MDEQ To Host Restoration Summit on November 15
(JACKSON, Miss.) – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will host the first Mississippi Restoration Summit on Tuesday, November 15, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The Restoration Summit will be an opportunity for the public to learn more about all aspects of restoration in Mississippi after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Included that day are presentations and exhibits about Mississippi’s restoration efforts, an open house, a Restoration Finance 101 class, restoration highlights, and a presentation about Mississippi’s Restoration Game Plan.
“The summit will present an overview of all of the restoration efforts in Mississippi—a comprehensive explanation of 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 for decades to come,” said Gary C. Rikard, MDEQ Executive Director.
The schedule of events are as follows:
●Restoration Finance 101 | 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – an opportunity to learn about RESTORE Act, NFWF GEBF, and NRDA grants including who is eligible to receive a grant or sub-grant from MDEQ for restoration projects and programs.
●Open House | 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. — learn about current and planned restoration activities through displays and experts on site. The open house is available any time before and after the evening presentations.
●Summit | 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
►MDEQ Executive Director Gary Rikard will discuss Mississippi’s restoration efforts and the slate of 2017 projects.
►Presentations highlighting a few of the current restoration projects happening along the Mississippi Gulf Coast including Round Island, Hancock County Marsh Living Shoreline, and an announcement about the Beach Outfalls Challenge.
►Learn about the Restoration Game Plan and how it is being implemented to sustain restoration efforts including how the various funding streams are being integrated to maximize ecosystem restoration.In addition, the MDEQ Restoration Summit, scheduled for November 15, 2016, in Biloxi, Mississippi, will include the 2016 annual public meeting of the Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (MS TIG). The MS TIG will provide updates on restoration activities in the Mississippi NRDA Restoration Area (http://www.restore.ms/mississippi-restoration-area/).
Attendance is free, open to the public, and there is no registration requirement. The best entrance for the Convention Center is the East Lobby door. For more information and a map of the facility, visit http://www.restore.ms/restoration-summit.
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