We are very happy MDOT has chosen The Nature Conservancy as its wetlands protection partner, says Dan Grafton, president and CEO of Raytheon Aerospace and The Nature Conservancy of Mississippi s board chair. This purchase will allow The Nature Conservancy to restore and preserve more of Mississippi s last great places, and this would not have happened except for the vision and forward thinking leadership of our commissioners. This partnership offers numerous benefits to MDOT, whether building new roads or improving existing ones. One of the biggest benefits is the reduction of time needed to meet mitigation requirements. The Nature Conservancy has already obtained important tracts for mitigation, based upon their location, habitat, and degree of restoration required.
Mitigation banking is also cost-efficient for land management needs, particularly prescribed fire.
Not only are we making a smart investment decision today, we are making an even more important investment for the future. The 1,850-acre Old Fort Bayou tract in Jackson County once contained healthy pine savannas, wet prairies and other habitats typical of the southeastern gulf coastal plain. Data indicates that over 97 percent of the original extent of these habitats has been lost to intensive forestry, drainage, development and fire suppression . Restoration of this tract, which lies within the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, will protect critical habitat for the Mississippi Sandhill Crane and will reduce fragmentation of currently protected refuge lands. The 3,300-acre Deaton tract in George and Greene Counties contains sweeping bottomland hardwood and cypress forests.