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Updated on 11/30/00
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality joins LMRCC The LMRCC Executive Board of Directors voted unanimously today to approve the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality's bid to join the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee. MDEQ becomes the second agency to join LMRCC this year following its sister agency, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks which came on board this summer. Annual Meeting Proceedings Now Available Proceedings from the first Joint LMRCC/UMRCC Annual Meeting are now available. Click here to view
LMRCC RECEIVES ENVIRONMENTAL MERIT AWARD FROM U.S. EPA, Region 4 The Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee was presented an Environmental Merit Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 19. The LMRCC and other groups and individuals were recognized for their work to sustain natural systems and promote environmental stewardship. The Environmental Merit Awards program provides the Agency an opportunity to reach out to individuals, states, Federal partners, local governments, stakeholder groups, businesses and others who have made specific contributions in 1999-2000 to improve the environment. "Those honored today have gone above and beyond the call of duty to address public health and natural resource protection issues of concern and, in so doing, have made this region a better place for all of us," said EPA Regional Administrator John H. Hankinson, Jr. "They have demonstrated that hard work and collaborative problem solving can bring positive environmental results." The Agency sought nominations of individuals and groups throughout the Southeast who have made special efforts to identify environmental problems or needs and have worked to address them by using innovative techniques or successful partnerships. As a result, 47 winners were selected from more than 250 nominations. The award categories included individuals, businesses, governmental and not-for-profit organizations from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
LMRCC and Audubon Society Join Forces Bruce Reid, a former environmental writer for daily newspapers in Mississippi, Maryland and Virginia, is now working with the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee under a partnership with the National Audubon Society. Bruce is a full-time employee of Audubon, serving as is director of bird conservation for the organization's Mississippi State Office. In addition, part of his time will be spent working for the LMRCC, helping with research, communications and publications. He is stationed in the LMRCC's office in Vicksburg, Miss. For Audubon, Bruce will work with scientists, government agencies and Audubon chapters to implement a comprehensive bird conservation strategy for Mississippi. He will work on such initiatives as the Important Bird Areas program, which seeks to identify and protect Mississippi's most significant bird habitats. He will coordinate with the National Audubon Society's bird conservation programs through Project Feeder Watch, Christmas Bird Counts and International Migratory Bird Day, among other programs. He will organize the publication of a statewide Audubon newsletter as well as work with the legislative liaison on government policies and actions that affect the conservation of birds and other wildlife. He also will identify ways in which Audubon and the LMRCC can work together to promote ecosystem restoration and environmental stewardship throughout the lower Mississippi River region.
LMRCC SUPPORTS CORPS' PROPOSED RESTORATION OF TUNICA LAKE The LMRCC has issued a formal letter of
support for a project proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Memphis District, to restore water levels in Tunica Lake, a
Mississippi River oxbow lake that forms part of the boundary between
Arkansas and Mississippi.
For more detailed information on this proposed project please refer to the public notice posted on the Memphis District website: http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/regulatory/public-notices/tunica.pdf
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Formally part of the main channel of the
Mississippi River, the 19-mile long lake was created in 1942 when the
Hardin Point Cutoff was constructed for flood control and navigation. The
lake has decreased in size (at low water levels) from 4,900 acres in 1942
to 2,600 acres today. The problem has arisen from degradation of the
small chute at the downstream end of the lake that drains the lake into
the Mississippi River. Over the years, the elevation of the bottom of the
chute has dropped by 11 feet, allowing more water to drain from the lake
as the river levels fall during the year. Army engineers expect continued
degradation of the chute and subsequent reductions in the size of the
lake without intervention. The decrease in minimum water levels has
already taken a toll on fish populations in this popular recreation spot.
For the first time, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and
Parks (MDWFP) stocked more than 160,000 bream in February.
The Corps has proposed construction of a
170-foot-long, double notched weir across the chute. The weir will restore
near historic water levels. The double notch design will permit optimum
draw down recommended by MDWFP to restore Tunica Lake fisheries while
maintaining access to the river for recreational purposes.