CONSERVATION CORNER
National Hunting and Fishing Day
by James L. Cummins

On September 24 wildlife enthusiasts will celebrate the 34th anniversary of National Hunting and Fishing Day. This is the perfect opportunity to be proud of the contributions we have made toward fish and wildlife habitat and access to it.

Waterfowl populations are some of the highest they have ever been and Mississippi's deer population is over 1.7 million. There have been many boat ramps constructed, thousands of acres added to our public areas and, most of all, thousands of acres protected, restored and enhanced on private lands.

We are now in the full implementation of the conservation programs established in 2002 Farm Bill. The Wetland Reserve, Conservation Reserve, Environmental Quality Incentives and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives programs are providing significant benefits for fish and wildlife. The new Grasslands Reserve Program has its share of problems, but progress is being made. The new 500,000-acre continuous sign-up for hardwoods was conceptualized by the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

A new piece of legislation will create the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge, Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge and the Holt Collier Wildlife Interpretation and Education Center. With the help of Senators Cochran and Lott and Congressmen Wicker, Thompson, Pickering and Taylor, this legislation is now a reality and will provide more opportunities for all Mississippians to hunt and fish.

Our environment would not be so good and we would not have the opportunity to enjoy them on our public lands if it was not for our outstanding Congressional delegation, the Mississippi Legislature, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the Mississippi Bureau of Marine Resources and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

Not to be forgotten are the members, Trustees and officers of Wildlife Mississippi who provided the vigilance and leadership to make sure our lands are maintained under sound conservation practices for the benefit of wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts.

I would like to end with a quote from Roosevelt. He said, "Wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The people who protest against hunting and consider sportsmen as enemies of wildlife are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is, by all odds, the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable creatures from total extermination." The efforts of sportsmen is the best reason of all to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day.

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. Their web site is www.wildlifemiss.org.