South Mississippi Conservation Program

McInnis Creek Lake in the Charles M. Deaton Preserve
© Rebecca Stowe

The South Mississippi Conservation Program (SMCP) was founded in 1997 and is the chapter’s largest program. Based out of offices in Lucedale, Camp Shelby, Red Creek and Ocean Springs, staff in South Mississippi manage stewardship activities on seven Nature Conservancy preserves, totalling 6,475 acres. The conservancy also operates three wetland and stream mitigation projects in Jackson and George Counties. Community based conservation and land acquisition efforts are conducted from the Ocean Springs office of The Nature Conservancy.

The flagship Pascagoula River project commenced in 1976 with the purchase of 35,000 acres. At the time, it was the largest public land conservation purchase ever undertaken in the U.S. Today the conservancy and other conservation organizations and government agencies manage and protect 75,000 acres along the Pascagoula River. The Pascagoula River was the subject of a documentary film produced by Mississippi Public Broadcasting in association with The Nature Conservancy, entitled The Singing River, Rhythms of Nature.

High Priority Conservation Areas: