A two year $80,000 grant to the Nature Conservancy’s Mississippi Chapter was given by the Weyerhaeuser Company to study, document and preserve the 350 acre Old Cove area.

The funding for the evaluation of Old Cove in Mississippi is part of Weyerhaeuser’s on-going collaboration with the Nature Conservancy to study conservation and sustainable management of biological diversity in managed forests. This is part of a multi-year $1 million commitment.

As a part of the new grants announced in November, was a two year $90,000 grant to protect and restore oak habitats in Willamette Valley, Oregon.

“The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi is extremely pleased to partner with Weyerhaeuser,” said Robbie Fisher, director of the state Conservancy. “This area is part of a 12,000-acre forested landscape that includes the headwaters for the Big Black River, Yalobusha and Yazoo Rivers. Implementing conservation actions within this large watershed will result in more inclusive protection of biodiversity in freshwater and terrestrial systems not only at this site but on a larger landscape as well.”

The Old Cove area was identified by Weyerhaeuser as a protected “Special Places Area”. “We’re real proud of it,” said Weyerhaeuser forester Rick Heywood, who helped identify the area as a Special Place.

Several rare species have been identified in the area. The Maple Leaf Viburnum, Star Vine, Yellow Lady’s Slippers, Big Leaf Magnolia, American Beech, Tulip Poplar and Huckleberry are some of the identified species.

“We could not be more pleased about the continuing partnership with Mississippi’s chapter of the Nature Conservancy,” said Ken Durrand, manager for Weyerhaeuser’s Mississippi-Alabama timberland region. “We knew this area was special and should be preserved. Now with the grants, the Nature Conservancy has the resources to help fully access and save all that is special about Old Cove.”

Dawn