Mississippi’s great outdoors is more than forests, lakes, and the critters that live there. Its places where memories are made, firsts are had, and stories are told.
The mission of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is to conserve and enhance Mississippi’s wildlife, fisheries, and parks, provide quality outdoor recreation, and engage the public in natural resource conservation.
Mississippi’s legislative leadership recognized the need for wildlife conservation in our state and founded the Mississippi Game and Fish Commission in 1932. Since then, the Agency has been the state’s premier conservation organization. In 1989, the Bureau of Parks and Recreation merged with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Conservation to form the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP). The MDWFP is a large state agency charged by state statute to conserve, develop, and protect Mississippi’s natural resources and provide continuing outdoor recreation opportunities.
The Agency is organized into six bureaus: Law Enforcement, Freshwater Fisheries, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS), State Parks, Support Services, and Wildlife. The MDWFP manages state fishing lakes, fish hatcheries, state parks, wildlife management areas (some owned by other entities, but managed by MDWFP), three regional offices, and one museum. The MDWFP’s annual budget is unlike that of many state agencies; approximately 90% of this budget is derived from user-generated funds rather than state tax funds. Primary funding sources include hunting and fishing license sales, permit and registration fees, and federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment.
