13-28-CWS | March 8, 2013
BILOXI, Miss. –Learn about insect pollinators and small scale beekeeping basics at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ (MSDMR) Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Grand Bay NERR) free Adventure Quencher event March 15, 5:30-9 p.m., and March 16, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at the Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center in eastern Jackson County. Pre-registration for one or both days is recommended.
On March 15, educators will focus their family-friendly presentation on why pollination is important, native pollinators and their host plant species, building a native bee house, blacklighting for night pollinators and an introduction to beekeeping.
The March 16 presentation is geared toward those with a serious interest in small scale beekeeping, including choosing a hive design, populating your hive, maintaining your hive, dressing for beekeeping, examining a beehive in the field and a honey-tasting activity.
The event is sponsored by MSDMR Grand Bay NERR, Mississippi State University Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and Mississippi Gulf Coast Beekeepers Association. For more information or to pre-register for the event, please contact Jennifer Buchanan at (228) 475-7047 or jen.buchanan@dmr.ms.gov.
The Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center is located at 6005 Bayou Heron Road near Moss Point, Mississippi. For directions to the Center and more information on these events, please visit our website at www.grandbaynerr.org.
The Grand Bay NERR is located in southeast Jackson County, Mississippi 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 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 and the Nature Conservancy—and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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: Susan Lepoma Perkins, APR
Phone: 228-523-4124
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