Mississippi native receives presidential appointment to the North American Wetland Conservation Council

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - President Joe Biden’s Administration appointed a Mississippi native to work on the North American Wetlands Conservation Council and help preserve America’s wetlands.

“Never in a million years did I think, you know, time in a duck blind, time in a boat, time with my dad would have resulted in what we see today,” Alex Littlejohn said.

Mississippi is known for its vast bio-diversity and abundant natural wetlands that outdoorsmen from all over the country come to explore. Alex Littlejohn is one of those sportsmen.

“It was just an easy thing for my dad to pack me up in the jeep, and off to the delta we went for deer hunting. We fished; we did, you know, we did it all, but I don’t know. I always felt a connection to duck hunting,” Littlejohn said.

Now, the Oxford native and Mississippi State alum will help protect those wetlands.

“U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through NAWCC issues two grant cycles every year. They call a small grant a larger grant, and through those grant cycles, projects are awarded that look to protect or restore vital wetland habitats,” Littlejohn explained.

For several years, Littlejohn has been the State Director of the Nature Conservancy, where he’s helped protect and preserve Mississippi’s diverse wetlands. With his appointment to the Conservation Council, he’ll be covering habitats all over the country.

“NAWCC plays a very large role and likely has been one of the most successful programs ever enacted by Congress or conservation. They’ve had a $6 billion impact through NAWCC. That’s real money and 31 million acres impacted, enhanced, restored, or protected,” Littlejohn said.

Littlejohn said it’s an overwhelming honor to represent Mississippi in such a way, and he hopes he can leave a lasting impact for those who enjoy the outdoors.

“If the appointment does shed light on the impact that you can have, as a kid from Mississippi, then I’ll take great pride in that. At the end of the day, I just consider myself a kid from North Mississippi that that is just living a dream, and absolutely having a ball doing it and enjoying it every step of the way,” Littlejohn said.

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