Mississippi Sea Grant Extension Program
"Science Serving America's Coast"

Current MSGEP Programs

Online Publications

AL Sea Grant Extension Program

MS-AL Sea Grant Legal Program

MISSISSIPPI MASTER NATURALIST PROGRAM. A Master Naturalist is a concerned citizen who wants to learn more about Mississippi’s natural resources and management tools that can be used to help protect our land and water resources. Master Naturalist Certification Requirements: ● A Master Naturalist will receive 40 hours of in-depth training in natural resource and wildlife management. This information will be taught by regional experts at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center with field trips to discover and learn more about south Mississippi’s wildlife and natural habitats.● Master Naturalist volunteers will promote environmental stewardship within their community through conducting educational activities, projects, and demonstrations. An additional 40 hours of volunteer service is required to obtain certification in the program.

NATURAL DISASTER ASSESSMENT. An assessment of seafood processing plants and seafood dealers, livebait boats and dealers, marinas, commercial fishing, for-hire charter and recreational boating fleets was undertaken in Mississippi to determine the level of damage sustained as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The devastation by these hurricanes has created an urgent and compelling need to complete damage assessments in the affected areas in as short a period as possible. An accurate assessment of the damage created by these storms was needed to ensure that federal funds are both adequate and allocated to the appropriate sectors and recipients. The assessment, to the extent possible, identified all facilities and boats in the affected areas that existed prior to the hurricanes, identified original physical characteristics (number of buildings,boats, and facilities, types and quantity of equipment) and production levels for these operations, and provided an estimate of the cost of rebuilding or repairing the facilities structure and equipment to their pre-hurricane state so that harvesting and processing of seafood products can resume.

Mississippi State University