Biodiversity Profile

Polygala lutea

Orange Candy Root or Orange Milkwort

The roots of this low-growing plant smell like wintergreen candy when lightly scraped. Some of the most brilliantly-colored flowers of the reserve, these flowers are hot orange in color and bloom throughout the spring, summer and fall in the pine savanna habitats of the reserve. They can often be seen blooming along the edges of the ditches that run adjacent to the roads. Because of their resemblance to a popular snack, they are sometimes referred to as "bog Cheetos," but don't eat them!

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This project is funded by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources in part through a grant provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management

The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), established in 1999, is managed through a unique local, state and federal partnership designed to promote estuarine research and education within Mississippi's Coastal Zone and its adjacent ecosystems. The major partners of the GNDNERR include the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office, Mississippi State University, The Nature Conservancy, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Southern Mississippi. Additionally, a Citizens Advisory Committee has been established to assure that the concerns of the local citizens are adequately addressed by the Management Board.

View a short video contrasting selected habitats of the reserve before and after Hurricane Katrina

 

 

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© 2006 Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Under Construction!

Our Green Building Progress To Date--Click on the photo to learn more about the project and to access a photographic timeline.

Announcements

The First Manatees of the Season Have Been Spotted in the Wolf River. Boaters are urged to use caution!

Manatees are large, slow-moving, gentle aquatic mammals that spend most of their time eating, resting and swimming. Manatees are herbivorous, eating only aquatic vegetation, and are capable of consuming up to 15 percent of their body weight each day.

Because these aquatic mammals are air-breathers, they must come up to the surface to breath. Manatees can stay submerged for up to 20 minutes when they are inactive, but on average, they come to the surface every three to five minutes to breathe. When resting, manatees often float just below the surface of the water or on the bottom.

There are many things boaters can do to help protect manatees. Here are a few:

Wear polarized sunglasses so you can see through the water. A swirl and a dark spot in the water could indicate that a manatee is swimming ahead;

Travel in the deeper channels to minimize your chances of encountering a manatee;

If you see a manatee, stay at least 50 feet away and motor at a no-wake speed;

DO NOT FEED OR PROVIDE FRESH WATER TO A MANATEE. Feeding a manatee only encourages it to stay in an area where there may not be enough food to support it;

Please report all Mississippi manatee sightings to jen.buchanan@dmr.ms.gov. Please note the location of the sighting and the length and the condition of the animal whenever possible. Also when you can safely take a picture of the manatee, please try to take a picture of its head and body and any scars that are obvious; and

Manatees in distress should be reported to the Marine Patrol at (228) 523-4134 or the Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 1-888-767-3657 (1-888-SOS-Dolphin) immediately.

Researchers Find New Invasive Species

Grand Bay NERR Researchers recently discovered several INVASIVE adult Nile tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus , during a routine hoopnet sampling trip in one of the Reserve's freshwater marshes. The Nile tilapia is a non-native species of fish that was accidentitally introduced into the waters of the Escatawpa watershed when fish escaped from a nearby aquaculture facility. Unfortunately, the prolific tilapia have proven to be tolerent of South Mississippi's cold winter temperatures as well as our brackish, estuarine water and appear to be thriving. These fish cause problems because they are capable of outcompeteing our native fish for available food resources.