DuckSouth.com

So -maybe it's just me- I'm confused now, so would someone just tell me is this good, bad, or neither?

Go back and read my very first post in this thread. I provided the Cliff's Notes version for you.

I was directly involved in the 2001 ruling by the MDEQ Commission that this subject body of water was PUBLIC --- from bank to bank as I described. And the public, for at least the last 14 years since this ruling ( and even many years before) has hunted this body of water, from bank to bank.

Despite the SOS's contentions to the contrary, NONE of the water ( above the private land) donated by the landowners was private water. All of the surface water was already in the public domain as a statutory public waterway, as designated and listed by the MDEQ. This status was reconfirmed by the MDEQ in that 2001 Commission ruling when these same landowners tried to argue that the water was private and LOST that argument.

The SOS's contentions that some of the surface water donated was private is only based upon an opinion letter that he pressured the MDEQ staff to issue, which would have the effect of narrowing the scope of the public waterway in contravention to the 2001 Commission ruling. This was done deliberately to attempt to increase the value of the charitable gift by the landowners for tax credit purposes, and to shrink the amount of water huntable by the public, as the potential effect of the letter opinion extends well beyond the proposed boundaries of the proposed refuge. The SOS came up with the new boundaries of the public waterway on his own before presenting it to the MDEQ. This was done without the required public notice, public hearing, and evidentiary hearing ( eg the same type of process that occurred back in 2001). These actions are well outside of the statutory and constitutional authority of the SOS, and outside of the normal administrative rules of the MDEQ. This situation will be soon remedied.

The weir project is not specifically tied to the proposed refuge. The matching land grant can come from another location that does not take away already huntable Public water. The folks directly involved in the weir project had never heard of the proposed refuge until it was announced in the paper. In fact very few persons had notice of the refuge prior to this announcement.

The COE owes the Public some mitigation due to the negative effects from the Yazoo River Basin dredging project ( Tallahatchie, Yalobusha, and Yazoo rivers). Perhaps it could provide that match.

Ask yourself this question. If these are such great ideas, then why all the secrecy and failures to provide public notice? If it is good, then it should flourish in the sunshine as opposed to the darkness.

Thanks Po Monk. My struggle is understanding the benefit to SOS and MDWFP, in going along with such a scheme. What am I missing?

There will be a public notice on this. Not sure about the "Refuge" portion of the project, but the weir is completely seperate, as far as permitting is concerned. Once the project (weir) gets rolling the Corps will issue a public notice.

From what I understand, the weir project will be nothing but good for the area, as far as the environemnt and ecosystem restoration....I can't speak to the refuge and land donation and making public water private (though that does bother me on a personal level) bt the weir project will only be a good thing as it will restore the natural hydrology and drainage to the system, allow for higher, more normal and historical water levels to be maintained, and will accomplish this across a large weltand complex, all by placing one weir in a man made ditch....Thats alot of benefit (environmentally) with out much impact at all.

There will be a public notice from the Corps though, but it will not address the "Refuge" part of the project...Only the placement of the weir and the subsequent secondary impacts upstream.


THe Refuge part and SOS and MDWFP and all that....well thats the human element to this. Can't speak to that...but the environment will greatly benefit from the weir.

There shole is a lot of "posted" signs in them trees there...was a few years ago, anyhow.

I'm just glad I ain't gotta fool with that stuff anymore.