EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
This review process will be synchronized with MDWFP's annual budget planning cycle. MDWFP will
also use its existing annual performance reports for Federal Aid projects and SWG funds to document
progress on CWCS-related activities.
MDWFP will incorporate the data compiled for this effort into Mississippi's new NHP (Biotics 4)
database, and any changes in status of species and their habitats will be entered annually in this database
and spatially. The SWG Coordinator and Technical Committee will be responsible for implementing the
annual review and evaluation of the CWCS and will report annually to the Executive Director and the
Advisory Committee. They will conduct annual, five and ten year assessments using the original eight
elements, along with other guidance and criteria as they become available. The Steering Committee will
oversee the review and revision process and will ensure that the CWCS continues to follow the eight
elements.
- Plans for coordinating the development, implementation, review, and revision of the plan with
Federal, State, and local agencies and Indian tribes that manage significant land and water
areas within the State or administer programs that significantly affect the conservation of
identified species and habitats.
Development of this CWCS was accomplished in coordination with a variety of public wildlife agencies,
universities, conservation organizations and land managers in Mississippi. This coordination was
ensured by inclusion of representatives of these agencies and organizations on the Advisory Committee,
through individual and organization briefings and presentations and through contact with the Expert
Team and Technical Committee. Conservation planning documents and tools provided by other agencies
were gathered and incorporated into this CWCS where possible. Other interested parties also
contributed to the process through comments via the MDWFP CWCS website. It is critical, as we
further develop and refine the priority conservation areas and actions in this strategy, to continue
working with other agencies through our Advisory Committee and existing partnerships.
There is one native American tribe listed on the federal register in Mississippi — the Mississippi Band
of Choctaw Indians who own approximately 29,000 acres of tribal lands in across several Mississippi
counties primarily in east-central Mississippi. While invited to participate in our CWCS Advisory
Committee and/or review and comment on documents, we did not receive a response. However, we will
continue to invite them to aid in the further planning and implementation of the CWCS in Mississippi.
- Congress also affirmed through this legislation that broad public participation is an essential
element of developing and implementing these plans, the projects that are carried out while
these plans are developed, and the Species in Greatest Need of Conservation (SGCN) that
Congress has indicated such programs and projects are intended to emphasize.