Barbour Appoints Clark To Migratory Bird Commission: Governor Haley Barbour has appointed Dr. Jeff Clark of Brookhaven to represent Mississippi on the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. Dr. Clark is an avid duck hunter and immediate past-president of Wildlife Mississippi. He is married, has two children and is employed by Brookhaven Urology. The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission was established on February 18, 1929 by the passage of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act. It was created and authorized to consider and approve any areas of land and/or water recommended by the Secretary of the Interior for purchase or rental by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Act, and to fix the price or prices at which such areas may be purchased or rented. In addition to approving purchase and rental prices, the Commission considers the establishment of new waterfowl refuges. The staff support for the Commission is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Realty. Members of the Commission are: Chairman, Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior; Thad Cochran, Senator from Mississippi; Blanche Lincoln, Senator from Arkansas; John D. Dingell, Representative from Michigan; Curt Weldon, Representative from Pennsylvania; Mike Johanns, Secretary of Agriculture; Steve Johnson, Acting Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; and Secretary, A. Eric Alvarez, Chief, Division of Realty, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Senator Lincoln was recently appointed to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. She replaced Senator Breaux from Louisiana who had served on the Commission since April 17, 1996. Dr. Clark will serve as an ex-officio member of the Commission to consider and vote on all questions relating to acquisition of areas in Mississippi. Since the Commission's establishment, over 4 million acres have been acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by fee purchase, easement or lease with monies from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. These funds are allocated at the Secretary's discretion as delegated to the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fund provides the Department of the Interior with financing for the acquisition of migratory bird habitat. There are four major sources for money for the Fund. The most well-known source is the revenue received from the sale of Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as Duck Stamps, as provided for under the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act of March 18, 1934, as amended.

Wildlife Mississippi Testifies Before House Forest Subcommittee: On February 17, 2005, at 11:00 A.M., James L. Cummins, Executive Director of Wildlife Mississippi testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee On Forests and Forests Health on the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, specifically the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP). Cummins stated that in the Southeast, healthy forests comprise more than just forest management and fire prevention on public lands. Nationwide, public forests comprise 42 percent of our land mass and private forests comprise 58 percent. Private forests provide 89 percent of our nation's timber harvest. The South alone provides 60 percent of the nation's timber, making it the largest producer of timber compared to any country in the world. It is estimated that private lands provide habitat for 90 percent of our Nation's listed species. The South has the largest percentage of listed species in the nation. Eight of the top ten states/territories with the most listings are in the South; they include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Puerto Rico. There are many rare forest ecosystems that exist largely on private lands and they require financial incentives for their restoration. The states with the greatest forest ecosystem loss are Florida, California, Hawaii, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama and Tennessee. This list almost mirrors that of the states with the most listed species. For Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006, it was suggested that $25 million be incorporated in the President's Budget for a pilot HFRP project. The pilot would have focused on recovering the gopher tortoise in the longleaf pine ecosystem. Cummins concluded his remarks by stating, “I and many other conservation organizations were very disappointed to learn that no funds were included for the HFRP in the President's Budget in either year. I would like to request that this Subcommittee support at least a pilot program. You might consider one on private lands around military bases to assist in recovering species that impair training operations while also reducing base encroachment.” The following day the Subcommittee sent a request to the House Appropriations Committee requesting funding.

Heard Receives RNRF Award: Mississippian L. Pete Heard has received the 2004 Sustained Achievement Award from the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. Heard was selected for the award in part because of his 50-year career devoted to modern conservation. Earlier in his career, Heard served for several years as a conservation officer in Holmes County with the Mississippi Game and Fish Commission. Later, he joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

State's First Gemstone Found: Opal, a precious gemstone, was found recently in Claiborne County by geologists with the state Department of Environmental Quality. The gemstone found in Mississippi is being compared in quality to a formation in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, near the Texas border that yielded opal once sold to Tiffany's in New York. The new opal was on display in February at the annual show of the Gem and Mineral Society in Jackson.

MSU White-tailed Deer Research Receives National Recognition: Though nearly annihilated in the Southeast during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, white-tailed deer populations have rebounded thanks to highly successful recovery programs. A Mississippi State University (MSU) research report examining genetic effects of the recovery programs is earning the top publication award of The Wildlife Society, an international non-profit organization based in Bethesda, Maryland. Written by former university doctoral student Randall W. “Randy” DeYoung of Kingsville, Texas, Genetic Consequences of White-Tailed Deer Restoration in Mississippi recently was selected for the society's 2004 Wildlife Publication Award. The report was published last year in the scientific journal Molecular Ecology. DeYoung collaborated on the research and its publication with MSU professor of wildlife and fisheries Steve Demarais and former biology professor Alex Rooney. A doctor of philosophy graduate in forest resources, DeYoung now works at Texas A&M University. Founded in 1997, The Wildlife Society is a non-profit scientific and educational association of more than 9,000 members in more than 60 countries. The organization's publication awards recognize scientific writings characterized by research originality and high scholastic standards. “Randy is the first to successfully document reproductive success in wild populations of white-tailed deer,” Demarais said. “His work will aid other researchers' understanding of management effectiveness of white-tailed deer populations throughout North America.” Demarais said recovery programs implemented in the early 1900s included protection of native stock and transplants from other parts of the species' range. “Deer populations rebounded rapidly after these efforts and deer presently occur in all parts of their former range,” he explained. While white-tailed deer restoration may be one of the nation's most successful conservation efforts, he added that conservation on such a large scale may have effects on patterns of genetic variation in restored populations. Dave Godwin, research coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, also stressed the importance of DeYoung's work. “While the reproductive success of a balanced deer herd previously was attributed to a few dominant bucks, DeYoung's investigation shows that a much larger number of bucks across all age classes are involved in fathering fawns,” Godwin said. “For conservationists, it is significant to know that restored populations maintain a high and uniform genetic variability,” he added. For more information about the white tailed deer study, contact Steve Demarais at (662) 325-2618.

Fly Fishing Added To State Fish Records: Anglers catching large fish using fly fishing gear are recognized in a new record fish category of their own. “All fish entered in this new category must be caught using a fly rod, fly reel loaded with fly line and legally hooked with any artificial fly,” biologist Tom Holman said. Holman said the new record fish category was designed due to the number of responses from fly fishing anglers in Mississippi. For more information on other rules that apply in the fly fishing record fish category, contact the fisheries division of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks at (601) 432-2400, or visit the agency’s web site at www.mdwfp.com.

Record Longnose Gar Caught: It's official. A Grenada County man now holds the state record for the largest longnose gar caught in Mississippi. J. E. Bennett of Grenada caught a 40-pound longnose gar on January 16 at the outlet channel of Grenada Lake. The huge fish measured 64 inches long with a girth of 22 inches. Bennett used spinning gear to land the big gar. His lure was a crappie jig tied to 12-pound test monofilament line.

NOAA Unveils New Mission For Saltwater Fisheries: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) unveiled the agency's new vision for saltwater recreational fisheries at two major sportfishing venues, the Miami Boat Show and the American Sportfishing Association/Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show. The effort is part of NOAA's plan to revitalize the recreational fisheries program. Over the past year agency staff met with anglers from across the country to jointly develop a plan for the program and a shared vision for its success. The result is the NOAA Recreational Fisheries Strategic Plan. This plan demonstrates a renewed commitment to serving America's 13 million anglers by ensuring healthy, sustainable fisheries for generations to come. The plan is available for downloading by clicking the “Constituent Services” tab on www.nmfs.noaa.gov. Questions can be directed to Forbes Darby, National Recreational Fisheries Coordinator at forbes.darby@noaa.gov.

Effort Underway To Boost Aquatic Resources Trust Fund: In February, Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Trent Lott (R-MS) introduced legislation to restructure the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, which distributes federal funds to state fish and wildlife agencies for boating and fishing programs. The bill would consolidate the fund’s receipts and distribute them according to a simpler and more equitable formula supported by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and a coalition of 33 other fishing and boating organizations. Kohl and Lott also introduced a second bill that would recover approximately $110 million per year of excise taxes currently being paid by anglers and boaters. Under current law, only 13.5 cents per gallon is sent to the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, which is only a portion of the 18.3 cents per gallon that is collected on motorboat and small engine fuels. Restoring the remaining excise taxes will significantly boost funding for important programs under the Sport Fish Restoration Act, such as fisheries monitoring; habitat conservation and restoration; fishing and boating access facilities such as docks, piers and boat ramps; and education and safety programs for anglers and boaters. “The legislation Senator Kohl and Senator Lott introduced would add $110 million annually to the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, which will mean at least an additional $1.1 million for each state's fishing and boating programs each year,” said Mike Nussman, ASA's president and CEO. “These funds will greatly enhance the states' ability to provide essential services to the angling and boating public.” The Sport Fish Restoration Act set up the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund as the collection point for motor boat fuel taxes and other excise taxes on fishing gear. Although the fund amounts to about $450 million per year, which is ultimately parceled to state fish and wildlife agencies as a primary source of their overall funding. For more than 10 years, only a portion of anglers and boaters' federal motor boat fuel taxes have been directed to the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, a user-pay fund that provides revenues for fishing and boating programs across the nation. “The fishing and boating community is extremely pleased that Senators Kohl and Lott have joined forces to introduce this legislation,” said Gordon Robertson, ASA's vice president. “This is a great example of how partnerships in the conservation arena can and do work.”