Relocation to Restoration: Community-led relocation planning and habitat restoration in the Mississippi Sound

The Cherokee Forest is a small subdivision of approximately 130 parcels located in a high risk flood zone and situated at the edge of Pascagoula’s industrial corridor. Many residents came together in 2013 to form Cherokee Concerned Citizens (CCC) and organize for a buyout.

Buy-in began working with the CCC in 2022 to initiate efforts to explore voluntary buyout programs for residents. We conducted a household survey to determine how many residents are interested in a buyout and determine preliminary costs.

The survey indicated that 90% of Cherokee Forest residents are either interested in a buyout or seek more information about it, with 74% expressing a desire to relocate as soon as possible.

In March 2024, Buy-In secured a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to implement the first of its kind community-led planning process to develop a plan to relocate willing residents of Cherokee Forest and convert their property into a blue/green buffer. Given the personal connections and responsibilities with the town and its businesses, Cherokee Forest residents envision restoring the land back into marsh and forest in order to protect the other homes from industrial emissions, flooding, and storm surge.

The project is currently in the planning and capacity-building phase, with a focus on inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement to identify shared priorities and win-win outcomes, maximizing public health and environmental benefits for Jackson County residents. This project demonstrates how managed retreat can be more than just a crisis response—it can be a pathway toward restoring health and habitat.

Thanks to the support of our diverse team of community leaders and experts, we are confident that we will create a robust strategy for relocation and restoration. For more information about this project and ways you can get involved, please contact Jennifer Crosslin at jennifer@betterbuyout.com

Project Partners

Steering Committee: Buy-in and Cherokee Concerned Citizens

Technical Delivery Partners

  • ONE Architecture and Urbanism

  • Climate Resilience Consulting

Technical Advisory Panel (TAP)

  • Andrew Whitehurst, Water Program Director, Healthy Gulf

  • John Ben Soileau, Program Officer, National Academy of Sciences

  • Dr. Katharine Duderstadt, Research Scientists, University of New Hampshire

  • Caroline Frischmon, Graduate Student Researchers, University of Colorado

  • Dr. Jennifer Baka, Associate Professor of Geography, Penn State University

  • David Perkes, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Community Design Studio

  • Stephen Deal, Extension Specialist, MS-AL Sea Grant

  • Dr. Jennifer Debose, Research Coordinator, Grand Bay NERR

  • Renee Collini, Director of Community Resilience Center, Water Institute

  • Dr. Abbey Hotard, Associate Professor, University of South Alabama

  • Emily Monroe, Anthropocene Alliance

TAP members visit Cherokee Forest in February 2025.