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Mike’s Island Community Restoration Project, EPA GMPO Grant Number: MX9785903
Project Description
The ecological health of the lower Pearl River is of primary importance to long term viability of the Hancock County Marshes, identified as a Gulf Ecological Management Sites (GEMS). TNC, through Conservation By Design, has identified the Pearl River as a high priority site in the East Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion and Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecoregion. Ecological restoration activities at Mike’s Island will help improve water quality in the lower Pearl River providing benefit to critical habitat of the Gulf Sturgeon, Hancock County Marshes, Mississippi Sound and Gulf of Mexico. Over the next three years, TNC and Mississippi Department of Marine Resources have committed to work collaboratively to develop a conservation corridor, providing a link from Hancock County Marshes to Mike’s Island.
Upon the completion of the land acquisition and property survey of the approximately 2,800 acre tract, the Conservancy conducted a baseline assessment which included botanical transects and obtaining aerial photos. From this baseline assessment the Conservancy developed a community restoration plan which included appropriate community-based action and volunteer action on the project. The community, through several workshops, had the opportunity to give the Conservancy their input and concerns. The information gathered at these workshops was incorporated into the community restoration plan. After the community restoration plan had been approved by our collaborators and appropriate Conservancy staff, the Conservancy held a ribbon cutting ceremony on the project and presented the final plan back to the community.
In December 2004, the Conservancy used information gathered from the community restoration plan to begin the removal of Chinese Tallow trees. The results of this restoration action are as follows:
- Reduction of S. sebiferum in the canopy is a mortality rate of 85.7 %.
- Reduction of S. sebiferum in the sub-canopy is a mortality rate of 97.5%.
