In 1945, the Presbytery of Mississippi purchased 177 acres for a summer camp and conference center. This land is about 11 miles east of Okolona and 4 miles west of Amory. The Presbytery constructed a lake and made other improvements. In 2000, the Presbytery of Mississippi donated the property to the Wrenwoode Trust and a perpetual conservation easement to the Mississippi Land Trust.
This property has significant conservation value due to its topography, old-growth forest, high plant diversity, and isolation. The maximum elevation of the property is around 300 feet, and it has one of Mississippi’s tallest bluffs at 70 feet.
Several plant communities are found on the property. Twenty plants on the Mississippi Natural Heritage Program’s Special Plant List have been recorded on the property. In addition, American ginseng, three birds orchid, shadow witch orchid, and climbing milkweed are found in the area.
The relatively old-growth forest of the Wrenwoode Natural Area is of exceptional ecological quality. This forest has not been disturbed for more than 60 years. The forest has an American beech with a diameter of nearly 48 inches and four Canadian hemlocks about 50 feet tall, the largest of this species in Mississippi.
The area provides prime wildlife habitat because of its rough topography and isolation. It offers excellent recreational opportunities, including hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing, limited hunting, and nature study. Few areas in Mississippi provide a view like the bluff across the floodplain.
The easement prohibits most commercial activities on the property. The camp facilities can be rebuilt and added to, but they cannot be significantly enlarged. The desires of the Presbytery are preserved in perpetuity.
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