The Mississippi River: An Endangered National Treasure

The Mississippi is the world’s fourth largest river system—its basin includes all or part of 32 states and two Canadian provinces. Glacial movement shaped the Upper Mississippi River Basin, leaving fertile soils, rolling hills, and lakes in their wake. Meltwater from the glaciers carved the landscape, including the path of the Mississippi River. Flowing south, the river transformed into a historic 30 to 125 mile-wide river valley that regularly experienced flooding and river meandering, with permanent and temporary wetlands widespread across the landscape. The Mississippi River and its wetlands provide critical habitat for birds and wildlife to thrive throughout the region.

The river’s history helps us understand not only the past, but the present: how it interacts with the land, how people interact with it, and how we might envision its future.

The Mississippi River was just named America’s Most Endangered River on American Rivers’ annual list. In light of this designation, Audubon is taking a moment to recognize and reflect on the importance of the Mississippi River to human, bird, and wildlife communities, and what we must do to protect it for future generations.

The Mississippi River provides water for drinking, transport, recreation, industry, agriculture, and wildlife. It is the centerpiece of the Mississippi Flyway, which is home or a migratory pathway for 350 species of birds. Some 60 percent of North American migratory bird species use the Mississippi Flyway for their migratory journeys. The river provides crucial stopover habitat and nesting and foraging grounds. Other fish and wildlife, such as the endangered Pallid Sturgeon and the historically threatened Louisiana Black Bear, rely on riverine and wetland habitats as well.

While the river has adapted to changes throughout its history, it now faces unprecedented human-caused and natural threats. Protecting the river and its habitat from extreme weather events and impacts from urban and agricultural development is more important than ever. Over the past three years, Audubon expanded our Mississippi River Water Initiative to grow our work conserving and calling for protection of the river.

The central focus of this work is habitat protection and restoration. Protecting and restoring habitat and natural functions of the river and its tributaries are crucial to protecting bird populations and our communities. Natural infrastructure and well-connected habitats provide stability against threats posed by extreme weather events, harmful pollutants that contaminant our waterways, and increasing urban and agricultural development in the river basin. Protecting the Mississippi River’s water quality and its flows is good for both people and birds.

We hope you will join us in our commitment to protecting the Mississippi River and the birds that rely on it. As conversations in Washington D.C. turn toward the next congressional budget, we are prepared to advocate for the funding and programs that protect this hardworking river. Stay tuned for future opportunities to learn more about our Mississippi River work and how to engage with us in protecting critically important bird habitat.