11-70-CWS | June 9, 2011
BILOXI, Miss. — Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) will host a guided paddling exploration of Bayou Heron, Saturday, June 18, at 7:15 a.m. NERR Education Coordinator Jennifer Buchanan will lead the free tour and share stories about the marks left behind on the land by our early settlers and American Indians.
The tour will be an easy paddle trip in flat water; however, participants are advised to bring a change of clothes as they may get wet. Participants should also bring plenty of drinking water, sunscreen and bug repellent. Sit‐on‐top kayaks are available to be reserved, or visitors may bring their own. All participants will be required to wear life jackets.
Participants should meet at the NERR headquarters located at 6005 Bayou Heron Road in southeast Jackson County before 7:15 a.m. Although the tour is free, pre‐registration is recommended for this event. This adventure is for teens and adults. For more information or to pre‐register call Jennifer Buchanan at (228) 475‐7047 or e‐mail jen.buchanan@dmr.ms.gov.
Directions to the NERR are located on the reserve’s Web site, http://www.grandbaynerr.org/contact.
The Grand Bay NERR is a designated Natural Heritage Site within the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area.
The Reserve is located near the community of Pecan in southeast Jackson County and includes wetlands and waterways from Bangs Lake to the Alabama state line. A major purpose 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 Reserve 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, the Nature Conservancy, the University of Southern Mississippi and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Visit the NERR online 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
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