Earlier this week, the Bays and Bayous Symposium took place IN PERSON at the Convention Center in Mobile, Alabama. Because the symposium was held virtually in 2020, it was the first time in more than four years that I had a chance to attend in the manner I had been accustomed to pre-COVID-19.
As the old program from the 2012 symposium program explains, Bays and Bayous has its roots in 1979.
“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 event to include the economic importance of coastal waters, educational programs and habitat restoration. In 1995, the symposium continued to focus on science while expanding its audience to include local industry and government. In 2006, a core group committed to organizing the local symposium every two years for the citizens of coastal Alabama and Mississippi, rotating the event between the two states.”
I started working with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium in 2006. So, I’ve been used to attending, and helping plan, the event since that core group started organizing the symposium on a regular schedule.
It was great to see it back in full swing this week. The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and its volunteer committees made it one to remember.
I’m guessing attendance was around 400-450 people and a record, or near one. With that many people in one place, I had the opportunity to catch up with faces that I hadn’t seen in years. Several people had changed jobs, but stayed in coastal science fields, since I last saw them. Others were in their same positions taking on emerging challenges. Still others, I met for the first time.
There were about 170 oral presentations and 65 posters in the program. The event also included art made from marine debris, music, keynote speakers, a poster social, and panels. Check out my photos of the event.
I also heard there was a small parade on the second day, which I missed because I woke up that morning with a stomach bug.
But, the one day I was able to attend did not disappoint. My favorite part of representing Sea Grant at our booth was talking with the many graduate students in attendance and learning where and what they were studying. It was also a great opportunity to let them know about the many NOAA fellowships that are available each year through our Sea Grant program.
While I was unable to attend many of the dozens of talks from our engagement and education team members and Sea Grant-funded scientists, I did get the opportunity to see some of my colleagues in action at a tools workshop about community resilience to coastal inundation events, a PLACE: SLR session about fostering community participation in sea-level rise resilience, and a session introducing attendees to the Watershed Game.
The symposium’s theme was “Finding balance: Ecology, economy and community,” and topical tracks included understanding coastal ecosystems; improving coastal management; strengthening coastal landscapes; sharing coastal knowledge; and emerging coastal issues.
Keynote speakers included Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D., professor of integrative biology of the University of California, Berkeley, and Aimée Christensen, CEO of Christensen Global.
The convention center also went through some changes since the 2018 Bays and Bayous. It now has new blue chairs, tablecloths and draping, which have replaced the teal and purple of years past.
So, another Bays and Bayous Symposium is in the books. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do it again, in person and without a pandemic, when Sea Grant leads the planning for the 2024 event in Mississippi.