Pascagoula River Audubon Center is closed to the public through March 31. Our activities have been cancelled until April 30. We here at PRAC hope you will be healthy and safe from Covid -19.
Thursday, March 12, 2020, started off with great food, great music, and many people who came to enjoy themselves and to commemorate the upcoming tenth anniversary of the BP Deep Water Horizon Oil Disaster. On Friday morning, March 13, several members of the press came for breakfast and an update of how Audubon has continued the restoration process and recovery efforts of the many birds that were affected by the disaster. Reverend David Newton opened our press conference with a prayer of remembrance of the eleven men whose lives were lost in the horrific explosion. Later that morning, the press enjoyed a ride on the river with Captain Benny McCoy as they got a first-hand look at how resilient the gulf coast really is. Gulfport High School S.T.E.M. Academy visited the center for a ecological tour, a lesson, and even some bird watching. Saturday, March 14, was filled with people, music from “For the Birds”, crawfish, boat rides, and laughter. It was a great way to remember the upcoming tenth anniversary of the BP Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill Disaster and how the gulf coast has bounced back better than ever. |
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Robert Mills, Katie Fetzer, Julian Rankin, and Susan Stachowski at the Dedication of the Flower Medallion Sculpture |
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On Thursday, March 12, Julian Rankin, director of the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, dedicated our Art in the Open sculpture called Flower Medallion. We are thrilled to be home to one of the first three sculptures produced by artist Zachary Harris using Walter Anderson block prints. The sculpture is in our Native Garden area (or No Mow Meadow). When we reopen, don't miss the opportunity to see it. There are two other sculptures in this series at the Historic Charnley-Norwood House in Ocean Springs and at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Moss Point. These are only the start to the Art in the Open series. There are more to come. |
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Robert Mills of Chemours, Cuts the Ribbon on the Native Nursery |
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Ribbon Cutting of the Chemours Native Nursery |
Thanks to a grant from Chemours, we now have a beautiful, large hoop house greenhouse for our native plants. Appropriately named the Chemours Native Nursery, our hoop house will allow us to grow and cultivate native plants to use at our center as well as to sell at our native plant sales. Although our April 3 & 4 native plant sale has been cancelled, we are looking at options as to how we can get the plants to you. Our staff is looking forward to filling up this greenhouse with all the native plants that we and our neighbors want to grow. With the help of some Master Gardeners, we will have the new hoop house filled up in no time. Come by and take a look when we reopen. We look forward to seeing these plants growing in someone's yard. |
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Crawfish Cookin' and Eatin' |
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Volunteers Are the Backbone of Our Center |
We wish we could include pictures of all of our volunteers that help make the Pascagoula River Audubon Center such a great place to visit and have fun. Thank you to the front desk greeters, the critter feeders, the fish tank cleaners, the plant waterers, the bird feeders, the learning leaders, the plant planters, the tree movers, the craft cutters, the crawfish cookers, and all the other volunteers who do a multitude of jobs to help make this place so enjoyable. We couldn't do this without you, and we want you to know how much we appreciate your help and services. If you have never been a volunteer with us, please consider it. Katie Fetzer is in charge of our volunteers and their training. She will be happy to fill you in on some of the many jobs you can do for us. When we reopen, call us at 228-475-0825 and ask for Katie. |
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More New Items in Gift Shop |
The Pascagoula River Audubon Center is currently closed to the public through March 31, but we are still stocking new items in our Hidden Heron Gift Shop. When we reopen, you've just got to come see all the new things we have for your gift-giving needs. Cute garden signs will brighten up your yard, driftwood scented soy candles will help you relax, and you can carry your belongings in our new Bird Nerd bags. Mother's Day and Father's Day are just around the corner, so make sure you check us out. We have something for every occasion. |
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