Pearl River

This Pearl River test site is in the Fannye 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. Park on the side of the gravel road or park in a grassy open area on the right before crossing the tributary. The tributary site passing under the roadfill is the Hog Creek watershed tributary test site. From the grassy opening, the Pearl River test site is accessed by walking through the woods near the right downstream tributary bank to a bar on the Pearl River. From the grassy open area on the right side of the road and woodline in direction of the river, walk about 100 feet into woodland, and turn left to drop into a lower tributary floodplain terrace. Continue through woods along terrace near the tributary and to where the creek meanders northward to a steep bank. Continue for a short distance on top of bank through woods and then onto the bar along the Pearl River upstream of the confluence with the tributary. Depending on river stage, the bar can be a small sand bank or a larger sandbar. The site is not accessible during high water or flooding.