Winter/Spring 2000

Conservation News

JENNINGS Named ENFORCEMENT CHIEF - T.J. Jennings was recently confirmed as the new chief of law enforcement for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Jennings, 52, of Louisville, replaces Randall Miller of Ripley, who has been confirmed as the new District 1 (Tupelo) administrator. Jennings has 24 years of service with the state agency, all in law enforcement. According to Jennings, "I started out as a conservation officer in Winston County for 10 years and then was chief investigator for the agency for 10 years. The last four, I have been the training director for the agency." As head of investigations and covert operations, Jennings excelled. His investigators made 1,115 cases in 10 years, and all but 13 were successfully prosecuted. Jennings always stressed thoroughness with his officers. "We had audio and video tapes of very case we made," continued Jennings. "We were always very thorough, and you have to be to get that kind of conviction rate [over 99 percent]. Jennings has been promoted to the position of colonel and takes over a department of the agency that has 335 field officers. "I came up through the ranks, and I have a great respect for the work that our field officers do," he said. "When I joined this agency, this state didn't have the abundant wildlife that we have and enjoy now, and I think that our conservation officers deserve more credit for that than they've gotten." Jennings said Friday that "I want to thank the Commission and Executive Director Dr. Sam Polles for showing the confidence in me to handle this position and entrusting me with such an awesome responsibility." Jennings is very serious about his new role. "Here's my bottom line," he said. "I love this agency. It is my goal to leave it better than I found it. I think I can make, and I know I can make, a difference."

PRESIDENT SIGNS SNOW GOOSE BILL - This legislation, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton, will help control the expanding population of snow geese in North America. The annual winter population surveys of snow geese show that their population has tripled over the past 30 years. The population has increased from 800,000 in 1969 to approximately 2.8 million birds in 1999. During this 30-year period, the birds have decimated much of the fragile Canadian arctic. With its short growing season, it cannot support a population of that size. For example, almost all of the Hudson Bay breeding grounds have been denuded of all vegetation due to overgrazing by snow geese. This impact is also contributing to the decline of other migratory bird species that share these breeding grounds and winter in the United States. Hunting snow geese with traditional methodology has not been very effective in preventing excessive growth of their population. The legislation allows 24 midwestern and southern states to take "conservation measures" to reduce the population of this species. These conservation measures include allowing states to hunt snow geese past the ending date of the regular seasons, including other measures, such as unplugged shotguns and electronic calls. In addition to technical support by Wildlife Mississippi, Ducks Unlimited and the North American Waterfowl Federation, Congressman Chip Pickering (R-MS) was the lead member of Congress who worked with the House and Senate leadership, especially Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), that ensured the passage of this important legislation. It resulted in new regulations that will aid in decreasing snow geese populations so that breeding habitat for them and other species is sustained. The timely work by these two Mississippians was very much needed and supported by many conservation groups across the nation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had implemented a plan of action on February 16, 1999, to help control the expanding population of snow geese, but it was withdrawn in May after a legal challenge by the Humane Society of the United States and other animal rights organizations.

Mississippi Wildlife AGENCY WINS DIVERSITY AWARD - The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has received a top award for diversifying its staff and programs. The award recognizes agencies that have developed and implemented programs to encourage greater participation of minorities in natural resources. Developed by the Minorities in Natural Resources Committee of the 16-state Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Department won the award at the Southeastern's annual meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina. Mississippi was selected for the honor over 16 other states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The award is a major accomplishment for the agency. According to the agency's Executive Director, Dr. Sam Polles, "This award means a lot to this agency because our advancement over the last five years has been large steps compared to the previous 50 years. By implementing our diversity program, we make this agency more accessible to all qualified individuals." Since 1998, more that 37 minorities have been hired throughout the department, which serves all 82 counties. Fifteen minorities are now retained in management positions. The agency also received accolades for its development of a Minority Cooperative Program, providing on the job training for students from historically black colleges and its outreach efforts to attract more women into the field of natural resource management. "We want to make this agency accessible in its workforce, its employment opportunities and its service delivery areas," Director of Administrative Services Robert Cook said. Cook is the agency's first African-American senior executive. During the Southeastern Conference, Cook was elected chairman of the Minorities in Natural Resources Committee, which spearheads diversity efforts for the Southeastern United States. "Natural resources are here for everyone to enjoy regardless of race, creed or color and we are committed to helping this agency and other agencies reflect the communities they serve," he said.

COAST MARSH MADE OFFICIAL RESERVE - A federal designation will keep a marsh and maritime forest in Jackson County from ever being used for commercial and residential development. The marsh, stretching from Pascagoula to the Alabama state line, has become the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Senator Thad Cochran was the keynote speaker at the dedication ceremony. According to Reserve Manager, Peter Hoar, a biologist with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, "One of the reasons we picked this site is that it is relatively pristine and doesn't have a lot of development pressure." The Grand Bay reserve is one of 25 reserves that protect more than one million acres of sensitive coastal area across the nation. The reserve contains coastal bay, saltwater marshes, maritime pine forests, pine savannas and pitcher plant bogs. It includes part of Bayou Heron, Crooked Bayou, Bangs Lake, Bangs Island and Point Aux Chenes. Many birds, mammals and fish thrive there. "It is one of the largest and best estuaries we have in the whole state," said Dave Ruple, manager for The Nature Conservancy's Grand Bay Savanna project. "There are a lot of people who appreciate unspoiled areas in Mississippi, especially with all the development that goes on." The federal government provides funding for managing the 25 estuarine reserves and will assist the state in managing the acreage. The reserve will be closed to residential and industrial development, but fishing, hunting and oystering will be allowed.

CHOCTAWS WORK TO PROTECT WETLANDS - The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has signed an agreement with the federal government to protect wetlands as the tribe expands casino and business enterprises. The accord with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was recently signed at the tribe's Dancing Rabbit Golf Club. The agreement is one of the first of its kind between a federally recognized Indian tribe and the Corps, which oversees wetlands protection. According to Major General Phillip Anderson, commander of the Corps' Mississippi Valley Division, "It will allow for development while still protecting aquatic resources." A less amicable agreement between the Choctaws and the government occurred in 1830 with the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, which forced the Choctaws to give up 10 million acres of land and removed most of them from Mississippi. "The Army is not here to move us out and take our land," said Tribal Chief Phillip Martin. "The Army is here to work with us and protect wetlands. We want to preserve our natural resources as they have been put here." The wetlands "mitigation-banking" agreement will allow development to proceed in wetlands when necessary and specify replacement of wetlands lost elsewhere on the 25,000-acre Choctaw lands. For wetlands protected and enhanced for wildlife or other benefits, the tribe will earn "credits" to be used as compensation for wetlands lost during construction projects. Similar wetlands-mitigation banks exist on non-Indian land elsewhere in Mississippi and the nation.

WILDLIFE MISSISSIPPI OPPOSES REGULATION OF TIMBERLAND OWNERS - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently reversed its own interpretation of what constitutes "point source" water pollution on private timberlands and redefines point source pollution to include various timber management practices, such as site preparation, reforestation, thinning, prescribed burning, pest and fire control and harvesting. If adopted, this reversal will result in landowners having to get a permit from EPA for any of the above activities. Peyton Self, the President of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation, or Wildlife Mississippi as it is commonly called, recently told EPA, "While we applaud your interest to improve the nation's forest land from impairing our waters, we are opposed to EPA further regulating landowners in a manner that is unnecessary and unjustifiable." The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act specifically address solutions for runoff from forestry practices through a state-based best management practices program. To date, EPA has not provided evidence to demonstrate that accepted forestry practices are contributing significantly to water pollution in the United States. In their own interpretation of the Clean Water Act, EPA wrote that: "The [CWA] and its legislative history make clear that it was the intent by Congress that most water pollution from silviculture [forestry] activities be considered nonpoint in nature." "Furthermore, until it is proven that best management practices are not working as they were intended under the legislation or its subsequent amendments, further regulation is unjustifiable. In addition, it has not been proven that state-adopted plans to address impaired waterways are insufficient to bring such waterways into compliance. In Mississippi, state and industry-adopted pollution control standards for timberlands have reduced significantly both the number of river and stream miles impaired by silviculture, and the relative amount of impairment caused by silviculture," continued Self. Self also stated that the proposal by EPA to extend its authority to regulate a function that is currently being successfully regulated by established state regulations and private landowner initiatives is not necessary at this time. Furthermore, no evidence has been provided that once the statute is expanded, there will be a significant increase in benefits to water quality. The Wildlife Mississippi President continued, "In addition, the resulting water quality improvement, if any, will not outweigh the burden placed on landowners, especially small landowners. Such limitations and bureaucratic regulation will create an undue hardship on landowners, without a corresponding benefit to the environment."