[Green] Turkey Creek Follow-Up

[Rebecca Phillips]

Hello, all,

After today's discussion, I looked up Turkey Creek and discovered that there is a formal plan in place, money has been secured, and a contractor has been selected. REALLY slow, but progress.

BTW, I misread: the watershed project covers 30,000 acres, not 300,000.

Project Description<http://ltmcp.org/turkey-creek-watershed/> from the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain
The implementation Plan<http://ltmcp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/final.TurkeyCreek.WIP_.pdf>
2015 grant<https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/gulf/Documents/ms-turkey%20creek-15.pdf> from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
2018 presentation<https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Turkey-Creek-PPT-2.27.2018.pdf> by the MS Department of Environmental Quality

2019 brief progress report from the DEQ: Budget: $6.1 million total / $1,442,000 expended through December 2019

Description: This project seeks to conserve important habitat and enhance water quality in the 30,000- acre Turkey Creek watershed through habitat and stream conservation and restoration. The Turkey Creek watershed encompasses a mix of rural and urban land use areas in greater Gulfport and has significant ecological and recreational value. However, the watershed faces development pressures that threaten its ecological benefits. The project will use fee simple land and easement acquisition, focused in the lower reaches of the Turkey Creek watershed, to protect key wetland and riparian habitats. Restoration on these and other previously protected lands will include hydrologic restoration of wetlands, riparian buffers, invasive species management, debris removal and stream bank stabilization. The restoration efforts will maintain and improve water quality, and floodwater storage capacity, and will enhance the hydrologic connectivity of Turkey Creek to Bernard Bayou and the Back Bay of Biloxi.

Progress: The Land Trust of the Mississippi Coastal Plain (the Land Trust) finalzed the baseline survey of properties along the creek.The Land Trust continues to treat invasive species on properties currently owned by the Land Trust along the creek. The Corps Network continues to the provide the work crews to treat invasive species on the properties owned by the Land Trust. USGS continues to maintain and monitor the water quality monitoring station located in the creek.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."-- Cicero
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