JACKSON — Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Commissioners will meet in Jackson next week for their regularly scheduled meeting. On the agenda is an educational session about Mississippi’s Black Bear Program and a new logo for Parks. 

The November commission meeting is open to the public and will be held at 1505 Eastover Drive in Jackson. Educational Session will start at 9 a.m. Thursday and feature an update about black bear research projects. Anthony Ballard Jr., the new bear program director, will use the session to recap his first year with the program. Jeremy Bass, marketing and communications director, will present on a project to update the State Parks Logo. 

No business action is taken during the educational sessions and they are typically not live streamed. MDWFP’s business session will start at 10 a.m. Thursday. Jason Thompson will likely lead the meeting in prayer as he typically does. 

Public comments about Grenada Fox Hunts will be heard before Thompson’s report on License Sales. Commissioner Chairman Bill Cossar always reminds the audience how important the license sales report is. Nearly 90 percent of the funding for the MDWFP budget comes from license sales. 

Wildlife Chief of Staff Russ Walsh will take the podium for a final rule change to Sunflower WMA. He said the rule was to correct a clerical error with season dates at October’s commission meeting. 

Next, Commissioners will hear a request for a license exemption from G6:2 Outdoors, a ministry in Vicksburg. G6:2 will host a deer hunt for those with special needs on December 1st and 2nd.

Brian Ferguson, Chief of Parks Staff, will give an update on the state parks around Mississippi. Bob M. Dearing Natchez State Park and Percy Quinn State Park should be close to wrapping up renovations. 

MDWFP’s Chief of Law Enforcement Col. Jerry Carter will provide a law enforcement update. His report usually includes the number of citations written and a breakdown of the top five common offenses. 

Six hunters are scheduled to make license reinstatement requests before the commission. One of the hunters is from Walthall. 

MDWFP will next meet on December 14, 2023 at the MDWFP headquarters.