PROJECT FOCUS AREAS
HABITAT CONSERVATION & CONSERVATION EDUCATION
Less than 1% of native prairie exists in Mississippi today, making it the most degraded habitat type in the state. Blackland Prairie remnants occur in the northeastern counties, from the Tennessee line south and east to the Alabama line.
Wildlife Mississippi’s geographic focus is on the Blackland Prairie Region. Records from the 1800s reveal that about 355,680 acres of prairie were present in the Blackland Region. The Jackson Prairie Region extends from Yazoo City east-southeast to the Alabama line, with the most extensive prairie openings in Bienville National Forest. Most prairie remnants are less than 100 acres.
What We Do
We provide outreach and technical assistance to private landowners interested in prairie restoration. Assistance includes
- promoting prescribed burning
- controlling invasive species
- promoting conservation easements
- developing incentives for landowners to protect, restore, or enhance prairie habitat
To date, Wildlife Mississippi has restored approximately 9,400 acres of native prairie and has enhanced another 5,880 acres.
Well-managed sites, such as Pulliam Prairie in Chickasaw County, harbor hundreds of plant species, including many rare and imperiled plants; these sites can support sustainable populations of white-tailed deer, bobwhite quail, and several bird species.
Native Grasses
Prairies or grasslands are so named due to the dominance of warm-season perennial grasses. Before European settlement, native grasses were maintained by regular fires set by North American Indians and lightning strikes during dry periods.
The most common grasses of Mississippi’s prairies are big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, Indiangrass, and Eastern gamagrass. Other prairie grasses included sideoats grama, Florida paspalum, panic grasses, giant cane, purple top, and grease grass.
The Natural Heritage Program at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed approximately 70 prairie plants that are considered endangered or declining.
Project Partners
Partnering with Wildlife Mississippi on this project are private landowners, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mississippi Land Trust, Mississippi State University’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, East Gulf Coastal Plain Joint Venture, and private corporations
SUPPORT OUR WORK
You can make a difference by helping conserve Mississippi’s natural areas for present and future generations. Together, we can make Mississippi a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
