I recently had the pleasure of having breakfast with Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce intern Théo Toulat, from the University of Nantes, France. 

This polite young man is here as a result of the Crestview Sister City program's relationship with Noirmoutier, France. 

Here’s more about that relationship.

Last fall, the Sister City Program and local families hosted 21 French students — who temporarily attended Crestview High School — and many adults. All the families involved learned about our cultural similarities and differences.

But that was just one of many trips between the two areas the past 20 years.

Northwest Florida State College has developed a relationship with Noirmoutier and, as a result, we have a relationship with the University of Nantes.

A Noirmoutier area dance troupe, Grain de Sable Dance Company from Soullans, France, is coming to dance with NWF State College dancers. They arrive April 15, and will attend master classes for four days.

Dance Facets 2016 will be presented 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23, at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center. Tickets will be $15 for adults and $10 for youth. 

And that’s not all.

In the fall, six French business students will attend classes at NWF State College.

Additionally, NWF State College takes their choirs to Noirmoutier to perform and interact with residents.

We will again host friends from Noirmoutier  beginning Oct. 12 as the local Sister City Program’s 20^th anniversary continues.

I anticipate the celebration, as the people I have met from Noirmoutier are as friendly and loving as anyone could be; your life will be enriched by getting to know them.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

—

DID YOU KNOW?

The idea of developing friendships with those in other countries originated with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (later President Eisenhower), who felt that a citizens diplomacy initiative would let people from other countries get to personally know each other, overcoming the failure of professional diplomats to prevent World War II. He hoped these relationships would keep countries from warring with one another.

WANT TO JOIN?

Crestview Sister City Program dues cost $20 per individual, $30 per family and $2 per student.

Contact Pam Coffield, 682-8437, or Jim and Isabelle Mills, 682-8215, for more information.

Crestview Sister City Program dues cost $20 per individual, $30 per family and $2 per student.

Contact Pam Coffield, 682-8437, or Jim and Isabelle Mills, 682-8215, for more information.

DID YOU KNOW?

The idea of developing friendships with those in other countries originated with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (later President Eisenhower), who felt that a citizens diplomacy initiative would let people from other countries get to personally know each other, overcoming the failure of professional diplomats to prevent World War II. He hoped these relationships would keep countries from warring with one another.

WANT TO JOIN?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CROSE: Chamber's new intern reflects Crestview's 20-year relationship with France

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred about 50 miles offshore of Louisiana in April 2010. Approximately 172 million gallons of oil entered the Gulf of Mexico. Five years after the incident, locals and tourists still have questions. This article addresses the five most common questions.

1: Is Gulf seafood safe to eat?

Ongoing monitoring has shown that Gulf seafood harvested from waters that are open to fishing is safe to eat. Over 22,000 seafood samples have been tested and not a single sample came back with levels above the level of concern. Testing continues today.

2: What are the impacts to wildlife?

This question is difficult to answer as the Gulf of Mexico is a complex ecosystem with many different species — from bacteria, fish, oysters, to whales, turtles, and birds.  While oil affected individuals of some fish in the lab, scientists have not found that the spill impacted whole fish populations or communities in the wild. Some fish species populations declined, but eventually rebounded. The oil spill did affect at least one non-fish population, resulting in a mass die-off of bottlenose dolphins. Scientists continue to study fish populations to determine the long term impact of the spill.

3: What cleanup techniques were used, and how were they implemented?

Several different methods were used to remove the oil. Offshore, oil was removed using skimmers, devices used for removing oil from the sea’s surface before it reaches the coastline.  Controlled burns were also used, where surface oil was removed by surrounding it with fireproof booms and burning it. Chemical dispersants were used to break up the oil at the surface and below the surface. Shoreline cleanup on beaches involved sifting sand and removing tarballs and mats by hand.

4: Where did the oil go and where is it now?

The oil spill covered 29,000 square miles, approximately 4.7 percent of the Gulf of Mexico’s surface. During and after the spill, oil mixed with Gulf of Mexico waters and made its way into some coastal and deep-sea sediments. Oil moved with the ocean currents along the coast of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Recent studies show that about 3-5 percent of the unaccounted oil has made its way onto the seafloor.

5: Do dispersants make it unsafe to swim in the water?

The dispersant used on the spill was a product called Corexit, with doctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS) as a primary ingredient. Corexit is a concern as exposure to high levels can cause respiratory problems and skin irritation. To evaluate the risk, scientists collected water from more than 26 sites. The highest level of DOSS detected was 425 times lower than the levels of DOSS known to cause harm to humans.

For additional information and publications related to the oil spill, visit https://gulfseagrant.wordpress.com/oilspilloutreach/.

Laura Tiu is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview. This article was adapted from "Oil Spill Science: Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions about the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill," published in 2015 by Emily Maung-Douglass, Monica Wilson, Larissa Graham, Chris Hale, Stephen Sempier, and LaDon Swann.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: TIU: Oil Spill Science — Five years later, what have we learned?