51-4-17 - Pilot programs.
§ 51-4-17. Pilot programs.
(1) The department is authorized to conduct a pilot program for the following streams designated as eligible for inclusion in the State Scenic Streams Stewardship Program:
(a) Wolf River in Pearl River, Hancock, Stone and Harrison Counties beginning at Mississippi Highway 26 in Pearl River County to the Bay of St. Louis in Harrison County;
(b) Black Creek in Lamar, Forrest, Perry, Stone, George and Jackson Counties beginning at Mississippi Highway 589 in Lamar County to the Pascagoula River in Jackson County;
(c) Okatoma Creek in Simpson and Covington Counties beginning at the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in Simpson County to the Bowie River in Covington County;
(d) Strong River in Smith, Rankin and Simpson Counties beginning at the confluence of Beech Creek in Smith County to the Pearl River in Simpson County;
(e) Pearl River in Winston and Neshoba Counties beginning at the origin, confluence of Nanih Waiya Creek and Bogue Chitto Creek in Winston County to MS Highway 15 in Neshoba County; and
(f) Buttahatchie River in Monroe and Lowndes Counties beginning at the Mississippi-Alabama state line in Monroe County to U.S. Highway 45 in Lowndes County.
(2) The department shall follow the requirements in this chapter for the nomination of these streams to the State Scenic Streams Stewardship Program. The department shall report annually to the Legislature on the status of the pilot program.
(3) Any landowner entering into a binding agreement for the management of lands in a pilot project shall be eligible for any subsequent incentives that are offered for participation in the State Scenic Streams Stewardship Program.
Sources: Laws, 1999, ch. 381, § 9, eff from and after July 1, 1999.