11-27-CWS | March 23, 2011
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ (DMR) Coastal Preserve Program will partner with National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Mississippi Wildlife Federation (MWF), Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) and other local sponsors to kick off the Habitat Stewards Program with a spring cleanup and volunteer work day April 9 at the Pascagoula Preserve on Mary Walker Bayou.
The Spring Fling in Nature’s Playground event will give volunteers the choice to participate in either the Spring Fling cleanup, where they will pick up litter and trash along the roadway and nature trails, or Spring Fling trail work, which will consist of trail‐head development and other cleanup activities geared toward providing clean, safe public access to the Pascagoula Preserve.
The Spring Fling event will kick off the newly underway Habitat Stewards Program, which is a two-year pilot project that enlists small groups of volunteers to serve as local “friends” groups on specific tracts of conservation land along the Mississippi Coast. The program is a partnership between DMR, NWF, MWF, Natural Capital Development (NCD) and local conservation partners, including Mississippi Sandhill Crane and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuges and the Land Trust for Mississippi Coastal Plain.
The Spring Fling cleanup will be held from 9 a.m. to noon; Spring Fling trail work will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. If you would like to participate in the Spring Fling trail work, you must register by noon, Thursday, April 7.
Volunteers will meet at the Liberty Assembly of God Church parking lot. All are welcome to participate, but volunteers under age 12 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For more information or to register for Spring Fling trail work, contact Chris Marshall, MGCCC, 228-218-0320.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at www.dmr.ms.gov.
Contact: Jennifer Goldman Leirer
Phone: 228-523-4101
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