This property is owned by Charles W. Pickering, Sr., and his wife, Margaret Ann Pickering. It is approximately 390 acres and contains three primary habitat types. They are loblolly pine plantations, mixed bottomland hardwood forestland, and food plots/wildlife openings.
Approximately 227 acres of the Pickering property are loblolly pine plantations. Fish ponds have been drained and re-forested. About 142 acres of the property are mixed bottomland hardwood forests and are included within the historic Leaf River floodplain area. The remaining 21 acres are utilized as food plots and wildlife openings.
The food plots/wildlife openings serve several functions. They attract wildlife, act as fire breaks and open space, and provide the opportunity to watch wildlife. These openings are planted annually or more frequently with a mix of plants. No commercial crops are grown, and wildlife is the chief beneficiary.
Several wetlands maintain a transitional wetland character throughout the year. Seasonal backwater flooding is common and occurs via overland flow and through existing depressions, borrow sites, and old meander channels.
Parts of this property are along the Leaf River, and this easement helps protect the river and the wildlife and fisheries resources associated with it.
The diverse habitat types on the property support a diversity of wildlife. The following species could be found on the property, the threatened gopher tortoise, the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, the endangered Louisiana quillwort plant, the threatened yellow-blotched map turtle, the threatened Gulf sturgeon, the black pine snake, the pearl darter, and the bald eagle.
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