In response to the devastating tornadoes of 2023, which severely impacted areas in Mississippi and Arkansas, we formed strategic partnerships with organizations that are deeply rooted in these communities.
We chose these partners because they are leaders in local conservation efforts, bring strong community trust, and offer unique opportunities for education, youth involvement, and long-term engagement. Many are based in or near the regions most affected by the storms, making them not only well-positioned to lead reforestation efforts but also to build back stronger, greener, and more equitable urban environments.
Wildlife Mississippi
Wildlife Mississippi is a nonprofit organization committed to conserving, restoring, and enhancing Mississippi’s natural resources. Since its inception, the organization has protected, restored, or enhanced over 700,000 acres of land across the state. Their efforts span various conservation areas, including:
- Habitat Conservation: Engaging in projects to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitats on both private and public lands.
- Conservation Education: Providing educational resources and workshops to landowners and the public on effective conservation practices.
- Conservation Policy: Advocating for policies that support conservation incentives and robust wetlands mitigation programs.
- Outdoor Recreation: Supporting the creation and expansion of national wildlife refuges and enhancing public-use facilities like boat ramps and boardwalks.
Their extensive experience and deep connections within Mississippi make them an invaluable partner in rebuilding and expanding urban and community forests in areas most affected by recent storms.
The KKAC Organization
The KKAC Organization, founded in 2015 and based in Little Rock, Arkansas, educates minority youth and landowners about production agriculture and natural resources management in Arkansas and Mississippi. It provides technical assistance to landowners wanting to take advantage of USDA conservation programs such as Wetland Reserve Easements, and it provides scholarships to students interested in pursuing careers in agriculture.
KKAC is working in parts of six Arkansas cities to plan, implement, and manage tree planting projects and educate youth about urban forestry. Little Rock and surrounding communities were struck by a powerful tornado on March 31, 2023. Approximately 2,650 structures were damaged or destroyed, there were reports of hundreds or thousands of trees destroyed or damaged. Officials reports one death from the storm and more than 50 people were injured.
The Piney Woods School
The Piney Woods School is the oldest college preparatory boarding school in the United States serving African-American youth. Established in 1909, it serves students grades 8-12 from the Mississippi Delta to urban centers in Chicago and California, to Ethiopian villages. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Southern Association of Independent Schools. Piney Woods focuses on experimental learning at its 2,000-acre campus 20 miles south of Jackson, including a 250-acre working farm and 1,750-acre working forest, and its educational programs focus in part on the fields of agriculture, natural resources, and forest management and encouraging students to pursue careers in those fields.
The Piney Woods School is on track to grow 10,000 trees and distribute another 15,000 bare-root seedlings for planting throughout the target communities in Mississippi. Piney Woods will also involve up to 100 of its own students in growing trees at its campus and planting them in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Jackson, based on an analysis of need and opportunity. As a part of this project, Piney Woods will expose its students and others to career pathways in forestry and natural resources fields.
Mississippi’s Lower Delta Partnership
Mississippi’s Lower Delta Partnership was established in 2002 to support and preserve the natural resources, quality of life, and economy of Mississippi’s Lower Delta region. Its completed and ongoing projects include organizing the Great Delta Bear Affair, a festival that highlights the region’s recovering black bear population and is attended by 5,000 people each fall; mapping and guide publication of paddling trails, birding opportunities, and other nature and heritage tourism experiences; and youth conservation education events, photography contests, and lecture series.
Mississippi’s Lower Delta Partnership is working with Wildlife Mississippi in Rolling Fork, a Sharkey County city of 1,800 residents, to plan and implement tree-planting efforts in the wake of a powerful, March 24, 2023 tornado that tore through the heart of the city and killed 14 people. Nearly 3,000 mature or larger trees that may have been damaged or destroyed in the storm, according to a Wildlife Mississippi GIS analysis of tree canopy cover that existed prior to the tornado. Rolling Fork is less than 3 miles from the 60,000-acre Delta National Forest.
