Mississippi oil spill

The New Orleans port was closed down last week when a tanker collided with a barge, sinking the barge and spilling 419,000 gallons of oil into the Mississippi River. On the scale of oil spills it was relatively small and contained, but it still had effects. Right now ecologists are most worried about the wetlands in the area.
So far few animals have been affected by the spill, but there are still some birds and other wildlife that required rehabilitation. Obviously, aquatic life is going to be the most affected. Who breathes oil? Oiled birds' feathers lose their ability to waterproof and some of their buoyancy, as well as their thermal capacity. Land animals are going to try to clean the oil off themselves, which will wreak havoc with their digestive systems.
I can't help but remember the Exxon Valdez spill and the fact that things aren't really back to normal, even 20 years on. Officials expect this to be cleaned up by July 30. Only time will tell what the long-term ramifications are likely to be.