He was 1,000 miles from home, but Ed Clark from the Wildlife Center of Virginia is back from the Gulf Coast.

His diagnosis of the oil spill is grim.

"This is unprecedented. If we do not learn something valuable from this lesson, heaven help us," adds Clark.

Clark traveled with a small group of experts to examine cleanup efforts of the spill.

Their goal is to look for opportunities to bring new resources to the area. But Clark fears it may be an impossible task.

He says, "There simply is no hope of cleaning it up, it's just going to be a matter of waiting to see how nature copes with it."

Clark says the direct impact we see now won't compare to the long-term effects that could surface.

"It's what is going to happen five to ten years from now as a result of this incredible influx of hydrocarbons into the ecosystem," adds Clark.

To make matters worse the problem areas are too dangerous for most people to reach, and some of them are off-limits.

It's an obstacle Clark and his research team will have to get through.

He says, "We need to find ways to get people on the water finding these animals, and more people on the shore line to get them to captivity and get them to care."

Clark is in the process of organizing a travel log of his trip.

It will be posted on the Wildlife Center of Virginia website.