Contact: Bob Ratliff
Conservation officers from throughout the Southeast are at Mississippi State University through tomorrow [May 23] to learn a new land-management technique.
The College of Forest Resources' continuing education office is sponsoring a short course on wildlife management buffers, which are small strips of permanently vegetated land designed to intercept pollutants and manage other environmental concerns.
Instructors are presenting the latest information on buffer design, implementation and benefits to wildlife, with emphasis on fallow field borders in Southeastern agricultural ecosystems.
Conservation buffers help control soil erosion and improve soil and water quality by removing sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, and other potential contaminants from runoff. Benefits also include enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, reduced flooding and conservation of biodiversity.
In April 1997, the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially launched the new National Conservation Buffer Initiative and pledged to help landowners install up to seven million acres of buffers by 2002. Financial incentives for buffer construction are available through USDA's conservation programs.
For additional information on the course, contact Alan Brown at (662) 325-0100 or abrown@cfr.msstate.edu.