Audubon Mississippi River Initiative

The National Audubon Society is advocating a new vision for the Mississippi River watershedas a connected natural system that deserves greater attention from the nation.

Audubon is advocating a major public investment in the Mississippi River system by Congress and the states to address the biggest challenges: the decline of many birds, other wildlife and their habitats; the loss of riverine and coastal wetlands; and inputs of excess nutrients, mainly from farms, that lead to the huge annual "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico.

The program has four goals:

1. Protect and enhance bird species drawn from the Audubon Watchlist and vulnerable common birds tied to five target habitats: Bottomland Forest, Emergent Wetlands, Grasslands, Coastal Areas and Urban Areas.
2. Improve water quality, focusing on reduction of excess nutrients tied to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.
3. Restore natural hydrology to sustain river functions and reduce loss of coastal wet­lands in Louisiana.
4. Coordinate actions at hemispheric, national, regional, and local scales.

The organization is taking action to restore and protect critical habitat for birds, other wildlife and people on more than 2 million acres in the Mississippi watershed. These Conservation Action Sites are near Audubon Centers and Field Offices with staff and capacity for on-the-ground work.