Beautification and Environment Committee

Jim Farrell, Vice President

Biloxi Bay Chamber’s Beach Restoration Project Leads

the Way in the Fight Against Coastal Erosion

On Saturday, June 6, 2009, the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce led a group of more than fifty volunteers on a crucial mission to preserve a portion of the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s shrinking coastline. Armed with shovels and more than 1,300 sea oats as well as hundreds of longleaf pine trees, Louisiana palmettos, wax myrtle shrubs, sawgrass palmetto shrubs and marsh elder shrubs, the volunteers worked tirelessly to execute an ambitious beach restoration project that will not only help combat the natural forces of erosion but will also provide an attractive expanse of native vegetation along a highly visible stretch of beach near Miramar Avenue in Biloxi.

By now, most South Mississippi residents are all-too-familiar with the gusty winds that have moved mountains of white sand from our recently renourished beaches on to the newly paved blacktop of Highway 90. Even more frustrating than the frequent lane closures associated with sand removal is the knowledge that the sand, once cleared from Highway 90, must be discarded because of the potential health hazard posed by reuse. Wave action poses an equally formidable, though much less visible, threat to our coastline and is gradually reclaiming the sand that federal taxpayer dollars recently worked so hard to send ashore. When viewed collectively, the erosive forces attributable to wind and water are currently responsible for the loss of approximately one-and-a-half feet of coastline each month – the equivalent of a loss of $65,000.00 per month!

Having recognized the severity of the erosion problem confronting all beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce began looking for solutions. The Miramar Beach Restoration Project represents the vision of an acclaimed landscape architect and the passion of an organization committed to environmental protection and conservation of the natural resources that make our community such a desirable destination for visitors and a tranquil setting for those who call it home. The project, which targeted roughly half a mile of coastline south of Miramar Avenue in Biloxi, is funded by a $36,000 grant from the State of Mississippi’s Public Trust Tidelands Fund. Although the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce secured the grant and spent considerable time planning the project, the chamber could not have successfully carried out its substantial beach restoration work without the expert direction of Pete Melby, a landscape architect with Mississippi State University's Center for Sustainable Design, who has overseen every step of the project's design and implementation.

Thanks to the overwhelming support of an eager and energetic group of volunteers from Keesler Air Force Base, the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce completed its day-long project in a matter of hours. By late morning, project volunteers were able to set aside their shovels and admire several thousand beach plantings that now cover the stretch of beach between Miramar Avenue and Sylvania Street. Once firmly established, the new vegetation will foster the development of sand dunes that will trap blowing sand and prevent its accumulation along Highway 90, and the plants will also create a scenic oasis that will further enhance the beach’s natural beauty.

Although a city-wide or, ideally, coast-wide effort may have been the preferred response to combat the widespread problem of coastal erosion, the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce understood both the urgency of the situation and the importance of taking the first step. With some luck, the Miramar Beach Restoration Project will increase public awareness of coastal erosion and inspire future projects to protect our threatened coastline. Given time, the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce hopes its Miramar Beach Restoration Project will be the first of many similar conservation projects along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

-Jim Farrell, VP Beautification & Environment

Go Green - Recycle!!!

On Friday, April 24^th, the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce proudly unveiled three recycling receptacles on the Town Green. Designed to reflect the historic character of downtown Biloxi, the green recycling receptacles are both attractive and durable, and the City of Biloxi has graciously offered to maintain them. This important environmental initiative spearheaded by the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce not only demonstrates both to residents and visitors the City of Biloxi’s commitment to environmental stewardship, but it also makes the City of Biloxi the first Mississippi Gulf Coast community to promote a public recycling program!