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News Releases from Region 04

EPA Awards $25K to Mississippi State University for Rural Voices Radio: Voices Along the Gulf

02/26/2018
Contact Information: 
Davina Marraccini (marraccini.davina@epa.gov)
404-562-8293, 404-562-8400

ATLANTA (February 26, 2018) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Program announced a $24,925 award to Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute at Mississippi State University (MSU) to work with students to develop environmental content for Rural Voices Radio: Voices Along the Gulf. The award will support two school groups, Bay-Waveland Middle School in Bay St. Louis and Stone High School in Wiggins, and one non-profit organization, the Hancock County Historical Society.

“This project will expand environmental awareness and promote EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment throughout Mississippi,” said Trey Glenn, EPA Region 4 Administrator. “Hands-on opportunities help to change behaviors of Gulf residents as ‘keepers of the coast’ with vested interest in its protection.”

Through the project, EPA staff will work with Rural Voices Radio to guide participants and help them identify and learn about environmental issues within the Gulf of Mexico region. Participants will then write about what they learn and record a segment for radio. This is a unique opportunity for these groups to expand awareness of environmental issues in Mississippi ranging from habitat conservation and restoration, to water quality and community resilience.

Rural Voices Radio, a partnership that began in 2003 between the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute at MSU and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, works with children and adults to write and record radio content. Pieces from the Rural Voices Radio series air each weekday at 3:28 p.m. and are broadcast throughout the state, in neighboring states and—via the internet—across the country.

The Gulf of Mexico Program began in 1988 to protect, restore and maintain the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem in economically sustainable ways. The Gulf of Mexico Program is funded by the EPA and is a non-regulatory, inclusive consortium of state and federal government agencies and representatives of the business and agricultural community, fishing industry, scientists, environmentalists, and community leaders from all five Gulf States.

More information about the Gulf of Mexico Program: www.epa.gov/gmpo 

Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4   

And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast

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