Gulf of Mexico numerous bays and smaller inlets. A number of rivers empty into the gulf, most notably the Mississippi River and Rio Grande in the northern gulf, and the Grijalva and Usumacinta rivers in the southern gulf. The land that forms the gulf's coast, including many long, narrow barrier islands, is almost uniformly low-lying and is characterized by marshes and swamps as well as stretches of sandy beach. The Gulf of Mexico is an excellent example of a passive margin. The continental shelf is quite wide at most points along the coast, most notably at the Florida and Yucatán Peninsulas. The shelf
Gulf of Mexico Foundation Paul Kelly, a former senior executive at Rowan Companies, an oil drilling firm. Other board members are executives from Shell Oil Company, ConocoPhillips, Transocean oil drilling firm, and legal, environmental and marketing firms. At least half of the 19 board of directors have ties to the offshore oil drilling industry. Gulf of Mexico Foundation partners include major oil companies and oil drilling firms, and others concerned for the environment. They include BP, Transocean, Marathon, ConocoPhillips, Shell Oil Company, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Rowan Companies and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. The Foundation has a reported $2 million annual budget, and one-quarter