MDEQ to Host Mississippi Restoration Summit on November 13

Public Welcome to Attend Summit and Educational Sessions

(JACKSON, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will host the third annual Mississippi Restoration Summit on November 13 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi. The public is invited to learn about current restoration projects in Mississippi and hear the announcement of new projects for 2018. The event is open to the public, free of charge, and registration is not required to attend.

“The summit will present an overview of MDEQ’s  restoration efforts—we will explain where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are headed. In addition, we will explain how new and existing projects, from all the various funding streams, will work together to improve our natural resources and our quality of life,” said Gary Rikard, MDEQ Executive Director.

The Restoration Summit is open to the public from 2:00 p.m. until 7:15 p.m. and will include the 2018 annual public meeting of the Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (MS TIG).

MDEQ is offering two educational breakout sessions which will provide updates on existing projects: Blue Economy and Marine and Living Resources. Participation in both breakout sessions is open to the public.

  • Blue Economy (2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Hear from local organizations such as the Infinity Science Center, the Mississippi Aquarium, local community colleges and others about projects contributing to the restoration of the economy the Gulf Coast and the state.*

  • Marine and Living Resources (2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Receive information about current ecological restoration projects such as Living Shorelines, Habitat Conservation, Reef Fish Assessment, and Oyster projects.*

The schedule for the day also includes:

  • Open House (5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)

Learn about current and planned restoration activities. Information on new and current projects will be available as well as representatives from various local, state, and federal organizations.

  • Evening Session (6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.)

Hear from MDEQ leadership about current restoration projects in Mississippi and the announcement of new projects for 2018.

  • Community Conversations (6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.)

Participate in discussions to inform future project planning.

*Up to three hours of Professional Development Hours (PDH) may be available for engineers who attend these sessions. The number of hours approved will not be decided until after the summit.

More information and a copy of the agenda can be found here: https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/restoration/restoration-summit/.

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(parking map for summit below)