Clark Signs Off on Second DeSoto Forest Lands Transfer

Ole Miss has transferred 20,857 acres to U.S. Forest Service

Secretary of State Eric Clark and University of Mississippi Chancellor Robert Khayat have signed a deed transferring 5,127 acres from Ole Miss to the DeSoto National Forest, bringing a total of 20,857 acres added to the Forest in past year.

"This second transfer expands one of the largest remaining areas of longleaf pine in the nation for the people of Mississippi," Clark said.  "It would not have been possible without the hard work and vision of Chancellor Khayat and the leadership at Ole Miss, the U.S. Forest Service, our elected officials in Washington, and the Mississippi Legislature."

University of Mississippi Chancellor Robert Khayat said: "The University of Mississippi is pleased that the Forest Service has assumed responsibility for this valuable asset. With the help of state and federal leaders, the University now is able to have a consistent stream of income for improving building and grounds on the Oxford campus."

As Secretary of State, Clark serves as state Land Commissioner and must sign off on the transfer of state lands. Last August, Clark and Khayat signed an agreement transferring 15,730 acres to the DeSoto National Forest in south Mississippi.

Congress has appropriated $35 million for the two parcels of forest purchased. Management of the new lands in the DeSoto National Forest is the subject of an agreement signed by the U.S. Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy, and Friends of the Forest, a group of local Mississippians. The agreement is the first of its kind in the country, according to the U.S.  Forest Service, and will ensure that the unique qualities of the land and its species will be preserved.

The DeSoto National Forest includes parts of Lamar, Forrest, Perry, Greene, Stone, Harrison, and Jackson counties.

PRESS CONTACTS

• Chancellor Robert Khayat, The University of Mississippi
  (Contact Andy Mullins, 662-915-7064; 662-816-0021)

PRESS NOTES

Mississippi House Bill No. 1041 (1998 Mississippi Legislature). Sponsors: Perry, Gadd, Grist, Guice, McBride, Morris, Read, Reynolds, Williams, Barnett (92^nd)