The late Grey Ferris of Vicksburg donated a 2,114-acre conservation easement with bottomland hardwoods and a small portion of pasture.
The Mississippi Land Trust and Ferris negotiated the conservation easement terms together. This binding agreement prohibits any development not compatible with a relatively natural preserve. The property’s roads, walking paths, and a small shed can be maintained. A camp house can be built, but no commercial structures can be constructed. The terms of the conservation easement protecting the property reduced its appraised value and property taxes by more than 60%.
According to Ferris, “Those of us who are blessed with the ownership of natural resources have a responsibility of being good stewards of the land. We should all strive to ensure that we leave our lands in better shape than we found them.”
The land was purchased in 1918 by E.B. Ferris, the founding director of Mississippi’s Agricultural Experiment Stations. He employed his vast knowledge of diversified agricultural practices to manage his farm.
The Ferris family pioneered the use of agricultural conservation techniques. They terraced the fields and provided other erosion control measures to protect the farm. Their son, Grey Ferris, left his law practice in Vicksburg in 1974 to return to the farm where he worked and lived with his family.
Today, Ferris Farm has grown to over 6,000 acres. All cropland was converted to pasture, and more than 1,000 cows are on the property.
“If you are a landowner in Mississippi and care about fish and wildlife resources, you need to consider a conservation easement,” concluded Ferris.
Success Stories
Read through the stories of 12 landowners and the success that the conservation easements had.
Nash Buckingham’s Beaver Dam was a duck club organized in 1882. It was the property of the Owen family. Nash Buckingham, a renowned and well-loved outdoor writer, frequented Beaver Dam. The conservation easement is approximately 159 acres in the historic Mississippi River Alluvial Floodplain in Tunica County. Tunica County is mostly agricultural, producing cotton, corn,
The Caulk Island property is in the southeast portion of Desha County, Arkansas, on the east side (Mississippi Side) of the Mississippi River and the unprotected (batture) side of the Mississippi River mainline levee system. Lake Whittington forms part of the boundary of the island. This lake, formerly Bolivar Bend, was cut off from the
Coles Creek Land and Timber Company is located approximately 10 miles north of Natchez, Mississippi. This 1,355-acre tract is in a strategic area of the Mississippi Flyway. About 500 acres were reforested to bottomland hardwoods in 2001. Coles Creek’s owners strive to provide diverse habitat types to ensure the needs of all animals, not just
The Dead Tiger Mitigation Bank was organized to compensate for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits for unavoidable negative impacts to wetlands and streams. The bank is located within the buffer zone of the Stennis Space Center. The buffer zone restricts residential and commercial development, which will aid the bank’s long-term success. This mitigation bank
The late Grey Ferris of Vicksburg donated a 2,114-acre conservation easement with bottomland hardwoods and a small portion of pasture. The Mississippi Land Trust and Ferris negotiated the conservation easement terms together. This binding agreement prohibits any development not compatible with a relatively natural preserve. The property’s roads, walking paths, and a small shed can