- “It is exciting to watch these investments improve communities around the state and enhance our state’s $8 billion outdoor recreation economy,” Gov. Tate Reeves said.
The Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund (MOSTF) Board of Trustees have awarded a new round of competitive grants totaling more than $13.4 million for 28 conservation and outdoor recreation projects around the state.
When combined with an additional $25.3 million in funding from other private, local, state, and federal sources, the combined impact of $38.7 million of conservation and outdoor recreation improvements will be seen around Mississippi.
Governor Tate Reeves celebrated the awards, saying Thursday in a statement that the accomplishments were exactly what he expected when he signed the Outdoor Stewardship Act into law.
“The MOSTF is benefiting Mississippi communities and supporting jobs. It is exciting to watch these investments improve communities around the state and enhance our state’s $8 billion outdoor recreation economy, which supports more than 79,000 jobs,” Reeves said.
Now in its third year, MOSTF annually accepts grant applications for selection by the seven Trustees. Proposals must meet the statutory goals of improving Mississippi’s parks and outdoor recreation trails, improving access to public waters and lands, and preserving, enhancing, and restoring native wildlife and fish resources and their critical habitats.
The following are the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund projects announced this week:
- Protecting Riverine Habitat, Military Readiness, and Improving Recreation on Lands and Waters in Mississippi – $1.5 million
- Enhancing Waterfowl Habitat in the Mississippi Delta – $1 million
- Landscape-Scale Forest Management Anchored Around Four Wildlife Management Areas in the Mississippi Delta – $408,000
- Reducing the Land Management Gap in North Mississippi: Initiation of a Multi-Partner Habitat Specialist Crew – $266,151
- Enhancing Habitat on MDWFP Wildlife Management Areas through Partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation – $210,150
- Bridge for Better Bottomland Access on Yockanookany Wildlife Management Area – Attala County – $56,250
- Wells for Waterfowl at Trim Cane Wildlife Management Area – Oktibbeha County – $500,000
- Long Beach Urban Forest Restoration – $141,625
- Museum Trail Levee Repair and Erosion Control – Jackson – $65,750
- Educational Outreach Pavilion and Deer Interaction Pen – $749,000
- Ulman Ave Beach Access ADA Low-Level Pier – Bay St. Louis – $499,270
- Mobile 5-Stand Skeet Trailer – $15,000
- Lake Calling Panther Nature Trail Improvement – $11,300
- Terrene Landing River Park Project – Bolivar County – $2.5 million
- Wildlife Restoration on Mississippi’s Public Lands – $183,982
- Quarry Trails Improvements Project – Brandon – $392,925
- Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuge Long Branch Floating Boat Launch – $45,567
- Wild Pig Trapping Partnership – Oktibbeha County – $100,000
- Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge (Wilkins Tract) Wetlands Restoration Project – Delta – $136,356
- Mississippi Arboreta Trail (MAT) – $365,050
- Church House Creek Elevated Boardwalk – Wiggins – $312,500
- Waveland Waterfront Improvements – $500,000
- River Avenue Pedestrian Bridge and Leaf River Overlook – Hattiesburg/Petal – $674,638
- McHenry Shooting Range – Skeet House Construction – Stone County – $29,550
- Strawberry Plains Habitat Restoration – $87,440
- Creating A City-wide Nature Based Model for Living with Outdoor Activities – Clinton – $878,000
- Vicksburg Riverfront Park Development -$1.5 million
- Enhancing Lefleur’s Bluff State Park Amenities – Jackson – $250,000
The next grant application period for MOSTF funding is slated for August 1, 2025, pending funding secured during the 2025 Legislative Session.
Frank Corder
