Bay Summit 2000 asks all users to assess environment, economy, community of bay NARRAGANSETT — March 17, 2000 — What’s your stake in Narragansett Bay? The bay has supported commerce, recreation, and environmental richness since the earliest inhabitants of this area fished and traveled its waters. Now, citing the year 2000 as a natural juncture, several Rhode Island organizations are sponsoring Bay Summit 2000 to assess the history of Narragansett Bay and consider its future. The summit, Narragansett Bay in the New Millennium: Environment, Economy, Community, begins with registration at 8 a.m. Monday, April 24, and runs all day Monday and Tuesday, April 25. It will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. Looking at uses of the bay that include recreation and tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and research and technology, the summit will explore the effects of these activities on the bay ecosystem and on the Rhode Island economy. Panel sessions will offer opportunities for discussion among government agencies, academic and nonprofit institutions, business organizations, and interested individuals. Rhode Islanders who have a stake in the future of the bay will have the chance to state their views. Robert Ballard, noted oceanographer and founder and director of the Institute for Exploration at Mystic Aquarium, will address the summit to launch the program. Armando Carbonell of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and former executive director of the Cape Cod Commission, will offer a summit perspective to close the event. The summit is sponsored by a number of agencies and institutions including the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management/Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, the Coastal Resources Management Council, and Rhode Island Sea Grant. For more information, contact the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program at (401) 222-3961, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council at (401) 783-3370, or check the agenda on-line at http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/riseagrant/. # # # Contact: Tony Corey, (401) 874-6844