Coastal Conservation and Restoration Program

09/02/2026

This Monday, our SWAPS team visited First Baptist Church in Biloxi to teach students about the nature right in their own backyard! Students explored native plants and local insects on a nature walk, then got hands-on with vermicomposting by starting their own worm bins.
As they feed their food scraps to the worms, students will learn how composting can reduce food waste and return nutrients to the soil!🪱

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Read this article to learn more about how our team has worked alongside shrimpers to successfully remove more than 5,000 crab traps encountered during regular fishing efforts.

By removing these traps from the water, we’re helping reduce marine debris and prevent crab traps from becoming entangled in fishing nets. This work not only benefits our coastal waters, but also helps reduce impacts on fishermen and the amount they’re able to catch.

Read here:

Coastal Extension finds solutions to empower coastal partners For MSU’s Coastal Extension program in Biloxi, success means its associates have worked themselves out of a job. One such job came up when commercial shrimpers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast got tired of losing time and money to ghost po...

08/31/2026

Our next CoastAL GeMS highlight is the Walter Anderson Museum of Art!

The Walter Anderson Museum of Art offers monthly outdoor programs that provide family-friendly, nature-based experiences designed to connect visitors with the coastal habitats, flora, and fauna that so often inspired Walter Anderson’s artwork.

Bring the family, get outside, and experience the Mississippi Gulf Coast through the eyes of one of its most celebrated artists!

Be sure to follow the museum on social media and visit their website to stay up to date on upcoming programs and events: walterandersonmuseum.org

Are you a nature-based tourism business that would like to be featured in our CoastAL GeMS directory and spotlight posts? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more and apply here: msucoastal.com/coastal-gems

08/24/2026

Last week, our team and Nature Conservancy installed corner markers for breakwaters that will be installed soon at Hiller Park soon!

The first phase of the project will focus on Hiller Park, where four 100-foot-long breakwaters will be installed approximately 30 feet offshore. These breakwaters will help dissipate wave energy from the nearby boat channel, reducing shoreline erosion and helping retain sediment along the shoreline. The next phase of this project will extend these breakwaters across the neighboring VA and Keesler AFB shorelines.

A huge thank you to all of the partners who have helped bring this project to this point!

The Nature Conservancy MS

08/20/2026

🌱A new experiment is underway! We’re testing the germination of clay Spartina seed bombs to explore their potential for future living shoreline projects, especially those that incorporate dredged material.

Our goals?
✔️ Determine if marsh plants can thrive in dredged material
✔️ Test whether Spartina can successfully establish directly from clay pellets

This research could help us discover new ways to support resilient marsh habitats and advance coastal restoration efforts! 🌊🌿

08/17/2026

🦇 Since March, our team has been busy mist netting every month across Mississippi’s lower six coastal counties to collect valuable data on the bats that call Mississippi home!

Mist nets are made of ultra-fine threads that are difficult for bats to see in the dark, making them an effective and humane way to temporarily capture bats for research before safely releasing them back into the wild.

When a bat is caught, trained handlers quickly and gently remove it from the net and collect important information, including species, s*x, age, reproductive status, and overall health. This data helps us better understand Mississippi’s bat populations and the important role they play in our coastal ecosystems.

For safety, all bat handlers have received rabies pre-exposure vaccinations and wear leather gloves underneath sterile nitrile gloves while handling the bats.

08/17/2026

Teachers in grades 5–8 from any of the five Gulf states are invited to help develop and test new environmental education lesson plans. Applications are open through August 28!

This is a great opportunity to help shape the next generation of environmental stewards while earning a $2,000 stipend upon completion.

Make sure to share with your teacher friends!

We are excited to have a new project underway! Currently seeking two middle school teachers (Grades 5–8) from each of the 5 Gulf States to develop lessons aligned with the Gulf Literacy Principles and the Waters to the Sea: Gulf Adventure. For those selected, a stipend up to $2,000 will be provided upon the completion of the project. The application closes August 28th with the project starting on September 14th.
To learn more and apply check out the project website: https://msucoastal.com/waterstothesea/