Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A collection of short stories and conservational essays by a veteran Mississippi State fisheries biologist and nationally recognized conservationist now is on bookshelves.
"Tracks" reflects on the 20-year professional career--spent largely outdoors--of university professor Donald C. Jackson. The 279-page collection is published by University Press of Mississippi.
Jackson is a teacher and researcher in MSU's Forest and Wildlife Research Center, a part of the College of Forest Resources.
"'Tracks' is a pilgrimage through the wild, beautiful and lonely places around us," Jackson said. "Its purpose is to invite readers to share the trail and discover connections to different vistas not only in the South, but also in distant lands and on exotic waters.
"I've attempted to bring into focus the natural thrill of participating fully as part of the chain of life in wild places," added the avid hunter, fisherman and trapper.
Jackson said proceeds from the book sales will be used to support the fisheries program in MSU's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Earlier this year, he was elected second vice president of the American Fisheries Society and will become its president in 2009. He also currently serves as president of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation and chair of the American Fisheries Hurricane Relief Task Force.
An Arkansas native, Jackson holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate from Auburn University.
OUTDOOR NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Dr. Jackson at 662-325-7493 or djackson@cfr.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.