MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A one-day workshop on Nov. 1 for farmers, landowners and resource managers will provide attendees with the resources to start and manage a natural resource enterprise.

Fee fishing, fee hunting, agritourism, trail riding and wildlife watching are examples of outdoor recreational businesses based on the natural resources commonly found on Mississippi private lands.

This workshop will be held near Benndale in George County. Benndale is located at the intersection of Highway 26 and Highway 57, just west of Lucedale.

Beginning at 8 a.m., workshop participants will hear presentations about business management, marketing, types of enterprises, cost-share programs and liability issues. In the afternoon, participants will be taken into the field to learn about wildlife habitat management techniques and outdoor recreation enterprises. 

Specialists also will discuss the ecology and recreational aspects of the Pascagoula River as well as hurricane recovery and invasive species management.

This workshop is part of a series by the Natural Resource Enterprises Program at Mississippi State University. It is a partnership with MSU’s Extension Service, MSU’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

MSU’s Extension Service, MAFES and the FWRC cooperatively created and implemented the Natural Resource Enterprises Program to assist private landowners in developing alternative or supplemental methods of income on their land.

Registration for the workshop is $25, which includes a reference notebook, lunch, breaks, presentations by resource professionals and a field tour with agency personnel. Early registration is recommended due to space limitations.

For more information about the workshop or to register, call (662) 325-3133 or visit http://www.wildlifeworkshop.msstate.edu.

Contact: Adam Rohnke, (601) 857-2284