Unit 4. The Oil Spill My best friend Katie lives near a beautiful white sand beach. Her parents take us there every summer. The water is clean and refreshing. We have a lot of fun in the waves. Last year, there was an oil spill at Katie's beach. We volunteered at the beach to clean up the oil and help the birds that were caught in the spill. When we arrived at the beach that day, the water was slick with oil and the white sand had turned black. It was an ugly sight. At first, the rescue workers would not let us on the beach. We had to watch from a distance. We watched as they put a huge float in the water called a boom. This device kept the oil slick from spreading. Once they stopped the slick, we were allowed on the beach to help. Each of us was given a broom. We swept the oil into a pile. The workers took it away in big trucks. We all worked very hard that day to restore the beach. Once the oil was removed, the birds that had been caught in the oil had to be helped. The workers showed us how to remove the oil from their wings. Then the birds could fly away to safety. We were very proud of ourselves that day. We helped save our beautiful beach and the birds who visit it.