Georgia-Pacific Monticello LLC

About the Program
The Monticello Mill is owned and operated by Georgia-Pacific. The 2,200-acre site is located in Monticello, Mississippi, approximately 50 kilometers south of Jackson. The site includes several native habitats such as loblolly forest, natural wetland areas and riparian corridors along the Pearl River, which borders the site and runs to the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to these natural features, several grassy areas and man-made ponds also provide habitat area, and they are frequented by a variety of species, such as alligators, white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. In order to encourage the health of these vital native species, the team monitors their populations and ensures that the habitat stays intact while engaging in community outreach and employee engagement around their conservation projects. 

Practices and Impacts

• Since 1996, the team has maintained a wetland area in order to provide key habitat for a wide variety of species. As one manner of monitoring the health of these water bodies, the team tracks the population of alligators present in the wetlands, They’ve observed stable alligator populations throughout the years, indicating a healthy wetland habitat. The team also also created a sump pump system to manage the flow of water on-site and have closed disposal sites to manage any pollution seeping potential.  
• In order to encourage the presence of native white-tailed deer on the site, the team maintains food plots with grain for deer to forage on. The site also encompasses prime deer habitat, such as the loblolly forests. Deer are hunted in order to give terminally ill children an opportunity to partake in a fulfilling outdoor experience.
• The team monitors the presence of alligators on the site in order to maintain the safety of the Georgia-Pacific personnel and to evaluate the health of the alligator population. The alligators are provided habitat by the natural and anthropogenic wetland areas on the site.
• Non-native wild boars destroy landscapes by rooting through the ground as they forage, and they compete with native species for food. In order to lower their impact on the on-site habitat, the team uses a remote-controlled pen to trap and remove tens of boars each year. The team has observed a sharp decrease in rooting and the damage to the site's levees and have successfully trapped a large portion of the wild boar population. 
• Among the many native birds present on site, wild turkeys roam the area and utilize edge habitats for foraging. The team monitors these wild turkey populations to periodically determine whether there are threats to their population, such as increased competition from invasive wild boar.