By: Toni Miles
Dozens of homeowners in west Long Beach, and even some nature lovers, say they are now breathing a sigh of relief after the recent $1.9 million purchase of thirty-two acres of undeveloped property located between Markham and Marcie drives, which ensures that the land will remain undeveloped, yet explorable, to the public, due to its new designation as an Urban Forest.
The fate of this tract of land, which stretches from just north of Highway 90 and the beach to the railroad tracks northwards in Long Beach, was up in the air for more than a decade. At one time, it was eyed as the potential site of an RV park, a proposed project that concerned nearby homeowners, who worried over possible increased flooding and decreased home and property values that the proposed park could usher into the area. This prompted several homeowners in the area to go door-to-door, discussing their concerns and opposition to the potential development with fellow residents and also City leaders.
Their hard work paid off.
On Monday, July 29, the City of Long Beach held a press conference, alongside leaders with the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain (LTMCP) non-profit group, to share good news with concerned residents, announcing the nearly $2 million land purchase made possible through the combined efforts of the City of Long Beach, LTMCP, the Angela J Bowen Foundation and seller Chris Gouras with Gouras & Associates, designating the thirty-two acres of undeveloped land to remain undeveloped and to serve as an Urban Forest.
“This is a great opportunity for us to bring in ecotourism, so I’m happy for this,” said Long Beach Mayor George Bass.
The estimated forty homeowners who live alongside the tract of land, many of whom were forced to rebuild their homes after Hurricane Katrina, say they are pleased with the news.
“We are grateful for this wonderful outcome to an eight-plus-year journey to ensure this property remains a natural habitat,” said Brian Grewe, spokesperson for the nearby homeowners.
The homeowners aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the recent purchase and newly-designated Urban Forest area. Leaders with the Biloxi-based LTMCP non-profit say now the property will remain a natural habitat for many species of migratory birds, wetlands and native trees, and will also help preserve the air and water quality in the area.
“An urban forest is just a special little piece of land right in the middle of a city,” said Sara Guice, executive director of LTMCP. “This particular forest land just happened to have a trail meandering through it that is open to the public. It’s a beautiful piece of property.”
According to LTMCP, the land is the only remaining undeveloped tract of mixed pine hardwood forest that extends from the beach to the railroad tracks between the Bay of St. Louis and Biloxi Bay.
Signage pointing to the new Urban Forest, located north of the beach and just east of the Long Beach-Pass Christian city line, have already been set up along Highway 90, guiding the way to nature trails now open to the public to explore from sunrise to sunset.
Those with LTMCP also plan to conduct restoration work sometime next year, getting rid of invasives, such as non-native plants and other living organisms that thrive in areas where they don’t naturally live and can potentially cause economic or environmental harm to human, animal or plant health. There are also plans to put in bathrooms and parking spaces in the area.
While locals, including those with the LTMPC, the City of Long Beach, Harrison County and others in Mississippi, will be responsible for overseeing the Urban Forest, it was a private foundation that made the $1.9 million property purchase possible. LTMCP expressed interest in the property, and the property owner was open to selling the property to the Mississippi non-profit. The deal was finally sealed when a conservation-minded donor, the Angela J Bowen Conservancy Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, located in Olympia, Washington, provided financial support for the purchase of the property by LTMCP.
Listed as a private foundation that acquires and maintains real estate for nature conservancy purposes, this newly-designated Urban Forest in Long Beach isn’t the first time the Angela J Bowen Conservancy Foundation has provided support to fund Mississippi projects. In 2023, the Foundation allocated a combined total of $50,000 to help control feral and domestic populations for wildlife habitat enhancements through the Friends of Animal Shelters in both Hancock and Jackson counties.
