Title 55, Parks and Recreation

The State Forestry Commission shall have the control and management of any and all forests or public parks set aside and dedicated as provided for in Section 55-3-7, and shall have authority to issue grazing or farming permits or leases on said parks, and to make sales of timber …

The board of supervisors of any county in the state is hereby authorized and empowered to purchase or acquire by eminent domain land to be conveyed to the state for state parks, forests and other purposes, as herein provided, and, for that purpose, is authorized and empowered to …

Seventy-five percent (75%) of the gross revenue derived from state forests shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the general fund. Twenty-five percent (25%) derived from state forests shall be paid into the school fund of the county from which the revenue is deri…

Any drainage district, acting through the drainage commissioners of said district, as organized and provided in Title 51, Chapters 27, 29, 31, of the Mississippi Code of 1972, is hereby authorized, in its discretion, to transfer to the State of Mississippi, free of any and all li…

Where the federal government and the state government or any subdivision thereof are cooperating in the establishment of a major park and forest and game reserve, and where the property owners in the territory therein involved have agreed to convey as much as fifty percent (50%) …

(a) For purposes of Chapter 3, Title 55, Mississippi Code of 1972, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context otherwise requires:(a) “Commission” means the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.(b) “Department” means the Missi…

There is hereby established in the State Treasury a revolving fund to be used by the State Forestry Commission to carry out the provisions of the will of William W. Kurtz, dated July 12, 1940, which donated one thousand seven hundred sixty (1,760) acres of forestland in Greene Co…

The Mississippi Forestry Commission is authorized, annually, to pay to the State Line Cemetery Association, out of the proceeds and receipts derived from timber sales in the Kurtz State Forest, an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for the upkeep of the cemetery i…

(1) Where any land has been donated to the state and a deed thereof has been accepted by the governor, for the purpose of establishing thereon state forests and parks in accordance with the provisions of Section 55-3-1, and the state forestry commissioner certifies in writing to …

(1) The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks shall be the Mississippi Commission on Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Parks, and shall retain all powers and duties granted by law to the Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Parks, …

(1) The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks may:(a) Take charge and have full jurisdiction and control over all state parks, which parks shall be operated for the purpose of providing outdoor recreational activities and enjoyment for the citizens of the State …

A fund to be known as “Mississippi Park Fund” is hereby established in the State Treasury, and all funds held in the “Mississippi Park System Fund” shall be transferred thereto. Funds collected by the department shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the fund. …

The commission may appoint for each state park a local advisory committee to furnish counsel and advice to the executive director and to park personnel concerning the operation and development of said park. The committee is to serve without pay.

(1) In order to carry out its management responsibilities over all state park lands which are now or which may hereafter come under its jurisdiction, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is hereby authorized to lease, and to grant easements and rights-of-wa…

(1) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:(a) “Commission” means the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.(b) “Department” means the Mississippi Depar…

The department through its executive director, shall inaugurate a positive program of preventive maintenance for all parks under its jurisdiction.

The department is authorized to survey, or cause to be surveyed, all areas of land owned by the state for the purpose of determining the adaptability of such areas for use as state parks, state forests and/or game and fish preserves to be developed for the control of stream flow …

The department shall give due and careful attention to the proper development of historical sites designated within its jurisdiction. However, the department shall not accept for its supervision, control, responsibility or jurisdiction any historic sites hereafter offered to it w…

(1) The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is hereby authorized and empowered to sell and dispose of timber, trees, deadwood and stumps standing, growing and being upon the lands of state parks. Such timber shall be sold and disposed of under the direction an…

There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the “State Parks Timber Management Endowment Fund.” The fund shall consist of all monies required to be deposited therein under the provisions of Section 55-3-53. The principal of the fund shall remain inviolate…

Each employee of the department, when required by resolution of a majority of the commission, shall give a bond for the faithful performance of his duties as an employee of the commission, which bond shall be made payable to the State of Mississippi and shall be in the penal sum …

Any person violating any of the rules and regulations promulgated by the commission is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be liable to a fine of not less than Five Dollars ($5.00) nor more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), or be subject to imprisonment for not …

The board of supervisors of any county where a state park is located may, in its discretion, appropriate and donate to the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks yearly a sum not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) out of the general county fund for the establishment…

(a) There are hereby authorized to be established state parks to be under the jurisdiction of the department, on land to be provided for this purpose by the United States:(a) On Sardis Lake in Panola County, Mississippi;(b) On Sardis Lake in Lafayette County, Mississippi, reasona…

The Governor of the State of Mississippi is hereby authorized to enter into an indenture and agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority as the agent of the United States of America whereby the State of Mississippi will acquire certain lands located in Tishomingo County, Missis…

There is hereby authorized to be established an historical monument near Meridian, Mississippi, in Lauderdale County, at the burial site of Samuel Dale, which area shall be under the jurisdiction of the department.

The commission, in cooperation with the University Research Center, is authorized and directed to supervise the preparation, maintenance and upgrading of a comprehensive long-range statewide plan for the development of outdoor recreation resources of the state, which plan will be…

The commission shall investigate and determine whether or not the public interests may be served by the utilization of any lands owned by the State of Mississippi, for state forests, parks, game and fish preserves, recreation centers, and for other public purposes, and the findin…

The executive director is designated as the authorized representative of the State of Mississippi under the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, and the executive director is hereby directed to utilize the plan specified in Section 55-3-69 in carrying out the authority v…

The commission may enter into contracts and agreements with the United States or any appropriate agency thereof, keep financial records and other records relating thereto, and furnish to appropriate officials and agencies of the United States such reports and information as may b…

Projects may be undertaken only after the department has determined that sufficient funds are available for meeting the state’s share of project costs.

The commission may enter into and administer agreements with the United States or any appropriate agency thereof for the planning, acquisition, or development of projects involving participating federal aid funds on behalf of any county, municipality or other governmental unit, p…

There is hereby created a Mississippi Outdoor Recreation Fund. Any federal funds received under Sections 55-3-69 through 55-3-77 shall be deposited in the State Treasury and credited to the Mississippi Outdoor Recreation Fund for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of said…

Nothing in Sections 55-3-69 through 55-3-79 shall be construed as attempting to substitute, transfer or supersede the proper constitutional or statutory function or jurisdiction of any state agency or head thereof by any other state agency.

The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is hereby directed to change the name of the Yocona Ridge State Park to the “George Payne Cossar State Park.” Any reference in any laws of the State of Mississippi to the Yocona Ridge State Park shall be deemed to mean the George Pa…

The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is hereby directed to change the name of the Natchez State Park to the “Bob M. Dearing Natchez State Park.” Any reference in any laws of the State of Mississippi to the Natchez State Park shall be deemed to mean the Bob M. Dearing N…

(1) As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed in this subsection, unless context of use clearly requires otherwise:(a) “Department” means the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services.(b) “Eligible foster parent” means an individual li…

If in the opinion of the commission, it is necessary to consolidate state lands for more economical administration as state parks and state forests, the Secretary of State, by and with the approval of the Governor, is authorized to exchange with individuals or corporations any st…