The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council had the honor of hosting a multi-regional project with visitors representing Egypt, Gambia, Oman, Thailand, Mexico, and Japan for five days in northwest Florida.
The goals of the project, as established by the Department of State, were to provide participants with the opportunity to:
- Examine the U.S. national park and protected area management systems, trends in biodiversity conservation and wildlife management, and tourism standards and practices;
- View the range of services, infrastructure, concessions and tourist information in U.S. parks and natural attractions and how communities give input to the planning for tourism development; and
- Foster discussion among field experts and local communities on the roles of governments and the private sector in biodiversity preservation, parks management, and tourism facility development.
Their first appointment was a welcome meeting and orientation at City Hall where Maren DeWeese, President of the City Council, presented a special gift from the City of Pensacola to the visitors. After the orientation, the group went to the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to speak with Lori Coppels who discussed one of Pensacola’s fastest growing tourism markets, ecotourism.
The delegation also visited with Dan Brown, Nina Kelson, Susan Blair, and Rick Clark at one of the Gulf Coast’s natural gems, the Gulf Islands National Seashore, one of 390+ federal parks in the United States. At this appointment, the visitors discussed a variety of topics in addition to touring Fort Pickens, a historic site within the national seashore. We also thank Ranger Stanley Lawhead for meeting with the group!
Thanks to Keith Wilkins of the Escambia County Bureau of Neighborhoods & Services, the group next attended the community meeting of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Taskforce where they met state and local leaders, heard EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson speak, and listened to various presentations regarding the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and its consequences. Following this, the group met with Sava Varazo, the Environmental Programs Manager for the Escambia County Water Quality and Land Management Division, and went with him on a site visit to Project Greenshores, a restored 15 acres of salt marsh off the coast of Pensacola.
The following morning, Dr. Dick Snyder of the Center for Environmental Diagnostics & Bioremediation at the University of West Florida (UWF) hosted a discussion about wetlands. Dr. Snyder works with other academic departments at UWF and other external organizations to engage in research pertinent to the assessment and improvement of environmental health. Following this, the group traveled to Blackwater River State Park to meet with Anne Harvey and Daryl Hatfield. After a tour and discussion of the park, the visitors experienced ecotourism in northwest Florida via a canoe trip down the river. This was complimented by a trip to the Wakulla Springs area where the group spent the next two nights in an eco-friendly, nature-based hotel.
The group’s last day of appointments in Florida began with a visit to Wakulla Springs State Park where the visitors met with Ranger Jeff Hugo and participated on a guided boat tour of the area. Next, Jack Rudloe of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory highlighted the conservation and research aspect of his facility which is a nonprofit organization supporting marine research and education both on site and at universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Then at the site visit to the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve the group focused on water quality and biodiversity with Erik Lovestrand.
Thank you also to Sonja Nelson and Michael and Mary Jane Bass for hosting dinners in their homes for the visitors and to everyone else who helped make the group’s time with us productive.
