America's Everglades Summit

The Everglades Foundation along with its environmental partners and Obama administration officials are convening the first-ever America’s Everglades Summit in Washington, D.C., on May 19-20. The Summit Roundtable, to be held at the Newseum, will be a one-stop shop for business, tourism and environmental reporters who want to interview knowledgeable sources and seek out story angles about the economic and ecological challenges of wetlands conservation and restoration – and about environmental issues in general.

Some of the top officials and experts who plan to attend include Tom Strickland, the assistant secretary of parks, fish and wildlife of the U.S. Department of the Interior; Michael Sole, the secretary of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection and Kirk Fordham, the chief executive officer of the Everglades Foundation.  In addition, Obama administration officials and environmental and business leaders from across the country are scheduled to participate in Summit events.

The America's Everglades saga has become emblematic of efforts to rehabilitate wetland ecosystems, not just in this country, but around the world. Economic stimulus funds have been put to good use in the region and one of the largest land acquisitions for wetlands restoration looms with the pending purchase of land from U.S. Sugar Corporation. We would like to help you arrange interviews about these and other topics with the experts assembled at the Summit. In addition, the Foundation is preparing B-roll video and still photos of the Everglades that can be provided to you for free to help illustrate your stories.

The Summit kicks off at 1 p.m. on May 19 with a roundtable discussion moderated by NBC’s Tom Brokaw at the Newseum. Immediately following the session, reporters will be able to address panel members whose names we will send you soon. That evening, the Summit features a concert by the Grammy-award winning band, Blues Traveler, at the historic Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. The next day, Summit attendees will lobby lawmakers for continued support for Everglades restoration funding.

Please mark your calendar for May 19 and 20, let Bill Turenne at our public relations firm, BGR, know what topics interest you and who you’d like to interview. Full details of the Summit.