There are eight steps involved in getting a steam nominated to the program.

1) Eligibility
2) Evaluation
3) Legislative Determination of Eligibility
4) Advisory Council
5) Public Notice and Meeting
6) Nomination
7) Legislative Nomination and Notice
8) Stewardship Plan

1) Eligibility. Any Mississippi organization, resident, state agency or local government may request the Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks (The Department) to evaluate a stream for eligibility.

2) Evaluation. The Department will then evaluate the stream using the following criteria: Biological, Physical(character of stream channel), Human Interaction (use by people), and Historical.

3) Legislative Determination of Eligibility. If the stream meets the criteria, the Department recommends to the Legislature that the stream be listed as eligible. This recommendation takes the form of a bill which the Legislature must adopt before the process can advance to step 4.

4) Advisory Council. The Department, through the executive director then appoints an advisory council for the stream. This council is composed of members representing the following local interests:

5) Public Notice and Meeting. Actual notice is mailed to riparian landowners. Thirty days after published public notice in newspapers of both local and statewide circulation, a public meeting will be held in the vicinity of the stream. Public comments concerning the nomination of the stream will be received at this meeting.

6) Nomination. After consideration of the public comments received at the meeting, the Department and the Advisory Council will then decide whether to nominate the stream.

7) Legislative Nomination and Notice. Nomination of the stream to the Scenic Streams Stewardship program is filed as a bill and must be adopted by the Legislature. Notice of the final designation including boundaries will be given by publication in local and statewide newspapers and by mail to riparian landowners and local government.

8) Stewardship Plan. The Department and the Advisory Council then develop a cooperative voluntary stewardship plan for the scenic stream. Individual landowner agreements can provide a connected patchwork of protective buffer zones along the length of a stream.