Sky Lake NAWCA

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission recently approved Delta Wind Birds’ Sky Lake Property Acquisition proposal. Delta Wind Birds is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting migratory bird habitat through partnerships with private landowners with a focus on shorebirds (“wind birds”) in the Mississippi Delta. Upon completion, this effort will protect a 13.7-acre tract in perpetuity through donation of a conservation easement, to be held by the Mississippi Land Trust, a nonprofit that works with willing private landowners to preserve Mississippi’s natural habitats through conservation easements. 

Sky Lake Paddling Trail, photo by Sky Lake Mississippi

The LMVJV fully supports this project, as it will contribute—disproportionately greater than its acre footprint—to the conservation value and public access status of Sky Lake, a National Historic Site in the heart of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Sky Lake is an oxbow lake in the alluvial plain that provides excellent natural stopover habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds, and nesting habitat for various wetland birds. The project will acquire a tract on the western lake margin near the midpoint of Sky Lake. Shoreline wetlands and associated uplands will be protected in perpetuity through a conservation easement, preserving valuable habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and songbirds. Shoreline wetlands would be enhanced through placement of nest boxes for Prothonotary Warblers and Wood Ducks. 

Public access will be facilitated for viewing the main body of the lake where shorebirds and wading birds typically congregate. As such, the project will preserve and enhance valuable wetland and associated upland habitats, while affording important educational and recreational opportunities for Mississippi residents. These accomplishments will contribute to achieving the goals of the LMVJV.