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MSU-supported proposal advances to final round for federal Sentinel Landscape designation

Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”Mississippi is one step closer to a federal Sentinel Landscape designation through the advancement of a proposal developed by the Mississippi Secretary of Stateā€™s Office, Governorā€™s Office of Military Affairs and Ļć½¶Ö±²„ to the final round of consideration.

The East Mississippi Sentinel Landscape proposal outlines a pathway for ensuring rural working lands do not conflict with defense missions at Columbus Air Force Base and the Naval Air Station Meridian.

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership is a joint effort of the U.S. Departments of Defense, Agriculture and the Interior, with the goal to advance sustainable land use practices around military installations and ranges. After the Mississippi delegationā€™s initial expression of interest was approved, the full proposal will be submitted to the Federal Coordinating Committee this fall for final consideration.

The collaboration that led to this outcome has been led by Ļć½¶Ö±²„Associate Vice President for Research Narcisa Pricope in close coordination with the Mississippi Conservation Task Force established by the Secretary of Stateā€™s Office. The proposal benefitted from stakeholder input gathered during the inaugural Pathways to Resilience Summit hosted at Ļć½¶Ö±²„last fall.

ā€œEnvironmental security and national security are fundamentally linked, especially in regions where rural land use and military operations intersect,ā€ Pricope said. ā€œThis proposal reflects a truly collaborative effort to safeguard Mississippiā€™s natural and working landscapes while supporting vital defense missions. Iā€™m proud that Ļć½¶Ö±²„played a central role in convening diverse stakeholders and contributing geospatial expertise to advance this initiative. As we move forward, I look forward to helping shape sustainable land use strategies that enhance resilience and strengthen the regionā€™s strategic importance.ā€

Pricope and Ļć½¶Ö±²„geosciences graduate student Salman Bashit provided data analytics to support the land boundaries and focus areas outlined in the proposal. The anticipated designation area includes forest lands, multiple river basins, tribal lands and agricultural areas.

Key components of the proposal include strategic land use in military buffer zones, conserving habitat and water resources, sustaining agriculture and forestry operations that are compatible with the military training taking place in Meridian and Columbus, as well as coordination efforts to support long-term resilience.

More information on the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership can be found at .

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