11-78-CWS | July 13, 2011
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ (MDMR) Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) will present Paint En Plein Air—A Morning Excursion into the Reserve for Artists Saturday, July 16, from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
This event is a free outdoor adventure for mature teens and adults who enjoy painting en plein air (painting outside in a natural environment.) Reserve staff will take painters and sketchers out in a pontoon boat, and strategically place them around the Reserve, so they can capture the beauty of the Reserve from beautiful, but hard to access areas.
Artists must bring their own painting supplies and snacks.
Due to limited boat capacity, only the first 12 adults or teens who register will be able to participate. Preregistration is required for this event. For more information or to pre‐register call Jennifer Buchanan at 228-475-7047 or email her at jen.buchanan@dmr.ms.gov. Directions to the Reserve are located on the Reserve’s Web site at www.grandbaynerr.org/contact. Participants should meet at the Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center at 7:15 a.m. before proceeding to the boat launch. The Center is located at 6005 Bayou Heron Road, Moss Point, MS 39562.
The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is located near the community of Pecan in southeast Jackson County and includes wetlands and waterways from Bang’s Lake to the Alabama state line. A major goal of the Reserve is to provide for research coordination and dissemination of scientific data to the community and local decision‐makers to provide sound information on which to base management decisions. The 18,000‐acre Reserve is home to several rare or endangered plant and animal species and serves as an essential nursery habitat for numerous important commercial and recreational fish species.
The Grand Bay NERR is managed through state‐federal partnership between the DMR and its local partners—Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi State University and The Nature Conservancy—and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Please check out the Reserve’s Web site at www.grandbaynerr.org.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at www.dmr.ms.gov.
Contact: Jennifer Goldman Leirer
Phone: 228‐523‐4101
PHOTO CREDIT: Photos courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
Photo cutline: Artists sketch their surroundings in a Paint En Plein Air event at the Grand Bay NERR.
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