JACKSON — Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will host its monthly commission meeting at its office at 1505 Eastover Drive, in Jackson. Adam Butler will give an update on the turkey program during the education session at 9 a.m. and open discussion on the 2024 Spring Turkey season. 

Immediately following the education session, a business session will be held at 10 a.m. at the same location. There are no public comments listed but usually there will be comments made during the meeting. People can sign up to make public comments before the meeting in Jackson. 

At the last meeting, Ed Penny asked the commission to reconsider its action to rescind the supplemental feeding ban in Claiborne County. Penny owns land in Claiborne and urged the commissioners to take action for the second meeting in a row. The commission took no action. Louisiana found nine cases of Chronic Wasting Disease about 1.5 miles of the Claiborne County line this year and have found 10 cases in Tensas Parish in the last two years. MDWFP stated it would reconsider the feed ban if conditions were to change for commissioners to deem it necessary to take action. It is unknown if Penny will make a similar public comment at the meeting. 

Jason Thompson will give a license sales report. License sales account for 90 percent of the department’s budget which is why chairman Bill Cossar ensures the reports are made. Angel Rohnke, who is the director of LeFleur’s Bluff Complex, will give an update on the park. They recently broke ground on a new entryway to the complex. 

Brian Ferguson will give an update on the parks and Josh Howell, state lake coordinator, will give an update on the state’s fishing lakes. Calling Panther Lake is one of the state’s fishing lakes. 

Col. Jerry Carter, who serves as Chief of Law Enforcement, will give an update on enforcement. Last month, 1,296 citations were issued and the most common violation was no license. Garrett Beasley of Brandon, Peter Dooley of Brandon, Colton Frith of Mize and Alan Sullivan of Magee will appear for License Reinstatement requests.