Hog Creek

The Hog Creek test site is in the Fannye A. Cooke Natural Area (FACNA) managed by Wildlife Mississippi with restricted access. Wildlife Mississippi for 2022 currently has granted permission only to Will McDearman with Pearl Riverkeepers (PRK) for access and testing. Wildlife Mississippi in the future may entertain requests for permission to other PRK volunteers, but that future point has not yet been reached. Coordination with Libby Hartfield, Wildlife Mississippi Education Coordinator, is essential to understand when conditions may be appropriate for additional requests to James Cummins, Executive Director. Access requires the gate padlock combination at the main gate and one additional side gate. The main gate is located on Liberty Road 0.34 miles from the intersection of Lakeland Drive. On Liberty Road from Lakeland Drive, turn left onto gravel drive to the gate. Unlock padlock with the combination, pass, and lock the main gate before continuing. On gravel road continue 0.36 miles to the first road on the left with gate. Unlock padlock on gate, pass, and relock the gate. Proceed down gravel road that, at 0.63 miles, curves to the right and will pass a gravel parking area on the right. The road will then curve to the left and descend to a lower Pearl River floodplain terrace. Cross a drainage over roadfill with metal culverts and continue. At 1.08 miles from the side gate entrance there is a second tributary crossing under roadfill with two metal culverts that is the Hog Creek watershed tributary test site and access to the Pearl River FACNA test site. Continue down gravel-dirt track 0.65 miles to end of road and parking at Hog Creek test site. Walk upstream through open woods along and near the right downstream bank about 500 feet to descend the bank to a small point bar in creek bendway for creek access and testing.