JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) hosted its annual NatureFEST on Saturday. Community members were able to experience and learn about the tangible research by scientists that happens in labs.
“A lot of folks, they come here to the museum. They see the public areas they never get to see, say, our animal room or the research wing where we conduct all of our research for the state of Mississippi. But today and today only, they can come in, and they can take a tour of all of our backstage areas and just see everything we do for conservation here,” said TJ Drummond, Visitor Services manager for the MMNS.
Several organizations and vendors, including the Hattiesburg Zoo, attended the event to show and teach attendees about live animals.
“I think people really love chances to truly be in nature, and they don’t get quite enough opportunity to do that, or they don’t really think about it until someone kind of invites them into it. So, I’ve been seeing people get on the trails. That’s been wonderful. A lot of people have been doing the behind-the-scenes tours, and a lot of the kids are participating in the art and construction projects. I’ve loved seeing all of those things come together,” said Nichole Smith, Special Events coordinator for the MMNS.
Roughly 1,000 people attended Saturday’s event to enjoy activities. The event serves as a celebration of the museum, their conservation efforts and their connection to the residents of Mississippi.
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