Landowners in seven Delta counties can enroll in conservation easements

Private landowners in seven counties along the Mississippi River and in the Mississippi Delta can now enroll frequently flooded farmland in conservation easements because of a change in federal rules.

In passing the 2014 Farm Bill, Congress established an exemption for the wettest tracts, or those least suitable for cultivation, when figuring county acreage caps on new Wetland Reserve Easements. Because of the action, seven counties in Mississippi no longer have acreage caps. The counties at issue are Adams, Grenada, Issaquena, Jefferson, Sharkey, Warren and Wilkinson.

Acreage caps are instituted when 10 percent of a county's cropland has been enrolled such easements.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, offers landowners the opportunity to enroll portions or all of their property in a Wetland Reserve Easement. In Mississippi, NRCS pays eligible landowners up to $2,900 per acre for a permanent easement, and it pays up to 100 percent of the cost of reforestation. In return, landowners must stop farming the property placed under easement and agree to other land use restrictions.

“Landowners struggling to farm frequently flooded or poorly drained tracts now have another opportunity in these seven counties,” said James L. Cummins, Wildlife Mississippi's executive director. “They can apply for a government-sponsored easement and dedicate their marginal land to water quality protection, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation. This eases economic challenges for landowners and saves the taxpayers money that would otherwise be paid for disaster assistance.”

Wildlife Mississippi works with NRCS and other partners to promote Wetland Reserve Easements among willing landowners, and it helps with reforestation. Mississippi landowners have enrolled nearly 180,000 acres, mainly in the Delta and in Mississippi River counties, in Wetland Reserve Easements. Landowners can apply for enrollment at any time.

Wildlife Mississippi has protected, restored or enhanced nearly 440,000 acres of wildlife habitat in the state since its establishment. It also encourages sustainable policies and legislation affecting fish and wildlife and their habitats; practices and promotes conservation education; and promotes nature-based outdoor recreation.

To learn more, contact your local NRCS office or go to www.ms.nrcs.usda.gov and click on the “Contact Us” link.

Local anglers assist with largemouth bass stocking at Ross Barnett

JACKSON – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks recently stocked Florida-strain largemouth bass into Ross Barnett Reservoir.

In cooperation with Pearl River Valley Water Supply District and local bass anglers, the fish were transported and released into backwater areas to improve survival.

Volunteers using the Highway 43 ramps near Tommy's Trading Post stocked approximately 90,000 fingerling bass.

“Largemouth bass are a popular sport fish on Ross Barnett Reservoir,” said MDWFP Fisheries Biologist Ryan Jones. According to Jones, the goal is to produce more trophy-sized bass. The fish were reared at MDWFP's Turcotte Fish Hatchery, located near Canton. MDWFP's hatcheries produce fish for stocking in public waters throughout Mississippi.

For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit www.mdwfp.com or call 601-432-2200. Follow on Facebook at facebook.com/mdwfp or on Twitter at www. twitter.com/MDWFPonline.

Catfish stocked into Coahoma County Lake

CLARKSDALE – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Fisheries Bureau recently stocked 300 adult channel catfish into Coahoma County Lake in Clarksdale.

Located on the grounds of the Coahoma County Expo Center, this lake is part of

MDWFP's Community Fishing Assistance Program and is managed jointly by MDWFP and the Coahoma County Board of Supervisors.

"This is the third time this year we've stocked the lake with catfish," said Nathan Aycock, MDWFP Fisheries Biologist. "We plan to stock more fish throughout 2017. This

is a great opportunity to take a child fishing or to get back into fishing if you haven't been in a while."

Coahoma County Lake has a five fish per day limit for catfish. A valid fishing license is required to fish the lake for all anglers except those legally exempt from license requirements. The lake is open to fishing daily from sunrise to sunset.

For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit www.mdwfp.com or call 601-432-2199.

MDWFP conservation officers place No. 1 at National Challenge

JACKSON – Conservation Officers from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks claimed the title of “Fittest in the Nation” as they took the top spot at the 16th annual National LawFit Challenge held last weekend in Pearl.

Over 135 law enforcement officers from around the country competed in this year's event which tests officers in six different events such as bench press, 1.5 mile run, situps, flexibility, pull-ups, and a suspect pursuit course. The 2017 MDWFP LawFit team consisted

of officers Capt Chris Reed, Lt Marcus Christon, SGM Ron McMillan, Cpl Justin Gates, Pvt Derrick Scott, and Pvt Tamarrius Good. All six MDWFP officers placed in the top 16 overall with Scott, Christon, and Gates finishing first, second, and third respectively.

Records that were broken by Team MDWFP are MDWFP set the new record for points scored by a 4-man team with 1618 points scored (Scott, Christon, Gates, Reed), Derrick Scott and Marcus Christon 2-man team- 846 points, Derrick Scott scored 424 points (new individual record),

Marcus Christon scored 422 points (previous individual record of 418 (set by Christon in 2015), Justin Gates scored 407 points (5th

highest point total ever), and Justin Gates reclaimed the bench press record in lifting 226 percent of his bodyweight.

“Our officers are the best of the best and this weekend's competition shows that," said Colonel Steve Adcock. "I am extremely proud of all 6 of these officers who represented themselves and their agency in such a positive light. Job well done."

For more information regarding conservation in Mississippi, visit www. mdwfp.com or call 601-432-2200.

Bassmaster High School, Junior Championships get underway

PARIS, Tenn. — When hundreds of high school anglers spread out across sprawling Kentucky Lake for the Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods next week, they are likely to find highly educated bass, warns John Garrett, the 2016 Carhartt College Classic Bracket champion.

Garrett, a sophomore standout on one of Bethel University's bass fishing teams, lives near the Tennessee River impoundment and fishes it every chance he gets.

“Right now fish are hard postspawn,” he said in an interview last week. “They are just now moving out to the ledges and grouping up where you can catch multiple fish if you hit a good spot. Right now is when you want to be on the lake.”

Unfortunately, competition in the high school championship is still a week away, June 22-24. That's when more than 200 teams of high school anglers from across the country launch from Paris Landing State Park in hopes of claiming the national team title.

Garrett, who represented the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at the 2017 GEICO

Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods in March, said Kentucky Lake's bigger bass annually move to deeper water to recover from the spawn around the first of June. They become easy to locate and catch for the first couple of weeks as they earn advance degrees in crankbait avoidance.