Dr. Curtis Hopkins, director of operations at DU's Southern Regional Office, and DU regional biologist Tim Willis attended a meeting held last fall by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) Commission in Jackson. During this meeting, Dr. Hopkins provided a report on recent accomplishments and other positive results from DU's longstanding partnership with the MDWFP. He highlighted some of DU's recent work in Mississippi, including habitat enhancement projects on Howard Miller, Twin Oaks, and O'Keefe wildlife management areas. Dr. Hopkins also discussed last year's conservation accomplishments in Saskatchewan through the MDWFP's state grant contribution, which protected, enhanced, or restored nearly 4,000 acres of wetlands and adjacent uplands and supported management of an additional 24,800 acres of waterfowl habitat. 

Following the meeting, the MDWFP awarded DU a grant of $100,000 to continue its wetlands and waterfowl conservation work on the Canadian prairies. This state grant commitment, which was larger than the previous year's, clearly demonstrates the MDWFP's confidence in DU's ability to deliver conservation projects in Canada and the agency's recognition of this work's importance to Mississippi sportsmen.