In October 2018, representatives from the Piney Woods Conservation Group joined several of their partners at the Highway 42 boat ramp at Chain Park in Hattiesburg to unveil Phase 1 of the Pinebelt Blueways, a 10.8-mile route that offered options for canoeing, kayaking, or tubing on the Leaf River from Jones County to Forrest County.
Officials gathered at that site again on May 25 to announce the completion of Phases 2 through 5 of the project, which extends that pathway by 41.5 miles on the Leaf and Bouie rivers. The Pinebelt Blueways now runs a total of 52.3 miles, stretching from Jones County to Perry County with numerous routes and boat ramps located along the way.
“The waterways of Hattiesburg - whether that’s the Leaf and Bouie rivers, Gordons Creek or Burkett’s Creek - have been some of the most underutilized (resources) in our city, but that will not be the case going forward,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “We know that part of your 1 percent recreation tax will … help to continue adding spots where people can get out and enjoy the waterways that we have here in the Hattiesburg area.
“Similar to where we stood last week with (the trail extension) at Duncan Lake, when people step forward and get involved, when people express interest and put their own sweat behind it, a lot of good things can happen. So we look forward to the day where Hattiesburg - in addition to all the other reasons people come here to visit - (people) will also come in droves to explore the waterways and to really tap every resource that we have here in our great city.”
The Upper Bouie Route of the Pinebelt Blueways is 5.7 miles long and runs down U.S. 49 past Rawls Springs toward Hattiesburg, while the Lower Bouie Route is 7.8 miles long and runs in the direction of downtown Hattiesburg. The 10.8-mile Upper Leaf Route runs south of Laurel into Petal.
The Middle Leaf Route is 9.6 miles long and runs south of Petal and connects to the 18.4-mile-long Lower Leaf Route, which runs to New Augusta.
Access points on the Pinebelt Blueways include but are not limited to north of Rawls Springs on U.S. 49; Pep’s Point Road; Monroe Road and Church Street off Exit 73; the Highway 42 Bypass south of Evelyn Gandy Parkway; Glendale Avenue; Sims Road; and Buck Creek Road.
“Let me just say that this site is of significant historical and geological significance,” Forrest County District 5 Supervisor Chris Bowen said. “The confluence of the Leaf and Bouie rivers right here, to create the Leaf to go down the stream, this is a dendritic drainage path.
“It all flows down to the Pascagoula River, which is at the bottom, so the way we treat this river is going to be directly proportional to the shrimp that we eat when we get home in the evenings. So we need to treat this river like gold."
Several signs and mile markers along the Pinebelt Blueways help keep visitors on course and educate them about the natural habitats and wildlife along the route. The water current flows south and includes several sandbars along the way.
Vegetation along the path includes river birch, bald cypress, cardinal flower, spruce pine and river oak. Wildlife that can be seen along the blueway includes wall-tail kites, water moccasins, pearl darters, bald eagles and yellow-blotched sawback turtles.
“For those of you who know, the gulf sturgeon swims upstream during frontage events … and spawns right here at the lowhead dam at Hercules and the Bouie River,” Bowen said. “That fish is enjoying time up here because they dug out those big gravel pits that shouldn’t be there - you shouldn’t have gravel pits in the streams - except that creates a cold-water environment.
“So this is an endangered species - one of the few federally endangered species - that inhabits this system. So that’s one reason we don’t have a huge dam in here, but we have one of the last free-flowing river systems in the United States, and that’s something to be proud of."
The Piney Woods Conservation Group, which developed the Pinebelt Blueways, is a nonprofit conservation organization that is dedicated to conserving, promoting and protecting the open spaces and green places of environmental or scenic significance in Forrest, Lamar, Perry, Jones and Covington counties. For more information on the blueway or the organization, visit www.pinebeltblueways.com.
“This is significant here,” said Tony Smith, environmental affairs manager for Mississippi Power, which is part of the Piney Woods Conservation Group. “I’ve been a part of this group since its inception, and this would not have happened without the hard work and the enthusiasm of our partners.
“So enjoy this; it’s great to get out and participate in it. If you don’t know how to kayak or canoe … I encourage you to do that."
