Milestones 2012Mississippi

Our dependence on Mother Nature was highlighted again this year with the

widespread mild winter weather and record-breaking wildfire season. Around the state and the globe, The Nature Conservancy has worked with renewed enthusiasm to help protect and improve lands and waters, and your support is making a measurable difference!

Here and on our website, you’ll find details about the important conservation work you support.

We look forward to your ongoing commitment to help us continue to make Mississippi even better!

Jim Murrian Executive Director

Mr. John E. Milner, Jackson, Chair

Mr. Buddy Allen, Tunica

Ms. Kelly Blackwood, Oxford

Mr. Clay Blaylack, Gulfport

Mr. Steve Butler, Brandon

Mr. Rick Calhoon, Jackson

Dr. Eric Clark, Brandon

Mr. Ed Day, Gulfport

Ms. Cari Field, Pascagoula

Mr. Haley Fisackerly, Jackson

Ms. Dejonnette Grantham-King, Jackson

Mr. Walton Gresham, III, Indianola

Mr. Richard Hickson, Jackson

Mr. Matt Holleman, Jackson

Mr. Bryan Jones, Yazoo City

Mr. Bob Lyle, Jackson

Mr. Doug Montague, Hattiesburg

Mr. Jay Moon, Jackson

Dr. Donna Oliver, Itta Bena

Mr. Chat Phillips, Yazoo City

Dr. Melissa Pringle, Jackson

Dr. Tom Singley, Moss Point

Mr. Alan Sudduth, Pascagoula

Mr. Robert Taylor, Louisville

Mr. Tommy Thames, Madison

Mr. James Threadgill, Tupelo

Mr. Clay Wagner, Gulfport

Mr. Kent L. Walker, Columbus

Mr. Scott Walker, Ocean Springs

Ms. Amy Whitten, Jackson

Dr. Johanna Williams, Raymond

Dr. Jonathan Williams, Hattiesburg

Board of Trustees

Cover Photo: Jim Lee and Students from Commodore Climate Changers Science Club Help Restore Gopher Frog Habitat at Old Fort Bayou © Elizabeth Hanson/TNC; Photo Top: Old Cove Preserve © Jim Murrian/TNC; Photo Bottom: Gopher Tortoise at Red Creek Consolidated Mitigation Bank © Nelwyn McInnis/TNC

Roots to Treetops

Nearly 400,000 hardwood trees were planted on 910 acres at the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge to improve

air and water quality, wildlife and waterfowl habitat and to store atmospheric carbon.

Joining forces with colleagues across the southeast, we are implementing a multi-state Longleaf Pine “whole system”

approach. This region-wide effort will not only increase the acreage of longleaf pine habitat but will engage local communities in land use planning that protects, restores and expands healthy longleaf pine forests while supporting sustainable economic development. Preserving forests also helps to provide sustainable clean water in our watersheds.

Planned, controlled burns help replicate historical fire patterns in longleaf pine and related habitats, minimize the risk from

and severity of future emergency wildfires, and improve habitats for plants and animals that are adapted to periodic fires. During the 2011-2012 season, the Conservancy’s Central Gulf Cooperative team impacted more than 10,000 acres in Mississippi and Louisiana through planning and implementing controlled burns.

Your support helps us address root problems and allows us to branch out to new solutions. Using controlled

burns, replanting longleaf pine and working with communities to minimize the impact of development as part of a multi-partner program (America’s Longleaf Plan) enables the Conservancy to safeguard critical wildlife habitat, ensure long-term economic prosperity for landowners and protect vital watersheds.

Research at Camp Shelby’s Joint Forces Training Center has allowed continued military training while protecting

threatened and endangered species. On-base Conservancy staff assist with habitat management benefitting a range of plants and animals that occur in the same areas where military training takes place.

Photos, Left to Right: Hardwood Tree Planting at Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge © Cathy Costello/TNC; Monitoring Prescribed Burn Following Ignition © Elizabeth Hanson/TNC

Advocacy in Action

Nearly $2.75 million has been committed to improvements in longleaf pine habitats in DeSoto National Forest in association with the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) program. Created by Congress in 2009, the CFLR program will create jobs, improve forest health, enhance water quality and benefit wildlife habitat in southeastern Mississippi and other locations nationwide.

“The DeSoto National Forest is critical to the health of Mississippi’s citizens and its economy. I support legislation and efforts to protect and improve Longleaf pine forest in the region and beyond, for current and future generations,” said Dick Molpus, President of Molpus Woodlands Group.

Our long-term success is fueled by sustained support from individuals, businesses and foundations. Support

comes from donations (including in-kind), conservation easements, mitigation banking, communicating with landowners and land managers about best management practices, and working with policy makers.

Wading into FreshwaterFreshwater habitats are the least protected of all

natural systems on Earth. The Conservancy engages in numerous successful projects to ensure healthy and

productive freshwater habitats across the state.

With Delta Wildlife, we completed wetlands construction in Washington County as part of our North American Wetlands Conservation

Action (NAWCA) demonstration project. We are also stabilizing streambanks and decreasing erosion along the Buttahatchie River in northeast Mississippi and continuing to protect more pristine waterways such as the Pascagoula River.

Our signature project this year has been the Red Creek Consolidated Mitigation Bank near Vancleave (photo, back cover). The 1,200

mitigation acres are part of a 3,000-acre tract in the Pascagoula River watershed owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. Red Creek flows into the Pascagoula River, the largest (by volume) undammed river in the contiguous United States, and where the Conservancy started its work in Mississippi. Nearly 12 miles of stream channels of Red Creek’s tributaries, plus over 350 acres of forested wetlands, are being restored, enhanced or preserved.

With funds from the Environmental Protection Agency to improve wetlands in the lower Pearl River drainage, the Conservancy

awarded $100,000 to the Foundation for Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. The money will be utilized to enhance wetlands at the Theodore A. Mars, Jr. Wildlife Management Area in Pearl River County.

Photo Top: Aquatic Species Monitoring at Red Creek Mitigation Bank © Nelwyn McInnis/TNC; Photo Bottom: Dusky Gopher Frog, Lithobates sevosus © Jim Lee/TNC

Advocacy in Action

The Conservancy recognizes the importance of legislation such as the Farm Bill in enhancing habitat, encouraging sustainable economic growth, supporting communities, and improving water, air and soil quality.

The Conservancy advocates policies that continue support for agricultural practices that prevent soil erosion and that restore land unsuitable for agriculture to grassland, forests and wetlands.

“I appreciate the Conservancy’s efforts to support production agriculture during important legislation, particularly the working lands programs in the conservation title of the farm bill,” adds Buddy Allen, landowner and member of the Conservancy’s Board of Trustees.

Photo Left: Petit Bois Island © Tom Mohrman/TNC; Photo Right: Marine Program Manager, Tom Mohrman, and Blue Crab © Allen Tate/TNC

Coastal ConnectionsWith approximately 70 miles of coastline, plus numerous bays,

estuaries and navigable rivers, there are a wide variety of habitats along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Conservancy

works with a variety of individuals, agencies and businesses to find long-term solutions that protect habitats, provide sustainable economic values and increase the resilience of coastal communities.

Solutions are often large-scale, such as the Oyster Strategic Plan for the Gulf of Mexico. This effort seeks to develop collaborative partnerships for sustainable management of Gulf oyster resources.

The Conservancy’s Oyster Restoration Support Tool combines conservation, economic, historical and energy development data to support informed decision-making by organizations, businesses and agencies with a vested interest in Gulf activities. Such coordinated management is essential to the long-term health of oysters along the Gulf Coast.

Local activities included continued oyster reef restoration, adding to the 36 acres of reefs already restored in Mississippi. Another 30 acres of restoration is slated for 2012, and more planned for 2013.

Protecting delicate seagrass beds along Mississippi’s barrier islands is tied to boater behavior. Visitor surveys have been completed and signs will be placed to inform boaters of the importance of this small,

often unseen plant that stabilizes underwater soil, buffers the shore from storm surges and is home to a large number of animal species.

The Conservancy has worked with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office to implement the state’s coastal preserve program, preserving, conserving, restoring, and managing over 30,000 acres

of Mississippi’s coastal wetlands and marshes.

Advocacy in Action

The Conservancy supported passage of the RESTORE Act in 2012. Gulf coast communities in five states are guaranteed 80% of the Clean Water Act fines collected from parties responsible for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Funds will be used for economic development projects and environmental restoration.

Cindy Brown, the Conservancy’s Gulf of Mexico program director, said, “We thank the Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas delegations for working across the aisle to ensure that the bill included the RESTORE Act that is so important to our region.”

Photo Left: Identifying Species at Merrill Bioquest © Rebecca Stowe/TNC; Photo Right:Children and Families Enjoying a Farm © Erika Nortemann/TNC

Your support of The Nature Conservancy is vital. Alongside more than one million other members, you are part of the largest conservation organization in the

world, sharing the mission of preserving the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.

Gifts may be outright, in-kind, or deferred; each offers the possibility of tax benefits and savings. Outright gifts include money, stocks, life insurance, retirement accounts or real estate, or direct payments

through a Donor Advised Fund. In-kind gifts, reduced costs for services or ongoing support through monthly giving also are of great benefit to our work across the state and the globe.

Making the Conservancy part of your estate plans ensures a lasting legacy for future generations. Bequests, trusts and making the Conservancy a beneficiary of life insurance policies are all

examples of deferred gifts, and letting us know in advance of your gift enrolls you in the Legacy Club with benefits such as newsletters, magazines, and opportunities for special field trips, events and travel.

Helping HandsGift memberships are a great way to show others you care about

them and the future of the Magnolia state. There are also volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups to support our important

work, from one-time events and activities to long-term commitments. Check out our web site to see what possibilities await!

If you’d like to learn more about how you can support our work, please contact Susan Hollandsworth, Director of Philanthropy, shollandsworth@tnc.org, (601) 709-4754; or Gary Morgan, Associate

Director of Philanthropy, gmorgan@tnc.org, (601) 713-0405.

Every gift makes a difference, allowing us to restore and protect Mississippi and other remarkable locations for current and future generations.

Helping Hands

Corporate Council for the Environment

Natural State PartnersAnonymous

Chevron Products CompanyEntergy Corporation

Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation

Mississippi Sandhill Crane SocietyMississippi Power Company

Bald Eagle SocietyDunlap & Kyle Co., Inc.

Weyerhaeuser

Peregrine Falcon SocietyBankPlus

Colonial Pipeline CompanyMississippi PhosphatesNissan North America

Pruet CompaniesSanderson Farms, Inc.

Wood Stork SocietyAnonymous

AT&TAtmos Energy

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz

BancorpSouthBradley, Arant, Boult, Cummings, LLP

Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLCCorinth Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc.

Deviney ConstructionDuPont DeLisle

Eka Chemicals, Inc.Ergon

First Chemical CorporationGood Hope, Inc.

Hancock Forest ManagementLagniappe Foundation

Magnolia FabricsMississippi Lignite MiningM.W. Murphy Foundation

Nucor SteelOn-Site Fuel Services

Resource Management ServiceW.A. Taylor Foundation

Waste ManagementYounger Foundation

Wood Duck SocietyB & B Concrete

BKD, LLPBlue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi

Capitol Street CorporationGraeber Foundation

Heidelberg, Steinberger, Colmer & BurrowMark S. Jordan Companies

Mississippi Manufacturers AssociationMolpus Woodlands Group

Providence PlantationRegions BankRenasant BankSelf Foundation

*Donations/In-kind gifts July 1, 2011—June 30, 2012Photo Left: Entergy Booth at Wild Walk & Run © Rebecca Stowe/TNC Photo Right: Oyster Reef Sampling © Allen Tate/TNC

These organizations are investing today for a better Mississippi tomorrow, recognizing connections between nature, the economy, quality of life, and healthy

employees and communities,

“The Foundation appreciates the common sense work the Conservancy does balancing the needs of the environment with

the needs of industry.” Lex Taylor

W.A. Taylor Foundation

Your support is essential for our ongoing effortsto improve Mississippi for current and future generations.

Photo Left: Red Creek © Rebecca Stowe/TNC; Photo Right: Sandhill Crane © David Moynahan

nature.org/mississippi

Join us for our second annual Wild Walk & Run 5K event in spring 2013.

Watch our web site for event details and registration coming soon!

Mississippi Chapter405 Briarwood Drive, Suite 101Jackson, MS 39206(601) 713-3355

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