Michael Bell came to Monday’s meeting of Adams County Board of Supervisors to deliver a state of the environment message for Adams County. In one word, that message was &uot;litter.&uot;

Bell, the conservation officer for District Five of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries, said he is fed up with litter and would appreciate any influence the supervisors could exert to get local law enforcement agencies to ticket more litter-bugs.

&uot;The problem has exploded in Adams County,&uot; he said. &uot;People are dropping furniture, animal carcasses, old mattresses and all manner of trash.&uot;

Bell said his own street, Morgantown Road, is a prime example of how bad the situation has become.

&uot;County crews will come through and pick up trash and within 20 minutes more trash has taken its place,&uot; Bell said.

Virginia Salmon, president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors, agreed with Bell.

&uot;We certainly admire the work you are doing and agree that there is a litter problem,&uot; she said.

Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell was at the meeting and pledged his department’s support to rein in pollution in the county.

&uot;I spoke with Mr. Bell’s boss and have told him that we will work with them on this problem,&uot; Ferrell said.

Bell said he is grateful for the backing of the board of supervisors and the sheriff.

&uot;We all face this problem – sheriff, police, highway patrol, constables – citing litter and trying to keep things clean to prevent disease and just make things look better,&uot; Bell said.

What people may not realize, Bell said, is that law enforcement is getting smarter at tracking litter to its source.

Trash bags often contain identifying information, he said, which helps to link litter to its point of origin.

With litter already at epidemic proportions, Bell said he is concerned about the upcoming hunting season. &uot;People drop animal carcasses on roadsides and all they have to do is bury (the carcasses),&uot; he said. &uot;They’re biodegradable.&uot;

Bell said he stays optimistic about his campaign against trash. &uot;When I took this job, I took it seriously,&uot; he said. &uot;If people started taking pride in their community, that pride would spill over into other areas.&uot;