As
Executive Vice-President of The Carbon Fund, recently received
the Earth Day Award from the Ag-Earth Partnership for service
in working with Congress to develop the Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program.
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"A
lot of environmental groups want to do good things for
fish and wildlife. At The Carbon Fund, we want to do good
conservation that works," says the Mississippi Fish
and Wildlife Foundation Executive Director, James L. Cummins.
James got his start in conservation as a teenager working
with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Conservation
and working on his grandfathers' cattle, chicken and row
crop farms near Kilmichael, Mississippi. "I considered
going into chemical engineering, but thought fish and
wildlife would be more rewarding," jokes James.
That
was in the early eighties. Today, with a small, efficient
staff of five employees, we continue to build a strong
organization built on solid principles. "We wanted
a set of principles that define how do the business of
conservation, as well as create a great work environment."
His
ability to convey the importance of good conservation
to the small farmer who farms 40 acres to the Majority
Leader of the United States Senate is obvious. "On
the very first time I met my mentor and our Chairman,
Clarke Reed, he told me, 'Enlightened self-interest is
the greatest of all human motivations.' I try, every day,
to live by that principle and whether I am trying to show
a small farmer how to reforest his or her property and
market the carbon rights or explain to the Majority Leader
the role carbon sequestration can play in offsetting greenhouse
gas emissions. If you know what motivates people, the
rest is just a few technical details."
"In
the end, it boils down to improving the quality of life."
As
the chief executive officer of The Carbon Fund, duties
include being in charge of all activities of all salaried
employees, development of the Fund's goals, objectives,
and programs in conjunction with the Board of Trustees.
Develops standard operating procedures. Coordinates federal
and state legislative programs. Prepares an annual budget
in conjunction with the Foundation's Chairman, President,
Treasurer, and Bookkeeper. Evaluates the performance of
each employee. Directs communications programs. Solicits
foundation, corporate, private, and government donations/contracts/grants.
Makes presentations. Directs field operations. Other duties
as assigned by the Chairman, President and/or Board of
Trustees.
He
is very involved in a wide array of organizations. He
is a member of the American Fisheries Society, Bass Anglers
Sportsman's Society, Mississippi Forestry Association,
Mississippi Wildlife Federation, National Parks Conservation
Association, The Nature Conservancy, Outdoor Writers Association
of America, Quail Unlimited, Society of American Foresters,
Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and The Wildlife
Society.
He
serves as Vice-Chairman of Mississippi State University's
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' Advisory Committee,
Chairman of the Natural Resources Conservation Service,
State Technical Committee, Wildlife Subcommittee, Chairman
of the Board of the North American Waterfowl Federation
and a member of the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian
Folklife Festival.
He
has published over 60 articles and serves as the Conservation
Editor of over 70 newspapers throughout Mississippi. He
has been published in such magazines as Wildlife Mississippi,
Delta Wildlife, Mid-South Farmer, Mississippi Outdoors,
Future Earth, California Waterfowl, Mississippi Game and
Fish Magazine and the Proceedings of the Annual Conference
of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
He
has given over 30 formal presentations to such groups
as the National Agricultural Outlook Conference, Congressional
Sportsman's Caucus, Southeast Private Lands Biologists
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeastern Quail
Study Group, Memphis Garden Club, the Mississippi Association
of Conservation Districts, the Mississippi Rural Development
Council, the Mississippi State University Chapter of The
Wildlife Society, the Mississippi Commission On Wildlife,
Fisheries and Parks, the Delta Environmental Network,
the Mississippi Delta Advertising Club, the Political
Economy Research Center, the Mississippi Ornithological
Society, International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies, Rice Millers' Association, The Garden Clubs
Of Mississippi, the Society of Wetland Scientists, the
Greenwood-Leflore Chamber of Commerce, Southern Agri-business
Forum, American Fisheries Society, Mississippi State University
Fisheries Club, the Wildlife and Fisheries Staff of the
U.S.D.A. Forest Service and the Southeastern Association
of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
These
accomplishments reflect James's devotion to building a
results-oriented organization whose single goal is to
"improve the quality of life in this great Nation."
It is a simple goal but one that takes leadership and
involvement in all stages of the organization.
"What
separates a great conservation organization from a mediocre
one is a combination of a good mission, a supportive Board
of Trustees, superb people to work with and a great staff.
We are very fortunate to have all of those."
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James
L. Cummins