Mississippi sandhill crane in the Jordan Natural Area | Photo: Robert Smith, Wildlife Mississippi

Naif and Jessie Jordan Natural Area

The Jordan Natural Area property is a 711.84-acre longleaf pine-dominated area in Jackson County, Mississippi, approximately four miles north of the Mississippi Sound and half way between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana. This tract contains upland longleaf-bluestem, wet pine savanna and creekside hardwoods. Protected species that have been documented on the property include Mississippi sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis pulla), gopher tortoise, (Gopherus polyphemus), red-cockaded woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealis) and Louisiana quillwort (Isoetes louisianensis).

Atira Conservation partnered with Mississippi Land Trust of Stoneville, Mississippi, to acquire a permanent conservation easement on this property. The primary funder was USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service through their Agricultural Land Easement program with additional assistance from NFWF Longleaf Stewardship Fund, Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation, Wildlife Mississippi and the Jordan family. 

The purchase was time-critical because coastal growth is expanding rapidly around this property, with new name-brand national retailers beginning construction within three miles.  Offers from developers were a regular occurrence, and a period of intergenerational transfer was approaching. 
Placing a permanent easement on this property helps meet several national and state conservation agendas, including America’s Longleaf Range-wide Conservation Plan, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks State Wildlife Action Plan, several recovery plans, and Wildlife Mississippi’s longleaf plans.  There were 99 species of Species of Greatest Conservation Concern documented on or within ¼ mile of the property.  Several declining neotropical migrant songbirds have also been documented on the property.  Permanent conservation of this tract ensures continued habitat for those species, as well as ensuring a connectivity corridor between the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge and Desoto National Forest.
  • Total Transaction Cost: $3,774,250
  • Atira Conservation Funding: $24,500

Longleaf pines in the Jordan Natural Area | Robert Smith, Wildlife Mississippi

Jordan Natural Area Oblique Aerial | Photo: Jacob Goff, Wildlife Mississippi

Map of the Jordan Natural Area | Jacob Goff, Wildlife Mississippi