Alabama Mississippi Bays and Bayous Symposium

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is pleased to host the 2018 Bays and Bayous Symposium at the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile, AL. The Bays and Bayous Symposium is a biennial event held alternately in Mississippi and Alabama to provide an opportunity for the community to learn about the state of our coastal environment. The purpose of the Bays and Bayous Symposium is to bring together a broad array of scientists, resource managers, policy makers, and business and industry interests from throughout the southeast region of the U.S. to promote information exchange and networking related to coastal issues that impact long-term sustainability. The goals of the symposium are to:

• Provide a scientific overview and on the ground perspective of the state of our knowledge and activities addressing the water quality, living resources, habitat management, human impacts, and citizen stewardship challenges of the northern Gulf of Mexico;
• Explore how the economy, ecosystem, community and culture each play a role in maintaining northern Gulf coast resilience;
• Learn about what environmental factors put stress on local economies, ecosystems, heritage and culture, and communities; and
• Inspire how to best balance environmental protection with human uses of our natural resources.

The Bays and Bayous Symposium began in 1979 as Alabama’s Bays, Bayous and Beaches Symposium. It was held again in 1987, widening the scope of the 1979 event to include the economic importance of coastal waters, educational programs, and habitat restoration. In 1995, the Symposium expanded its audience to include local industry and government with topics that included water quality, watershed management, government cooperation and citizen involvement. Shortly after the 1995 event, Mobile Bay was recognized as an estuary of national significance. In 2006, it was decided that the meeting would be held biennially, rotating between Alabama and Mississippi.