Secretary of State presents tidelands check and pays tribute to past leadership

It was a big day for the Tidelands Trust Fund as the Secretary of State presented this year’s funds and paid tribute to past leadership.

Secretary of State Michael Watson started the day by presenting a check for $11.4 million to be split along the lower three coastal counties.

These funds will be used for preserving land and enriching human life through nature.

After presenting the check, Watson and previous secretaries of state headed to Indian Point Parkway where land was named the Eric Clark Coastal Preserve.

Eric Clark served as secretary of state between 1996 and 2008. During this time, he was able to gather over 16,000 acres of endangered Coastal wetlands and Deer Island.

The Tidelands originally set out to own 83,000 acres and is now halfway to that goal. Clark said, “I think generationally, okay, I think what’s the world going to be like when our grandchildren’s grandchildren are going to be here and what can we do to make it better when our grandchildren’s grandchildren are going to be here. The Coast is going to develop, but it’s not necessarily the case that there will be place for folks to go enjoy and folks to see nature.”

Watson said, “It’s great to see events like this that are highlighting the work that Secretary Clark did, that my predecessor, Secretary Hosemann, and now our office of making sure that Mississippians have this great land to come out and enjoy with their children, to camp, to walk, to hike, to do whatever they may see fit.”

The Tidelands Funds will be used for things like pier repairs, riverfront enhancement, and trail improvements.