Youth Benefit From Fish Hatchery, Lake Partnership

Art Show Among Events At Education Center

By Deborah Freeman
Park Ranger

ENID – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks officially opened the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery and Visitor Education Center in April of 2009. This state-of-the-art fish hatchery is located on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ property, just below the dam.

    As a result of the opening of this facility, a partnership was established between Rangers at Enid Lake and fish hatchery personnel to educate local youth on natural resource stewardship and operations of both facilities.             

Over 750 local youth have already toured the new hatchery, and visited the lake’s interpretive nature hikes, enjoying picnics by the lake and overnight camping.  These educational tours demonstrate how state and federal agencies are effectively working together to promote freshwater sport fishing, while sustaining depleted fish populations through conservation and stewardship of aquatic resources.

    Enid Lake Ranger Deborah Freeman and the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery Director, Jessie Gurner, coordinate with local churches, schools, boy and girl scout troops, summer day camps, and any other interested groups to provide a fun and educational day at Enid Lake.  

    The North Mississippi Fish Hatchery Visitor Education Center features a 10,000-gallon aquarium with live fish from Enid Lake, sport fishing artifacts, interactive exhibits, and a conference room. Tours through the hatchery show how fish are spawned and hatched in the lab.         

Visitors will see how the fish are then moved to large outdoor rearing ponds until they are distributed to state lakes and rivers throughout northern Mississippi.     Visitors get to view fish species such as northern largemouth bass (the state fish), crappie, triploid crappie, flathead catfish, bluegill, paddlefish and walleye.

    One of the exhibits at the Visitor Education Center features the construction of Enid Dam and Lake as part of the comprehensive plan for flood damage reduction on the Yazoo River and tributaries. The exhibit provides details on the Flood of 1927, the four major Corps lakes in north Mississippi, use of surface water for a local electric power generation facility, recreation, diversity of wildlife and habitats, two wildlife management areas, and water safety.

    Enid Lake Rangers conduct interpretive nature walks to provide the youth with a firsthand look at the natural resources found at Enid Lake.  Prior to the walk, the youth are given a brief history of the U.S. Army Corps Engineers, Enid Lake and ranger duties, as well as a safety briefing on trail hazards and the responsible use of outdoor recreational lands.  

    Once on the trail, the youth are exposed to the beauty of the forest, the excitement of seeing wildlife, and the physical enjoyment of walking on a trail.  Rangers teach the youth to respect the environment and wildlife by treading lightly and quietly through the woods.      

    Rangers also encourage students to discover the natural treasures living in the woods and the importance of conserving the natural resources. The nature walks usually last one hour, and groups often reserve a picnic shelter for a leisurely outdoor lunch and free play time for the youth on a nearby playground.

    Enid Lake offers several multi-purpose trails for public use.  Rangers utilize these trails for nature walks depending upon the size, age, or purpose of the group.  

    Persimmon Hill Nature Trail is a paved multi-use trail with several park benches, a waterfall and fish pond, and lights, for walks after dark.  This trail is good for large groups of all ages, and is wheelchair friendly. Beech Hollow Nature Trail is an unpaved trail that meanders through a forested landscape with rolling hills.  Both trails are approximately 0.5 mile long and take about 30 minutes to complete.  Self-guided brochures provide information about trees and animals along the trail.  

    This partnership offers education of North Mississippi’s natural resources and recreation opportunities, as well as opportunities to participate in quality outdoor enjoyment.  Please contact the Enid Lake Field Office at 662.563.4571 or the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery at 662.563.8068 for further information.

ENID LAKE – An original art show “Outdoor Imagination,” featuring the work of young artists from Imagination Station of Water Valley, opened at the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery Visitor Education Center at Enid Lake Saturday, March 20.

A reception at 1:30 p.m. kicked off the first day of spring event that showcases works that explores the connection between art and nature. The show runs through May 20.

About 125 pieces created by the youngsters including drawings, paintings, sculpture, collage and paintings are included in the show. The youngsters range in age from 6 to 16.

Imagination Station is a fun, interactive center for art lessons and creative studies, according to Anissa Wilkinson, owner and lead instructor. “Our mission is simply to foster the imaginative expression of children and youth.”

Students are encouraged to experiment artistically without reservation and to develop an appreciation for and basic knowledge of the art process and product, Wilkinson said. “At Imagination Station, the study of art is certainly less than formal, the projects are consistently out-of-the-box, and the results are definitely inspiring.”

 The North Mississippi Fish Hatchery and Visitor Education Center is part of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and is located off I-55 at Enid Exit 233 east.

For more information about this and other programs call 662-563-8068 or visit their website at http://home.mdwfp.com/NMFH.

See videos of the art show and of the opening at YouTube.