12-52-CWS | August 13, 2012
BILOXI, Miss. –The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) will host the August Adventure Quencher: Explore Bayou Heron by Kayak on Saturday, August 18, from 7:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center located at 6005 Bayou Heron Road near Moss Point. The tour will take three hours to complete.
Explore the upper reaches of Bayou Heron, Mississippi’s easternmost tidal stream with the NERR staff. Participants will meet at the Grand Bay Reserve’s Coastal Research Center at 7:30 a.m. and go down to the bayou and launch the kayaks. The plan is to paddle northward to discover how the estuary habitats change further up the bayou.
The bayou is extremely flat and protected and only gets a little choppy in the worst of winds. This paddle adventure is designed for families with children over 6 years old who are able to paddle on their own. However, if you have your own kayak or canoe, you may bring a child of any age as long as everyone wears a life jacket. Due to a limited supply of kayaks, you must pre-register for this event. First come-first served for 14 slots. Please wear closed toed shoes and dress to protect yourself from the sun and the bugs. Do not forget to bring drinking water.
For more information or to preregister for the event, please contact Jennifer Buchanan at 228-475-7047 or jen.buchanan@dmr.ms.gov.
The Grand Bay NERR is located 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 Reserve is managed through state-federal partnership between the MDMR 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. For more information on the Reserve and directions to the Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center please go to their website 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 MDMR online at www.dmr.ms.gov.
Photo cutline: Grant Larsen shows his appreciation for the marsh as he kayaks at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Contact: Shelly Becker
Phone: (228) 523-4051
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