Conservation Corner: February 21, 2000

Natural Resources Decision Support System Worth Funding
by James L. Cummins

Very seldom is there a proposed program that actually saves valuable taxpayer dollars. Most programs, although many very beneficial, actually come with significant costs. This one saves money. Read on and you will see.

Sustainable natural resource use, land-use planning and economic development are influenced by human demographics, land and water features and environmental regulations.

The Forest and Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University is leading the way in proposing technology to develop, customize, update and maintain databases and mapping products that characterize renewable natural resources important for conservation, economic development and regulatory compliance in Mississippi.

If funded, this proposed initiative will produce accurate information that can be delivered in an interactive, web-based format for use by legislators, policy makers, local government officials, land-use planners, scientists and educators.

What are the applications, you ask? Many - land acquisition from willing sellers, road construction, scenic river designation and even aquaculture, to name a few.

Let's discuss road construction to see how the Natural Resources Decision Support System works. The database contains hundreds of thousands of data points such as rivers, streams, wetland areas, secondary roads, primary roads, slope of the land, land cover, cities, towns and county lines.

For example, say the Mississippi Legislature proposes a bill for a new road from Crosby to McComb. The proposed, high-tech computer program chooses the most cost-efficient and effective route. It picks the route that requires the least amount of dirt to be moved, the area that would require the least amount of bridges and the area with the least acreage of wetlands.

The result - a route that is the cheapest to construct and the least harmful to our environment - the best of both worlds. That leaves valuable taxpayer dollars available for constructing other new roads or repairing existing ones.

Another example? Let's discuss land acquisition for a new Wildlife Management Area. We know that it is important for a new Wildlife Management Area to be located where very little public land currently exists. The computer model analyses the distance to rivers, streams and public lands, and incorporates habitat type and species richness to prioritize proposed Wildlife Management Areas.

The Natural Resources Decision Support System is worth funding. It will aid Mississippians in making the most of our dollars and maintaining a good environment that will yield a good quality of life needed to attract and retain industry and tourism.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.