A dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge in southern Sharkey County will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday during the Great Delta Bear Affair festival in Rolling Fork.

The TRNWR is one of the newest wildlife refuges in the state, established in January 2004 through a bill presented by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson. Thompson will be on hand for the ceremony, joined by local dignitaries and representatives from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wildlife Mississippi.

“The focus of this refuge will be to manage a diversity of wildlife species, but also place special emphasis on providing corridors for and protecting black bears,” said James Cummins, executive director of Wildlife Mississippi. “It’s a very low-lying area in the South Delta, and that really lends itself to waterfowl management, and we hope to provide some pretty significant public uses.”

The 2004 legislation provided for 6,600 acres of land for the TRNWR, 500 of which have been acquired thus far, said Cummins. The first sign for the TRNWR will be unveiled Saturday during the ceremony. 

First observed in 2002 on the 100th anniversary of President Roosevelt’s famous bear hunt in Sharkey County — which resulting in the creation of the teddy bear — The Great Delta Bear Affair festival includes wildlife education, a 5K run and walk, archeological and birding tours, a nature walk, chainsaw woodcarvers, musical acts, a children’s interactive educational area, games for children, arts and crafts, food vendors and a fireworks display. Living historians and impersonators of Roosevelt and hunting guide Holt Collier will be on hand this year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Roosevelt’s birth.

The TRNWR is one part of a larger collection of refuges known as the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It the largest refuge complex in Mississippi and includes both the youngest (Holt Collier and Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuges) and the oldest refuges (Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge) in the state. The complex includes more than 100,000 acres of land on seven refuges that provide vital habitat for fish and wildlife in the Delta region.

Oak seedlings available through Acorns, Wildlife

For the fifth year, a variety of oak seedlings will be available for purchase through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks’ Acorns for Wildlife program, the goal of which is to encourage wildlife enhancement planting on private and public lands.

The year-old oak seedlings are sold in bundles of 50 for $35, and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. All of the seedlings come with fertilizer packets, and available species include white oak, cherry bark oak, Shumard oak, swamp chestnut oak (also called cow oak), water oak and nuttall oak.

To place an order, call 601-432-2199, or download an order form at http://home.mdwfp.com/pdf/wildlife/SeedlingOrderForm2008.pdf. Seedlings will be shipped in early February to five locations throughout Mississippi, including Canton, Columbia, Enid, Starkville and Philadelphia, and purchasers can choose where they would like to pick up their bundles.  

Oaks are excellent trees to plant for wildlife enhancement, as they provide acorns for many wildlife species, including turkey and deer. The Acorns for Wildlife program sells seedlings at below cost, thanks to contributions by the MDWFP, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Greater Jackson Chapter NWTF, and support from the Mississippi Wildlife Federation, Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources and Mississippi Forestry Association.

Florida bass fingerlings headed to Pascagoula River

Three thousand Florida bass fingerlings will be released into the Pascagoula River Saturday by Jackson-area anglers in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks and Mississippi State University in a cooperative effort to increase fish populations in the river following Hurricane Katrina.

“This cooperative effort between our agencies, the university and volunteer anglers has enhanced the fishery. The Pascagoula River is showing signs of recover according to our sample,” MDWFP Fisheries Bureau Director Ron Garavelli said. 

Recently, 11,890 fingerlings were released into the river as the major restocking effort in the second of a three-year program. Last year more than 12,000 fingerlings were released. The fish are raised at the Turcotte and North Mississippi Fish Hatcheries and funded by Mississippi Power.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com