JACKSON — A senate bill which would have moved the operation of Mississippi’s State Parks into a corporation-like structure died Tuesday. Public pressure is growing on both the Mississippi legislature and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks commission to act with conservation in mind. 

The death of Senate bill 2659 came after it was recommited to the senate wildlife, fisheries and parks committee. 

Last week, MDWFP Executive Director Lynn Posey said he had not heard from any senator on the committee about the bill. The senators on the committee said they had not spoken to the MDWFP about transferring the operation of state parks outside of the department. 

SuperTalk Outdoors Host Ricky Mathews and Primos Hunting founder Will Primos applied public pressure to both the MDWFP commission, the Mississippi legislature and governor regarding conservation issues. Primos spoke at length about why he is concerned about the future of wildlife in Mississippi on Mathews radio show Monday. Bills to reform the MDWFP commission died in committee in both senate and house already this session.

SuperTalk Outdoors reported Primos wrote a letter to Governor Tate Reeves asking him to call him so they could talk about the issues of conservation and wildlife. The bill to create the state parks corporation was killed Tuesday. 

Lake Pickle with OnX and Primos voiced his concern about the direction of conservation and the commission on social media as well. 

Conservation core mission 

Mississippi’s first State Parks were created after the Great Depression under the Civilian Conservation Corps. At the time, Mississippi had experienced deforestation through unsustainable logging practices. State Parks were set aside as a place where conservation and tourism could meet. 

Elements of Mississippi State Parks include education about the natural resources, conservation of habitat and wildlife, recreational opportunities through camping, fishing, hunting, hiking and boating.  

The same deforestation led to the birth of the MDWFP in 1932 and Leroy Percy State Park opened in 1934 as the first state park. Conservation was the core of the MDWFP’s mission when founded and is the first goal in the MDWFP mission statement.  

Commissioners are expected to hear more about supplemental feeding as it relates to disease management at next week’s commission meeting. MDWFP could entertain a statewide supplemental feed ban which would help mitigate chronic wasting disease spread and the exposure of wild turkeys to aflatoxins.  

The tentative business agenda states there will be two public commenters about the fall turkey season. MDWFP commissioners voted to suspend the season to help encourage turkey hen survival in May. Any reversal of the decision would go against science which shows a simple two percent increase in hen survival would help turkey populations increase by 2.5 times. 

The March commission meeting will be at Percy Quin State Park on March 21 with an educational session at 9a.m. and a business session at 10 a.m.