With an ecosystem that encompasses barrier islands, seagrass beds, meandering waterways, and maritime forests, the Mississippi Coast celebrates a cultural heritage tied to its diverse lands and waters. Mississippi Sound is the centerpiece of the state’s 86-mile-long coast.
Key to maintaining the intricate ecological balance of the Sound are the coast’s barrier islands, which also help defend local communities against storms and hurricanes. Four of these islands and a portion of a fifth island are protected under the Gulf Islands National Seashore, while two are federally designated wilderness areas.
This complex system supports main sectors of the state’s economy, particularly the tourism, shipping, and seafood industries. Commercial and recreational fishing generate more than $700 million in sales annually and support more than 5,000 jobs. Nearly one in five jobs on the coast is tourism-related. Each year the Mississippi sites of the Gulf Islands National Seashore draw nearly 900,000 visitors, generating $32 million for the local economy and supporting more than 540 local jobs.
In total, Mississippi is certain to receive more than $1.3 billion dollars that can be used for restoration as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. More than a quarter of these funds have already been awarded or are in the process of being committed to projects that include improving water quality, restoring and protecting critical habitats, and benefiting birds, oysters, fish, and sea turtles. The remaining money will become available over the next decade and a half.
Jourdan River Coastal Preserve
This effort seeks to permanently protect lands adjacent to the Jourdan River Coastal Preserve. The project would add 1,472 acres to the preserve’s existing 573 acres, adding frontage along the Bay of St. Louis and the Jourdan River. This would allow for the improved management of coastal wetlands and adjacent upland areas. The targeted acres lie within the Coastal Preserve boundary in Hancock County. The property consists of open saline marshes containing saltgrass, needle rush, and cordgrass; maritime forests; and tidal brackish marsh. The area is a feeding, resting, and overwintering ground for a variety of migratory birds and would benefit coastal and freshwater aquatic species.
Project Status:
Conceptual > Feasibility & Planning > Engineering & Design > In Progress > Completed
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Grand Bay Land Acquisition
The Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve collectively protect a diversity of important coastal habitats, including some of the last remaining wet pine savanna in the country. This project will add up to an additional 1,686 acres identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Mississippi as critical for acquisition and long-term management to these protected lands. This acreage contains a diversity of habitats including wet pine savanna, maritime forests, tidal and non-tidal wetlands, salt marshes, salt pannes, bays and bayous.
Project Status:
Conceptual > Feasibility & Planning > Engineering & Design > In Progress > Completed
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