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CONSERVATION CORNER
For the week of September 17, 2007
National Hunting and Fishing Day
by James L. Cummins

On September 22 wildlife enthusiasts will celebrate the 30th 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 and thousands of acres protected, restored and enhanced.

We are now winding down the implementation of the conservation programs of the 2002 Farm Bill and are working on the 2007 Farm Bill. The Wetlands Reserve, Grasslands Reserve, Healthy Forests Reserve, Conservation Reserve and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives programs are providing great conservation benefits. A new piece of legislation has created the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge, Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge and the Holt Collier Wildlife Visitor's Center. With the help of Senator Thad Cochran and Congressman Bennie Thompson, this legislation is now a reality and will provide more opportunities for all Mississippians to hunt and fish.

Governor Haley Barbour has worked hard to restore our Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina made landfall just over 2 years ago. He has put his lobbying skills to good use working with The White House and our delegation in Washington to make sure the conservation programs are in place to restore this devastation in South Mississippi and the Gulf Coast.

Our First Lady, Marsha Barbour, helped with some essential conservation work by helping place radio collars on two black bear cubs born on the property of Hunter and Dan Fordice in Issaquena County. In fact, they were the first black bear cubs born in the Mississippi Delta in over 40 years.

Our environment would not be so good and we would not have the opportunity to enjoy hunting and fishing on our public lands were it not for people in the Mississippi Legislature like Senator Lynn Posey and Representative Eric Robinson. Also to be recognized are our government agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest 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.

Finally, the most important efforts are from our sportsmen and landowners. They are the best reason of all to celebrate our great National Hunting and Fishing Day.