For a state with so many outdoor enthusiasts who love to hunt, fish, camp, hike and enjoy the natural beauty of the Magnolia State, Mississippi is severely lacking when it comes to long-term planning for our state parks and outdoors attractions.
This past legislative session highlighted an almost unbelievable lack of anything resembling a cohesive plan for our wildlife and parks system. Based on the near complete disconnect between major bills filed dealing with wildlife and parks, one would think Mississippi doesnât have much experience with the outdoors.
There was as a push to create the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, which would go toward fixing and improving our state parks and allow for public-private partnerships involving wildlife and outdoors projects. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks put a price tag of $147 million on critical and necessary projects; however, when the Daily Journal asked for a list of those projects and how much each cost, they could only come up with $14 million worth of items.