Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain

Quite often we get calls from different scientists looking for places to conduct research. We currently have a PhD candidate out of Tulane studying climate adaptation in lizards on one of our properties. How cool is that?!? Getting to interact with and learn from cool people is one of the reasons our job is so much fun.

#🦎

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” 🤨 We don’t know that answer, but the critters must! We do know when a tree falls along the path at one of our properties, we are grateful to hear about it from our visitors so we can go clear it.

Happy Labor Day!

The strength of a community lies in its ability to come together and support one another in times of need.
- Governor Haley Barbour

Pardon the rant, but…

Why do people dump tires? Seriously. Why?? To avoid a hassle and disposal fees, we presume. So now it becomes our problem - a problem we take very seriously since piles like this are an environmental hazard, especially with proximity to waterways like this one we found on one of our Jackson County properties.

What makes this dump pile so frustrating (besides the obvious illegality) is that Jackson County has a Waste Tire Disposal Program that is FREE. The program is funded by a grant via the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Our state agencies and local municipalities are trying their best, y’all. And we will do our best now too to clean up another mess. Ho hum…

We know it is Fake Fall, and we are ok it. It is back into the 90s by 9am, but the early mornings sure have been gorgeous lately.

It is a drip torch and fire swatter type of day at the Land Trust office. We are ordering fresh supplies in preparation for our many prescribed burns scheduled this fall. We’d like to take a moment to thank for using 100% Certified Biodegradable Plant-Based Loose Fill. Our Mississippi-based, family-owned businesses are doing it right!

Even at a meeting with one of our largest sponsors, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, the Land Trust team is never far from a beautiful tree. The Scarlet Pearl Cares team is constantly working to create conversations and establish change on many key issues they see on the MS Gulf Coast, and we are so happy that conservation is one of them!

Today National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced $2.3 million in their Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program, and the Land Trust was one of the 43 projects selected!

This funding will allow us to work with our community partners at the The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and Gulf Coast Development & Design to restore 16 acres of hydric pine savanna and install an educational walking trail surrounding the work for public use and field trips in Gulfport. Stay tuned!!

Major funding is provided by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, FedEx, Southern Company, and Arconic.

Swipe ➡️ to see the real thing!

As a member of Community Advisory Committee for the Port of Gulfport, our Executive Director had the pleasure today of hearing about the Port’s strategic workforce development plans to connect local job-seekers to port-related job opportunities. The growth is exciting and important - - - and we feel honored to have seat at the table.

We have some of the best people who share their time with us, and we couldn’t be more appreciative. From our Board of Directors to the folks who share our social media posts and everyone in between - THANK YOU!

With the private land under the Hurricane Camille Memorial Wall sold, this important piece of history needed a new home. Thanks to the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum, the City of Biloxi, the MS Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, Church of the Redeemer, and the Guice family, the memorial was rededicated yesterday (the 55th anniversary of this Category 5 storm) at its new home on Point Cadet.

Today is National Nonprofit Day! If you only know one anything about the Land Trust, we hope you know that we LOVE our job. Every day is something new, and we are constantly learning.

But not all days are fun. This past week during a regular site visit to 60 acres of forested land we own in Hancock County, we came upon this dumping site. Cleaning these sites takes manpower, equipment, and hours of time that we now need to coordinate and fund. Days like this can be disheartening, but thankfully the good days far outnumber these frustrating ones.

If you are choosing to donate during this National Nonprofit Day, we ask you to consider the Land Trust. Every dollar helps us fund these sort of unexpected issues that arises as well as our on-going conservation efforts.

We are incredibly proud to be Mississippi’s only nationally accredited land trust, and we are equally as proud to have our community’s strong support.

94 degrees and sunny with 74 degree dew point - - - Hello Monday! 🥵

These Dwarf Sundew (𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢) are beautiful carnivorous plants and one of the many indicators we look for to tell us our restoration efforts are working. It is a VERY hot day to be working out in the field today, but seeing these plants sure makes it all worth it.

This restoration project in Ocean Springs is made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with support from Southern Company and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Programs.

indicatorspecies #🥵

Metamorphosis —> complete!
It is the season of beautiful butterflies.

Happy National Oyster Day!!

#🦪

Someone has been laying in our mint!!! We are thinking baby deer or big ol’ rabbit. Share with us your guesses on who is bedding down in our Shwann Property pollinator garden.

With thanks to and for their generous support of this property.

The Land Trust team made it up to the Neshoba County Fair yesterday to hear our elected leaders speak and to represent conservation in our state. It was hot, but it was fun!

The news is out and the sign is up! In June, the Land Trust closed on a $1.9 million acquisition of 32 acres directly on the beach in Long Beach. This tract of land is the only remaining undeveloped tract of mixed pine hardwood forest that extends from the beach to the railroad track between the Bay of St. Louis and Biloxi Bay. It is an important migration route for many neotropical migrant songbirds that move up creek and river corridors to breed. We will manage this property as an Urban Forest with the support of the City of Long Beach, Harrison County, and many other partners. The property is open to the public for quiet enjoyment of the woods from dawn to dusk.

This is a big win for us and a great example of what can happen when NGO’s, developers, and municipalities all come together through strategic conservation as part of their overall economic development plans.

📍 Long Beach beachfront property between Markham Dr. and Marcie Dr.

With special thanks to the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

It was a beautiful morning celebrating our newest portfolio addition of 32 acres in Long Beach. Thank you to Mayor George Bass, the City of Long Beach, Harrison County, and the Angela J. Bowen Foundation for their support in our new Urban Forest.

Did you know the City of Long Beach was once known as the “Radish Capital of the World”?? We’ve been learning quite a bit about life and history on the beaches of Long Beach lately for a very special project we’ve been working on. And if you watch the news on Monday, you’ll hear all about it!

We have okra!! The rain has been wonderful for our Wilkes Avenue food garden this year.

Any day we get to go to Lucedale is a good day. The beauty and peacefulness of this area is unmatched. We had the pleasure of kicking off the Big Creek - Beaverdam Creek Watershed Protection Plan up there today with a room full of state agencies, elected leaders, fellow NGOs, and (most importantly!) private landowners. Thank you to and for prioritizing funding in this watershed so that we may help keep it protected for generations to come.

And ps, if you are looking for some excellent gumbo, check out next time you are in George County.

Ok internet - are there any herpetologists out there who can help us identify this massive turtle? He was at least 16in long x 10in wide and encountered out at our Schwann Property. Our (not so) educated guess is a Pond Slider…??

Of course we love the fruit AND the birds. But why do you garden??

Check out the gorgeous Mississippi Sandhill Cranes flying over our Riley Road restoration project! We hope they are scoping out the pond for nesting potential once again.

We spent Friday morning checking out the water flow at our Riley Road pond restoration site. Even after all the rain we’ve had lately, things are looking great! Plans for the weir installation are underway which will keep water at an optimal level for the MS Sandhill Cranes to nest again.

It is a VERY hot day to be thinking about fire, but we have to do the prep work now to be ready for prescribed burn season this fall/winter. We are checking on fire lanes and booking contractors now. If you know anyone interested in joining a burn crew team and get Red Card certified, send them our way please!

This is one of those “if you know, you know” posts. The Land Trust operates out of a very small, 2-room office in Biloxi. We are a team of only three people overseeing a 10,000 acre (and growing!) portfolio. We run lean - VERY lean - putting every dollar into actual and practicable conservation versus overhead. But this week we 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 decided to upgrade our technology for zoom meetings, and we are excited!