LOUISIANA'S PARADISE
ENVIRONMENTAL TOURISM & THE ECONOMY

Friday, October 12, 2007

Acadiana Center for the Arts

$45 registration includes lunch/$15 for students

Friday, October 12, 2007

8:00-9:00 Registration

9:00-9:30 Welcome Carl Brasseaux

9:30-10:00 Keynote Speaker
Alexis Wreden, Environmental Artist and Architect

An assistant professor of architecture at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Wreden creates environmental art in hopes of bringing people to the wetlands and encourage interpretations of natural settings. Her artwork brings people directly into the landscape “where nature and human beings can actually cohabit harmoniously. And that’s what I want to teach people to do.”

10:00-10:15 Coffee Break

10:15-11:15 Louisiana’s Rural Tourism Programming
Sharon Calcote, Director of Development and Sales, Louisiana Office of Tourism

This session will provide an overview of the state’s rural tourism projects, including 5 Parishes West, the Scenic Byways program, and new and developing trails throughout the state. Sharon Calcote and her tourism partners will provide an in-depth look at how the state is addressing the needs of rural parishes and their efforts to develop tourism projects and generate new economic growth.

11:15-11:30 Coffee Break

11:30-12:30 Trails, Mounds, and Marshes, Bill Vermillion, moderator
Harold Schoeffler, Sierra Club of Louisiana
Diana Greenlee, Poverty Point National Monument
Angela Rathle, Barataria Preserve

Representing points north, south, and in between, this panel brings together representatives of various tourist destinations and experiences. As well, these speakers highlight state cultural resources dating back to pre-agricultural civilizations, the importance of appreciating and preserving our current environmental treasures, and ways to experience them throughout the state. The programs they facilitate show how eco-tourism issues can effectively be interpreted for the general public as well as niche markets.

12:30-1:45 Lunch catered by Pat’s Downtown
Creole Fried Chicken Crawfish Fettuccine
Rice Dressing
         Green Beans
         Green Salad
         Rolls
         Bread Pudding

1:45-2:45 Atchafalaya Basin Vision and Reality, Lana Henry, moderator
David Allemond, McGee’s Landing
Jake Trewin, St. Martin Land Company
Ray Brassieur, Folklorist, UL-Lafayette

This session focuses on the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest river swamp in the United States. It is still a wild and mysterious place, even for those who have lived and worked within the near-million acres their entire lives. It is a complex, difficult eco-system to manage and preserve. Panelists represent small business operators, landowners, and state officials, all of whom strive to be stewards of the land.

2:45-3:00 Coffee Break

3:00-3:45 Cycling Through the Green, John Hopper, moderator
Simone Day-Cycle Zydeco, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission
Darren Green, Urban Forester, City of Alexandria

The great outdoors are often difficult to access in the concrete jungle of cities, but great strides have been made to bring the forests to urban spaces. For those lucky to access fresh air, cycling offers the opportunity to explore rural areas at a leisurely pace and experience local culture with much more intimacy. This session focuses on the unique aspects of merging culture and outdoor activities.

3:45-5:15 Trade Show and Museum Viewings
Registration includes entry to exhibits at both the Acadiana Center for the Arts and the Lafayette Natural History Museum, as well as the Trade Show located in the Natural History Museum auditorium. ACA’s main exhibition is the Marquis de La Fayette International Quilt Exhibition: Hero of Two Worlds. At the Lafayette Natural History Museum, Legacy of a Hero details the Marquis’s involvement in the emergence of democracy in America and France.

The Environmental Tourism Trade Show features vendors from around the state showcasing their products and services to you, the leaders in LA tourism. Please remember to bring plenty of business cards and to register for door prizes.

5:00-5:30 Hospitality Tent at Downtown Alive! at Parc International
Drink tickets provided
T-Salé and Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers

Registration Form (196 KB)