NATCHEZ — A group of local residents want to maintain the Natchez bluffs as the city’s “jewel,” and a sizable gift is helping them do just that.

Keep Natchez-Adams County Beautiful recently received a $5,000 grant from waste disposal company Waste Management, Inc.

The grant will go toward cleaning up the area along and under the bluff and prevent further littering, Keep Natchez-Adams County Beautiful President Janet Sullivan said.

“People are throwing paper and boxes over the bluff and leave trash when they eat,” Sullivan said.

The grant will help pay for more than just picking up trash, she said.

“We can concentrate on trash cans that people won’t be able to steal, and we will probably put some (surveillance) cameras at strategic places,” she said.

The group will work with the city’s public works department to clean up under the bluff, Sullivan said.

They’ll probably wait to get into full swing until later in the year, when it’s cooler, she said.

“We’re sort of waiting for the snakes to clear out (from under the bluffs),” Sullivan said. “We don’t want to endanger anyone.”

Natchez and Vicksburg were the only two cities in the state to get such a grant, said Stephanie Hutchins, group member and chair of the board of directors for Keep Mississippi Beautiful.

“This is probably one of the largest (grants) we’ve ever had,” Hutchins said. “It’ll cover all phases of this project.”

The group chose the bluff area because of its draw and beauty, she said.

“It’s one of the most unique areas along the river,” Hutchins said. “Anybody who comes to Natchez is going to spend some time on the bluff. That’s our entrance to the city. It’s our crown jewel, in my opinion, and we want it to be as beautiful as it can be.”