WHAT:

Media are invited to witness the donation of a specially designed boat (called a Shallow Water Attention Terminal (SWAT)) to the Friends of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge by Dragonfly Boatworks and entertainer Jimmy Buffett.  This brand new boat will be showcased before it begins work with the Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Teams deployed to rescue wildlife impacted by the oil spill.  
(Mr. Buffett will not be present.)

WHO:

Jimbo Meador, Dragonfly Boatworks
Ralph Gilges, President, Friends of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Jereme Phillips, Refuge Manager, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Pete Benjamin, Assistant Deputy for Wildlife Operations, Mobile Sector, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

WHEN: 

Monday, July 19, 2010, 10 a.m. Central Time

WHERE: 

Lulu’s at Homeport Marina, 200 East 25th Avenue, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
GPS Coordinates: 30.281676,-87.683601

PHOTO/INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

Interview opportunities will be available with donors, recipients, the Refuge Manager, and Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Operations personnel.

Video/photography of the boat, key persons involved with the donation, and the crew who will be operating the boat for Wildlife Rescue and Recovery work for the next 14 days are also available.  After brief comments and media interview opportunities, the boat will leave with the Friends of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge to be put into operation in the areas surrounding Bon Secour and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuges.


CONTACT: 

Bonnie Strawser, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (252) 216-8667; bonnie_strawser@fws.gov; Denise Rowell, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 251-656-3490; denise_rowell@fws.gov;
Jimbo Meador, Dragonfly Boatworks, 251-610-0082   


For information about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill response effort and the Unified Command, please visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

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