Land Trust News Leaving a Legacy for our Future

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1 May 2017 Officers President Jennifer Tyler Baker Vice President Johnny Marquez Treasurer John Heath Secretary Alice Duckett Board of Directors Melanie Allen Beth Ashley Jon Bond Russell Evans Scott Hillery Linda Holden Jason Huffman Drew Puffer Barry Swan Flowers White Staff Executive Director Judy Steckler Office Manager Christina Nanney Land Steward Michael Brochard Outreach Program Coordinator Elizabeth Fisher The Land Trust Educates and Enlightens Youth through Two Ongoing Projects Whole Places Program T he Whole Places Program takes youth to historically significant locations and teaches them the importance of historic preservation. Partners include TALLStudio, Mississippi Heritage Trust and Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area. The five locales featured in the program are Shaw Homestead in Poplarville, Twelve Oaks and Bon Silene (Charnley-Norwood House) in Ocean Springs, Phoenix Naval Stores in the Turkey Creek Community, and Biloxi s Cedar Lake Island. Above: Architects Mark and Madison Talley of TALLStudio teach about historic preservation at Cedar Lake Island. Children are the world s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future. - John F. Kennedy Above: Jim Kelly of 3Point Eco-Logical, LLC lectures students about plant identification. Next Generation of Conservationists W e re teaching the Next Generation of Conservationists at Harrison High School through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Using a combination of lectures and fieldwork, this program encourages youth from underserved communities to explore the natural world and consider careers in conservation. Lectures will cover varied subjects ranging from chainsaw safety to aquaculture.

2 Page 2 As Told By Social Media: Page 3 As Told By Social Media: o need to wait for the next newsletter. Like us N on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and you ll always be in the know! We keep you up to date on the latest Land Trust news, including upcoming events and ways to get involved. We also share a wide variety of positive content, such as photos of Land Trust properties with inspirational quotes, suggestions for recreation and road trip, fun facts about the natural world, articles that we think our members would find interesting, and activities of other regional organizations dedicated to conservation or overlapping topics. If you already like us and follow us, invite your friends to do the same! Perseverance Oaks Advocacy Day Weeks Bayou Twelve Oaks Trail Spring Pilgrimage Schwan Cleanup Red Creek Cleanup

3 Page 4 The Land Trust Veterans (Judy became Executive Director in 2000; Christina joined the staff at the beginning of 2016) Meet Our Staff The New Hires (Both Michael and Elizabeth began working for LTMCP in April 2017) Page 5 Judy Steckler, Executive Director: Prior to becoming the Executive Director for LTMCP, Judy Steckler spent 15 years handling details relating to land sales and property management for a local attorney s office. During that time she gained experience with title searches, closing documents, and land deed records across the three coastal counties. Beginning in 1998, Judy participated in a series of roundtable discussions on the community, the economy, and the environment of the Mississippi coast. These sessions brought together business and community leaders across the coast who identified the loss of green space and open space as a major concern. As a direct result of these meetings, LTMCP was formed and Judy became its first Executive Director in May Judy was asked to serve on Governor Haley Barbour s Mississippi Gulf of Mexico Commission to draft a coastal restoration plan for Mississippi to be used as the framework for the development of a Gulf wide restoration effort. She was also appointed by Governor Phil Bryant as GoCoast 2020 Commission Eco-restoration GoTeam member. Christina Nanney, Office Manager: Christina Nanney has 10 years of experience working with federal and non-federal grants, non-profit/grant accounting, business taxes, and environmental centered organizations, and more than 15 years of bookkeeping experience. Passionate for the environment, Christina held a Green Cleaning workshop in 2007 to educate the public on environmentally friendly alternatives. As a part of an environmental non-profit in 2010, Christina saw first-hand the impacts of the oil spill on wildlife living in the Gulf of Mexico. Michael Brochard, Land Steward: Our Land Steward, Michael Brochard, has worked across the country in various environmental fields and has a strong background in GIS, Data Analysis, and Coastal Ecosystems. He has interned with the National Park Services performing tasks to restore habitat of federally protected species. Working with Fisheries at the Department of Marine Resources provided experience in shoreline restoration and coastal ecosystems. During that time he also assisted with the Deer Island Restoration project. While studying the native habitats of various wildlife he has garnered a close attachment with nature and the environment. Elizabeth Fisher, Outreach Program Coordinator: Elizabeth Fisher, has a background in environmental law and policy including a minor in Environmental Science and Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After college, she worked as a communications intern for The Nature Conservancy, before starting law school at Tulane University in the fall of As part of the Class of Katrina, she understands the importance of land conservation and coastal restoration in buffering storm surge. At Tulane, Elizabeth was active in the Environmental Law Society, including serving as the society s Newsletter Editor. She also served as a student-attorney in the Environmental Law Clinic before earning both a Juris Doctor and Environmental Law Certificate. Licensed to practice law in North Carolina and California, she is presently applying for acceptance into the Mississippi Bar.

4 Page 6 Page 7 Save the Date: 3rd Annual Enchanted Forest Evening Amazing Artwork Has Begun To Arrive! Tuesday, July p.m. Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, 875 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS Last year we raised over $82,000! J oin us at the beautiful Beau Rivage Resort and Casino for our Third Annual Enchanted Forest Evening to benefit the conservation work of the Land Trust! Tickets are $100 and include a plated dinner and access to live and silent auctions featuring the work of many local artists. Dress is business formal. Call for tickets or sponsorship opportunities: (228) Above: Woodpecker by Spence Kellum. Left: Alligator teapot by Shearwater Pottery. Opposite Page (clockwise from top left): Trees by Alison Henry; Two views of a rain barrel painted by Bruce Seabolt; Bayou by Bruce Seabolt; MS Island Shores by Tommy Moran. You won t want to miss the auctions! Renowned artists have generously contributed works inspired by Land Trust properties and the unique landscapes of the Mississippi Coastal Plain.

5 Land Trust News Leaving a Legacy for Our Future Page 8 Are you a Land Trust member? No land trust works alone. Together, we can protect more land, protect it well, and protect it forever. The river tumbles onwards to the sea, And rushes, racing over rocks and stones, And boulders, branches, pebbles, sand and scree, Singing so many melodies to me, In whispering notes and thunderous roaring tones. -Ernestine Northover (The Singing River) Join Today Call our office or visit our website P. O. Box A Howard Ave. Biloxi, MS Phone: Fax: judyltmcp@aol.com Visit us at our website: The Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain Protects Over 9,100 Acres within the Six Coastal Counties and Has Helped Develop a Network of Recreational Trails and Blueways. Above left: Davis Eddy Lake, from nature trail along the Pascagoula River Blueway. Above right: Cypress tree along the Natural Springs section of the Red Creek Blueway.