Habitat Stewards


What do you call a curious, engaged, fun-loving, conservation-minded person looking for a way to help manage natural lands on the Mississippi Coast?
Why, I believe this would be the perfect candidate for the Mississippi Habitat Stewards Program. The Mississippi Habitat Stewards Program partners with natural lands' managers all along the Mississippi Coast to help with land management on these public lands. Here in Mississippi, managers of natural lands are stretched pretty thin. With over 60,000 acres to manage and only a handful of staff, it is a struggle to manage our coastal habitats for wildlife, fire, invasive species treatment, and safe access for people. Volunteers with the program are trained in a series of field classes showcasing the many nature preserves, habitats, and project ideas for service. Once the training is completed, a site(s) is chosen and a work plan is established so the volunteer knows specific work and schedule and the partners also know what's being done on their sites.
Upcoming Habitat Steward Class
We are actively recruiting new Habitat Stewards. Please contact Johnny Marquez at jmarquez@mswf.org or (228) 223-8476 if you are interested.  There is no fee for this class, but there is a requirement of 100 hours of volunteer service within 2 years after class graduation.

Mississippi Habitat Stewards Program
The Mississippi Habitat Stewards Program is a volunteer program of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation in support of management and conservation on public lands in coastal Mississippi.  The program provides 24 hours of training for local restoration, habitat management, and human dimensions of habitat management in a series of field classes.  The volunteers are then matched with a land steward based on land management needs and the volunteer interests.  If you are interested in becoming a Mississippi Habitat Steward or interested in finding out more about the Habitat Stewards Program, please complete and submit the application below.

Our land partners provide us many wonderful opportunities to "work" on their properties. As partners, the Habitat Stewards learn about little known places and the wonderful bounty of habitats we have on the Mississippi Coast

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