
organizations.
SkyTruth does not
conduct any lobbying or political
activities. Your donation is taxdeductible to the extent allowed
by the IRS.
SkyTruth
continues to monitor hardrock mining, mountaintop removal coal mining,
oil and gas drilling onshore and off, logging, and other activities that impact our
environment. Visit our webpage to learn more about our work.
Spread the Word...
Help us continue the work of environmental protection, education, and advocacy.
Send this newsletter to some of your friends and invite them to learn more about SkyTruth
today.
To subscribe to SkyTruth e-newsletters, write to sarah@skytruth.org
To unsubscribe, sarah@skytruth.org will help with that, too.
PO Box 3283
Shepherdstown, WV
25443-3283
Mailing Label Here