JACKSON – Habitat improvements on John Bell Williams and Tuscumbia Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) are expected to help resident and migratory birds. Tuscumbia WMA has approximately 2,000 acres of wetland habitat and is located in Alcorn County. John Bell Williams WMA is a 2,930-acre tract of bottomland and upland hardwood forest located in Prentiss County.

Tuscumbia WMA is divided into two units. Unit One is primarily marsh wetland with sparse cypress, Tupelo gum, and willow as the dominant tree species. Unit Two consists of 258 acres of managed waterfowl impoundments, patches of bottomland and upland forest, and old fields. In July and August 2015, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks managers cleared approximately 15 acres within designated waterfowl impoundments to provide additional open habitat for wintering waterfowl and other wetland-dependent migratory birds. Since 2010, approximately 35 acres of openings have been created within waterfowl impoundments on Tuscumbia WMA. These openings are managed for moist-soil vegetation and planted in millet to increase waterfowl food abundance.

After a tornado impacted 500 acres of forest at John Bell Williams WMA in 2014, MDWFP managers seized the opportunity to improve habitat, particularly for wild turkey. Work began in conjunction with the timber salvage operation. With funding from the National Wild Turkey Federation, 5 miles of permanent firelanes were installed in June 2015. Twenty-one acres of permanently managed wildlife openings and expanded road rights-of-way were also created. Future controlled burns coupled with improved nesting and brood habitat within new wildlife openings should benefit Eastern wild turkeys and a host of other wildlife.

For more information regarding wildlife management areas in Mississippi, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com/wma or call us at (601) 432-2199. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDWFPonline.