Fall 2002

MISSISSIPPI OUTDOORS MAGAZINE/TV SHOW WIN BIG -Mississippi Outdoors magazine and "Mississippi Outdoors" television show won big in the annual Governor's Conference on Travel and Tourism presented recently by the Mississippi Tourism Association. Mississippi Outdoors magazine won the Tourism Promotion of the Year for its coverage of places to go to have a good time in the Magnolia State. One of the oldest conservation magazines in the Southeast, Mississippi Outdoors was first published in 1938. "Mississippi Outdoors" television show took top honors for the second year in a row in the broadcast category of the Mississippi Travel Media Award. The show is a joint production of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and Educational Television. The travel and tourism awards are presented annually by the Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development in cooperation with the Governor's Office, and the Mississippi Tourism Association. "These awards are the results of a small but dedicated staff who worked tirelessly to make these programs excecptional," agency spokesman James Walker said. "It's a privilege to be recognized by this prestigious group."

USFWS Director EMPHASIZES FISHERIES - New U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Director Steve Williams said that fisheries will be high priority for his office at a recent conference call with reporters about the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council's (SFBPC) new report, "Partnership Agenda for Fisheries Conservation." Williams said that the USFWS will reconnect with its hunting and fishing constituency. These people are among the most avid conservationists. He said he wants USFWS to work with state agencies to celebrate hunters and anglers, without apologies, because these are appropriate activities based on scientific information. He will reemphasize the role of recreational angling, without detracting from the service's responsibilities for threatened and endangered species. Of the 22 priorities identified in the report, Williams said he will take a personal interest in stakeholder involvement, support for recreational angling, and accountability. Cathy Short, assistant director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, said that strategic planning for USFWS fisheries programs will have three phases: developing a strategic vision based in the SFBPC report; developing communication, outreach, and partnerships; and forming an implementation plan including details on the time and resources needed.

EPA REPORTS GULF MOST TROUBLED OF U.S. WATERS -According to a recent report, the Gulf of Mexico is in worse shape than any of the country's coastal areas. Wetlands loss, toxic contamination of commercial fish, areas with dangerously low levels of oxygen and toxic contamination of sediments are among the Gulf's biggest problems, according to the National Coastal Condition Report. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found nearlyas many problems in the country's other bodies of water. "Existing data show that the overall condition of the u.s. coastal waters is fair to poor, varying from region to region and that 44 percent of estuarine areas in the U.S. are impaired for human use or aquatic life use," the report says. The report was designed to be used by scientists, policy-makers and the public in deciding how to protect coastal resources as a benchmark in determining the progress of coastal management programs, according to a fact sheet issued by the EPA. Dale Givens, secretary of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, said the state is a member of a federal task force that has recommended reducing the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers used by farmers and similar nutrients produced by industry and sewage-treatment systems along the Mississippi as a way of dealing with the dead rone. The EPA report relies largely on data collected during the past 10 years by federal agencies and includes data collected by individual states, said Jim Harvey, a biologist with the agency's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Harvey said the report will be used as a base to compare with future reports. "You'll be able to tell with a high degree of certainty if things are getting better or worse," he said.

CORPS PROJECTS SUSPENDED -The u.s. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is suspending work on about 150 water projects to review the economics used to justify them, in response to criticism of Corps analysis. Major General Robert H. Griffin, Director of the USACE Civil Works Program, announced that the Corps will immediately "pause" work on billions of dollars worth of active public works projects that are not yet under construction. Griffin said any project with a pre 1999 economic analysis will need new analysis before it can proceed. USACE will also review newer projects where questions about economics, engineering or the environment "may have resulted in significant changes in project justifications or support."

CHUNKY RIVER ELIGIBLE FOR SCENIC DESIGNATION -Meridian-area Mississippi Power employees worked with State Senator Terry C. Burton and State Representative Billy Nicholson over the past year to nominate the Chunky River as a candidate for the Mississippi Scenic Stream Stewardship program. This volun- tary stewardship plan incorporates agreements with individual landowners to create a connected "patchwork" of protective buffer zones along the length of a river or stream. "Our employees had already adopted the Chunky under an Adopt-A-Stream program sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and theMississippi Wildlife Federation," said Kurt Brautigan, MPC spokesman. "They felt the Scenic Stream designation would be an appropriate next step. With the help of leg- islators, they were successful in getting a bill passed that made the Chunky eligible." Before a nomination is submitted, a public meeting is held in the vicinity of the river or stream during which neighbors, landowners and others concerned can comment on the proposal. The actual nomination is filed as a bill and must then be adopted by the Legislature. Once a stream or river is nominated for the program, a landowner-based stewardship plan is created to help maintain water quality by keeping banks in good condition and preventing harmful sedimentation. The Chunky River, located west and south of Meridian, is the location of Dunn's Falls, a 65-foot waterfall once used as power for a gristmill. It is also the site where John B. Stetson learned the trade of hat making.

BIOLOGIST To LEAD WETLANDS GROUP -A University of Mississippi biologist has been elected to lead a regional wet-lands research group. Majorie Holland is the new president of the South Central Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists. Holland is the director of Ole Miss' Field Station and Center for Water and Wetland Resources in Oxford. The society is a non- profit organization that promotes research and exchange of information about wetlands, natural systems considered important to water quality and as habitat for diverse wildlife.

KING Named DEPUTY IN FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE - Mitch King has been named the new deputy regional direc- tor for the Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Atlanta. King is a 25-year veteran of the agency. He is a gradu- ate of the University of Tennessee and began his career with the Service in 1977, as a biologist stationed at Vicksburg, working on wetland issues in the Mississippi River Valley. He has since worked for the service in Cookeville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; Denver, Colorado; Bozeman, Montana; and Brunswick, Georgia. His responsibilities have ranged from the preservation and restoration of wetlands, working with Congress on Farm Bill legislation, the implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, providing wildlife man- agement assistance on an Indian Reservation in Montana, resource planning and budget management on National Wildlife Refuges to carrying out the responsibilities of the Endangered Species Act. King has completed a nine-month assignment as the acting chief of the Southeast Region's National Wildlife Refuge System. King replaces Dale Hall, who left the Southeast to become regional director for the Southwest Region.

EFFORTS Continuing TO MONITOR CWD - Officials are continuing efforts to monitor and begin pro-active measures to prevent the occurrence of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Mississippi. Recently, officials with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Mississippi Board of Animal Health returned from meeting in Wisconsin with wildlife and agriculture scientists who are actively implementing aggressive measures to control and eradicate CWD there. "It is crucial that Mississippi implement a plan that will monitor the state's free-ranging and captive cervid populations," according to Dr. Jim Watson, state veterinarian with the Board of Animal Health. Cervids are members of the deer family. This includes white-tailed deer, elk, and red deer. CWD is one of a group of dis- eases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). TSE diseases causes degeneration of the brain and is ultimately fatal to infected animals. Diseased animals will show changes in their natural behavior, exhibit excessive weight loss, salivation, stumbling and tremors. Public health officials have found no link between CWD and TSE diseases in humans. Officials caution hunters and others to take precautions with field dressing and disposing of deer carcasses from areas in the United States where CWD is known to exist. CWD has not been diagnosed in Mississippi. The primary potential for disease introduction seems to be from the importation intQ Mississippi of an infected animal. "Preparations are being made to develop a CWD surveillance and monitoring plan for these cervids in Mississippi," State Whitetail Deer Coordinator Larry Castle said. Castle said that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources banned all supplemental feeding and baiting of deer as a preventive measure to control the further spread of CWD in Wisconsin. As a result of the CWD issue, the Board of Animal Health has enacted an emergency ruling that imposes a moratorium on the importation and intrastate movement of all deer and elk. This emergency rule will be in effect for 120 days after which agriculture and wildlife officials will be prepared to enact a joint state CWD monitoring and response plan. CWD has been found in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, New Mexico and in the Canadian Provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.