Issaquena County has gone to the birds, sort of.

The 2,400-acre Howard Miller Wildlife Management Area is now criss-crossed with levees and flooded with enough well water to create a habitat similar to the natural one on the Gulf Coast. The creation is a form of insurance — for when the next natural, or man-made disaster strikes the coast. Environmental officials are hoping the Issaquena spot will provide a natural landing place for birds fleeing north.

Ed Penny, waterfowl coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, was among the officials at the Issaquena site about 30 miles north of Vicksburg when it was introduced about 10 days ago.

“What we’re trying to do is provide another link in the chain from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico where these birds can stop, rest and feed,” he said.

The area already is a shorebird habitat and waterfowl hunting ground, but now the area’s levees and manmade pooling fields create a habitat similar to that on the coast.

Keep in mind, though, the advantages could spread beyond the winged wildlife. It could be an economic boon for the South Mississippi Delta that month in and month out has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and the country.

Nature sanctuaries bring in nature- watchers. Nature-watchers need places to stay. They need places to eat. They need places to buy supplies. Although the economic impact likely won’t have an immediate or tremendous effect, even a hope of extra money is a positive. This sanctuary certainly will attract wildlife-watchers and might give visitors to Issaquena, and even Warren County, an additional activity while in the area.

The weather soon will be warming, and sunshine will dominate. Plan a trip to the Howard Miller Wildlife Management Area and have a look at the power of nature’s beauty and hope it turns in to more than simply a place for the birds.