The Gulf Coast region might never be the same again.

With the amount of oil leaking every minute in the Gulf waters and the oil finally reaching the marshes and beaches of Louisiana, one can only despair in the realization that there’s nothing we can really do to fix this disaster anytime soon.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words:

 
More frightening and sobering images here.
Countless animals are dying and will die, and future generations will be affected by dramatic drops in numbers as breeding grounds are lost for decades.  Some perhaps forever.
Some species might never recover from this catastrophe, or they might abandon the Gulf region altogether, if they can find another area where they can live.