The latest map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the slick has slipped past the Chandeleur Islands -- where landfall was confirmed -- to inner islands and is heading toward the shores of St. Bernard Parish.
Lower swampy reaches of the Mississippi River also have confirmed presence of oil, and a blob of the oil plume appears to be drifting west of the river's mouth, toward Port Fourchon in Lafourche Parish.
Grand Isle State Park is in the vicinity of that break-off patch of oil. The island is the most popular of the state's barrier islands and is a jumping-off point for deep-sea fishing. There are some 230 species of fish there, as well as numerous species of birds, including the pelican, state bird of Louisiana.
--Geoff Mohan