Environmental professionals from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela recently traveled to northwest Florida as part of an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled: Environmental Engagement and the Economy. Project goals included discussing effective informational campaigns and examining the interplay between private and public groups in relation to environmental management.
Their agenda included a stop at Visit Pensacola with Joyce Black and time at Pensacola City Hall where City Council Executive Don Kraher and Dr. Wade Jeffrey, director of the Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, provided an overview of the city as well as its local environment.
To focus on the development and promotion of agritourism and ecotourism, Extension Agent Rick O’Connor discussed promotional strategies and partnerships with a focus on UF IFAS Extension Naturally EscaRosa; and then at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FLDEP), Environmental Specialist Zachary Schang and District Director Shawn Hamilton shared the FLDEP programs focused on preserving the quality of air, water, and land resources in northwest Florida. Discussion included the regulatory role of the FLDEP. Afterwards, the group took a site visit to Bayview Park, a FLDEP project area.
To receive an overview of environmental protection initiatives and the biodiversity of the region, Escambia County Water Quality Lab Manager Christy Draper, RESTORE (Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies) Program Manager Matt Posner, and MAPS (Managed Aquatic Plant Systems) Program Manager Dana Morton met the group. They explored the role of the Escambia County Department of Natural Resources and then visited Jackson Lakes to see how the MAPS program affects the local environment.
Arriving at Blackwater River State Park, the visitors met with Park Manager Corliss Castro to discuss sustainable tourism and how to combine ecotourism with biodiversity awareness. The conversation also focused on public and private partnerships, marketing, community tourism, and customer service. Castro guided the group through key areas of the park to help them gain a better understanding of the area. Shortly thereafter, Volunteer Coordinator Nicole Stephens of the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center provided the group with the opportunity to see how a small nonprofit engages locals and tourists in education and conservation.
At the Choctawahtchee Basin Alliance (CBA) the group met with Director Allison McDowell, Florida Sea Grant Agent Laura Tiu, Environmental Specialist & Coastal Resource Liaison Melinda Gates, Mary Brown, a fifth grade teacher, Trey Nick, a local businessman, and Coastal Management Coordinator Jim Trifilio. CBA provides teachers in Okaloosa and Walton Counties with the equipment and materials for growing shoreline grasses at schools so the discussion with CBA focused on the organization’s partnerships, programs, and outreach efforts.
The group had a busy few days in the region, working to explore challenges and solutions which mirrored those in their own countries. The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council thanks everyone who gave time and expertise to this project, helping make the earth, our common home, healthier.
