Fighter ships equipped with cannons, missiles, and navy personnel together with tall ships from around the world recently converged on New Orleans as the inaugural city in a three-year national celebration commemorating the War of 1812 and the Star-Spangled Banner.
The multi-year, multi-state event kicked off with the BP-sponsored NOLA Navy Week.
"BP is proud to be a major sponsor of NOLA Navy Week," said Iris Cross, General Manager of External Relations for BP's Gulf Coast Restoration Organization in Louisiana. "We are thrilled that the public, especially families, will be able to see these incredible vessels up close and learn about life at sea for the brave men and women who serve their countries on the water.
Read more about Navy Week in New Orleans
New York – The first time preparing a meal at the renowned James Beard House in New York City, Pensacola Chef Dan Dunn admits he was nervous. This time cooking fresh Gulf seafood at the Greenwich Village townhouse he declared, “We are on top of the world! This is incredible.”
Dunn, the Chef of H2O at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, along with fellow Celebrity Pensacola Chef’s Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse, Jim Shirley of the Fish House, Gus Silvos of Nancy’s Haute Affairs and Scenic 90 Cafe, and Frank Taylor of Global Grill created a historical Florida menu on their second go around cooking at the James Beard House.
“We are honored to be going back to the James Beard House this year to represent both Pensacola’s and Florida’s rich history and culture,” said Shirley, who is also president of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
Read more about Pensacola Celebrity Chefs in New York.
View video of Pensacola Celebrity Chefs return to New York to prepare historic meal.
Leaders from BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization (GCRO) paid a visit to Pensacola last month to meet with community and business leaders, elected officials and members of the environmental community to discuss the company’s progress in restoring the Gulf.
Laura Folse, executive vice president of Science, Technology, Environment and Regulatory Affairs (STERA), and GCRO Chief Financial Officer Randy Latta visited the Emerald Coast community during BP’s latest Hometown Tour stop. During the visit, they engaged with community members about the response and environmental restoration efforts, as well as economic recovery along Florida’s Emerald Coast.
Read more about BP’s Pensacola Hometown Tour.
Mike Utsler, president of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, discusses BP’s response and support efforts in the Gulf. BP has spent more than $14 billion on the response and clean up in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident, underscoring the company’s commitment to help with the economic and environmental restoration efforts in the Gulf region.
For more on BP’s Gulf initiatives, please visit www.facebook.com/BPAmerica or www.bp.com.
SAUCIER, MS. – A national cable audience on the Golf Channel saw the Mississippi Gulf Coast put its best foot forward on the final two rounds of the 2012 Champions Tour Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, a PGA Champions Tour event sponsored by BP.
An estimated crowd of over 20,000 turned out for the final two days of the tournament, with visitors coming from as far as California and Pennsylvania to enjoy the best of the Mississippi Gulf Coast: sun, sand, seafood and, of course, championship golf.
During the telecast, golf fans got to see not only the beautiful Fallen Oak Golf Course in Saucier, but during commercial breaks, the Golf Channel featured footage of all that the Mississippi Gulf Coast has to offer: beaches, deep sea fishing, wonderful seafood, and Southern hospitality at its best.
“This is a great event and it allows us to showcase not only the Mississippi Coast as a destination for seafood and tourism, but also the great golf,’’ said Heidi Grether, General Manager of BP America in Mississippi and vice-chair of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.
Read more about the 2012 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
The Habitat Stewards Program in Coastal Mississippi has kicked off the second half of its two-year pilot program that trains and utilizes volunteers to protect nature in Jackson, Harrison and Hancock Counties.
The program is a joint project of the National Wildlife Federation and the Mississippi Wildlife Federation and, in 2012, will be sponsored by a grant from BP. It is managed by Natural Capital Development of Ocean Springs.
The program trains volunteers in a series of field classes and later a site is selected and a work plan developed. Activities include monitoring wildlife, building or repairing trails and public access sites, removing storm debris, controlling weeds and animal pests and planting native grasses, shrubs and flowers.
Read more about the Mississippi Habitat Stewarts Program.
An independent study of bird productivity was conducted by BP during the 2010 breeding season off the coast of Louisiana. Preliminary results of the study indicate that productivity among colonial birds in 2011 remained within a normal historic range.
View video of “Bird monitoring along the Gulf Coast.”
More information about monitoring birds and other wildlife.
BP has engaged in a variety of efforts to assist the Gulf Coast economy since the oil spill of 2010. In a new video, Geir Robinson, Vice President of Economic Restoration for BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, discusses BP’s commitments and payments as well as his thoughts on economic recovery throughout the region.
“From the very beginning, our commitment to economic recovery in the Gulf has focused on paying all legitimate claims, helping the tourism industry and providing money to promote and test seafood,” says Robinson, who notes that BP has paid $8.1 billion in economic restoration payments to date. View video of Gulf Coast Economic Restoration Update.
