MDOT officials made a visit to the area which is being created as the largest urban natural area in the state. On Thursday, November 10, staff from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), were given a tour of the Fannye Cook Natural Area/Pearl River Basin Mitigation Bank in Rankin County. As MDOT cannot legally own a mitigation property/bank in perpetuity, the property was deeded to Wildlife Mississippi, a nonprofit conservation organization. Wildlife Mississippi is combining the Pearl River Mitigation Bank property with other properties it is acquiring to create the Fannye Cook Natural Area. The Fannye Cooke Natural Area will be the largest urban natural area in the state and will be three times larger than Central Park in New York City.

Source: Washington Post November 22, 2022 21:10 UTC