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Camp Shelby Training Site

Coachwhip
Coachwhip
© Jim Lee/TNC

The Nature Conservancy's Camp Shelby Conservation Program provides information on threatened, endangered and rare species to the Mississippi Army National Guard. In order to do this, we survey for and study rare species and communities.

Location
Camp Shelby Training Site, one of the largest National Guard Training installations in the US, is located within the Piney Woods subprovince of the Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic region of Mississippi in Perry, Forrest, and George counties. Camp Shelby includes land owned and managed by The Department of the Army (1,360 ha), The Department of Defense (2,248 ha), the State of Mississippi (3,359 ha), and the United States Forest Service (47,348 ha).

Plants
Some plants common to Camp Shelby Training Site:

  • Longleaf and other pine species
  • Flowering dogwood
  • Little and slender bluestem grasses
  • Sunflower species
  • Butterfly pea
  • Blackberry
  • Yaupon

Camp Shelby has over 5 species of magnolia and over 20 species of orchids. Louisiana quillwort which is federally listed as endangered occurs in streams within Camp Shelby and over 80 plant species listed on the Mississippi Heritage Program Tracking List have been documented. Pitcher plant communities provide habitat to several of these rare species. Camp Shelby also has several state champion trees including: slash pine, sweetbay magnolia, and redbay.

Previously Unknown Plant Species Studied at Camp Shelby - Camp Shelby witch-hazel

Animals
Some animals common to Camp Shelby Training Site:

  • Bobwhite quail
  • White-tailed deer
  • Black racer
  • Coyote
  • Eastern coachwhip

Animal Species of Concern:

  • Gopher tortoise: Federally listed as threatened, this animal is considered a keystone species within the longleaf pine ecosystem. They dig long burrows which are used by over 300 other species of animals.
  • Black pine snake: Within Mississippi, the pine snake is state endangered and a candidate for federal listing. Its distribution is limited to 14 southern counties, but the majority of observations have been within Camp Shelby. The species is threatened by habitat fragmentation and human aggression.
  • Camp Shelby burrowing crayfish: occurs only on Camp Shelby. Formerly a candidate for federal listing it is now protected under a Candidate Conservation Agreement.
  • State-listed species: Arogos skipper, Mobile crayfish, ornate chorus frog, red salamander, mole kingsnake, gulf crayfish snake, eastern coral snake, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Cooper’s hawk, Bachman’s sparrow, Henslow’s sparrow, southeastern kestrel, and Rafinesque’s big-eared bat.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Most of Camp Shelby is covered by longleaf pine forests, an ecosystem which once covered much of the southeastern United States of which less than 3 % remains. Camp Shelby also contains some rare communities such as a beech/magnolia slope forest and pitcher plant wetlands. These communities support a diversity of plants and animals, many of them rare.

The Conservancy's Work at the Camp Shelby Training Site
Originally under the administration of the Mississippi Natural Heritage Program, the Camp Shelby Field Office was created to perform a biological inventory of Camp Shelby and Camp McCain. Rare species and biologically noteworthy areas were documented. In 1998, program management shifted to The Nature Conservancy.

In order to provide unbiased scientific opinions and recommendations to the Mississippi Army National Guard regarding actions which may affect these biological resources, the Camp Shelby Field Office:

  • Performs field surveys for rare species and communities and evaluates habitat quality
  • Implements research projects and monitoring efforts which will provide information needed to improve management efforts for endangered, threatened and rare species

Current and Past Projects Include:

  • Research into effects of prescribed fire on habitat and gopher tortoise behavior
  • Black pine snake life history research
  • Monitoring Louisiana quillwort populations within the Poplar Creek watershed
  • Monitoring of Camp Shelby burrowing crayfish populations and habitat
  • Research into effects of military activities on gopher tortoises
  • Research into invasive species such as cogongrass and fire ants.

As part of its service to the Mississippi Army National Guard, staff work closely with the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi Natural Heritage Program, Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

For more information on The Nature Conservancy's work at the Camp Shelby Training Site, please contact Melinda Lyman, Project Coordinator.

The Nature Conservancy

Camp Shelby Conservation Program
CSJFTC-ENV Building 622
Camp Shelby, MS  39407-5500
(601) 558-2931