Interim Mississippi Department of Wildlife director resigns

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - There’s another vacancy in the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

After less than two months on the job as the department’s Wildlife Bureau director, Ed Penny has resigned.

Penny, who’s been with the department for eight years, tells The Clarion-Ledger (https://on.thec-l.com/2l5D699 ) he’s taking a position at Ducks Unlimited in Jackson. He says he will be the agency’s new director of public policy for the southern region, covering states from New Mexico to Virginia.

Penny’s departure adds to the losses the Wildlife Bureau has endured over the past several years. None of the positions have been filled and the bureau has experienced the loss of several other biologists as well.

Republican State Rep. Scott Bounds, of Philadelphia, says the recruitment and retention of wildlife biologists needs to be addressed.

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Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, https://www.clarionledger.com