Mississippi

Credit: David King Gleason

Not far from the rapidly growing communities of Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula, the Mississippi barrier islands are a tranquil retreat, an ocean-storm buffer, and an economic engine providing commercial and sport fishing opportunities. The Trust for Public Land worked to add Cat and Deer islands to the Gulf Islands National Seashore, protecting valuable wildlife habitat and recreational access. In the state’s southwest corner, TPL’s purchase of the Melrose Plantation for Natchez National Historical Park preserved an intact reminder of the Antebellum South.