On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon rig operated by BP suffered a blow-out and explosion that killed 11 workers, injured 17 more and initiated an oil spill that promises to forever change the ecologic reality of the Gulf Coast of the United States. To date, millions of gallons of oil have been released with the current estimate of the coverage of the spill being from 2500 square miles to 7500 square miles, and the oil continues to flow from the Gulf sea floor.

This event is by far the largest spill suffered in the Gulf of Mexico and promises extensive damage to marshes and coastal resources from Louisiana to Florida. The oil has come ashore from Grand Isle, La., across to Panama City, Fla., and is likely to continue to come ashore in that area and further east for months to come. There, the damage is likely to be extensive. Where the oil comes into the marsh, it is likely that marsh grass will die and the soil will erode prior to regrowth occurring. In this manner, thousands of acres of marsh habitat will likely be lost.

Additionally, water quality in the onshore estuarine areas is likely to be negatively affected for months if not years to come.

These estuarine areas function as nurseries for brown and white shrimp, crabs, oysters and many species of finfish. The effect of the spill on these nursery functions is not known at this time, but certainly could lead to a significant reduction in productivity. The bottom line is that the likelihood is very high that the areas impacted to date will lose both marsh acreage and estuarine productivity for years to come.

Over the long term, the spill is anticipated to expand further to the east, and then down and around Florida, with some models indicating that the oil will be caught up in the Gulf Stream and taken up the East Coast of the United States and across the Atlantic toward England.

The impact of this spill on the eastern Gulf will be profound. As for the western Gulf, despite the appearance of small amounts of oil on Galveston-area beaches last week, the Texas coast is expected to escape major damage under most scenarios. Assuming that these scenarios are correct, it is clear that the western Gulf, most notably the Texas coast, will become, by default, the biological reserve for the United States. Therefore, it would seem as if a strategy of maximizing the protecting and enhancement of these biological resources would be critical for long-term sustainability of the ecology and fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and the United States.

The area of the Texas Coast from Matagorda Bay northward to the Sabine River is very similar to the areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that are being most heavily impacted by the oil spill. For example, the coastal tidal marsh that is being heavily impacted in Louisiana is found throughout the upper Texas coast. More than 250,000 acres surround Sabine Lake, with 150,000 acres around the Galveston Bay system and about 100,000 acres around the Matagorda Bay system. The same pattern is true with regard to freshwater swamps and forested floodplain forests, with about 80,000 acres around the Sabine Lake system, 40,000 acres around the Galveston Bay system and about 20,000 acres around the Matagorda Bay system.

Assuming that most of the areas similar to these are despoiled to the east of Texas, our coastal resources will become much more valuable and important. In fact, they may become the last remaining natural marshes, swamps and flooded timberlands adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico that are unaffected by oil contamination.

In short, the long-term ecological and biological future of the Gulf of Mexico — of the micro and macro invertebrates, of the shellfish and finfish - will likely become tied to the maintenance and protection of the marshes and estuaries of the upper Texas coast. This is a different scenario than the one where the sheer magnificence and abundance of coastal Louisiana is considered to be the most important Gulf natural resource of the United States. Unfortunately, that abundance can no longer be taken for granted and other areas adjoining the Gulf of Mexico will become the focus of the future of the Gulf of Mexico.

To date, little effort has been directed toward the long-term maintenance and protection of the upper Texas coast. We simply take it for granted. In light of the spill, a new conservation direction seems necessary for the upper Texas coast. At the least, considerable time and attention should be directed to the development of a plan for a biological and ecological preserve on the upper Texas coast.

There are several obvious steps that should be taken. First, a comprehensive inventory of coastal lands should be conducted whereby the types of vegetation and ecological productivity of coastal lands and waters can be determined. Second, an inventory of land ownership and potential availability should be conducted. For purposes of this preserve, it matters not whether the interest acquired is fee or easement. The goal is protection and management for productivity rather than access. Third, the maintenance needs of the ecological systems need to be identified and secured. Among other things, such needs would include adequate freshwater inflow to maintenance estuarine health and productivity, pollution control and fishery management issues. Over the long-term, these areas need to be alive and functioning.

Finally, there is the question of management of impacts to these resources. The Gulf oil spill was caused in part because of the failure of the federal government to provide adequate oversight of offshore drilling. However, offshore drilling is only one of many activities overseen by state and federal governments. There needs to be a coordinated effort to understand the cumulative impacts of many interrelated actions and to manage those actions so that we protect our resources for the future.

The Deepwater Horizon blow-out and resulting oil spill will rank forever as a national tragedy. It has changed the ecological dynamics and realities of the Gulf of Mexico. We need to act quickly and efficiently to take those steps necessary to protect and maintain the ecological integrity of the upper Texas coast. We need a biological preserve sooner rather than later. And we need an efficient plan to manage and protect our coastal resources for future generations.

Blackburn is a Houston attorney specializing in environmental issues.