WHAT WE DO
Our Mission
Promote the restoration and wise use of the natural resources of the Lower Mississippi River through cooperative efforts involving planning, management, information sharing, public education, advocacy and research.
Our Focus
The LMRCC focuses on habitat restoration, long-term conservation planning and scientific assessment of the river’s health.
OUR FOCUS
Restore River Habitats
The LMRCC, in conjunction with our partners, undertakes activities to restore habitat including:
- Implementing aquatic habitat restoration and river-access improvement projects.
- Restoring bottomland hardwood forests in the river’s active floodplain.
- Lower Mississippi River Feasibility Studies.
- Preparing a comprehensive plan, the Lower Mississippi River Resource Assessment, that includes habitat restoration for more than 3 million acres of lands and waters. Read the final report to Congress and view the project area map (PDF).
OUR FOCUS
Promote Greater River Access and Use
Some of our activities to meet this goal include:
- Developing of an online sport fishing guide for the lower river (download the PDF).
- Coordinating the development of the Lower Mississippi River Water Trail
OUR FOCUS
Encourage a Broader Appreciation of the River
To promote the Mississippi River, the LMRCC:
- Documents the river’s economic importance to the region and the nation. Download the economic profile (PDF, 2.3 MB).
- Documents the importance of good quality river water for wildlife and people. An initial water quality assessment was completed in 2014. An updated assessment was completed in 2021.
- Developed a comprehensive Geographic Information System to help plan and implement habitat restoration and river-access improvement projects.
Initiatives and Projects
- Restoring America’s Greatest River Initiative
- Lower Mississippi River Batture Reforestation Project
- Lower Mississippi River Feasibility Studies
- Water Quality Data Inventory
- Asian Carp Management and Control
- Fishing the Lower Mississippi River Initiative
- Lower Mississippi River Resource Assessment
- 2014 Lower Mississippi River Economic Profile Project
RECENT NEWS
Wood traps: creating new habitat for aquatic insects
Engineers have manipulated the Lower Mississippi River for 200 years. They removed large “snags” of dead trees, branches and other “woody debris” that clogged navigation channels. They lined the banks, first with large mats made from willow trees, then with mats made from concrete, to keep them from eroding. They also shortened and straightened the…
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The batture: What is it and why is it important?
What is the Lower Mississippi River “batture?” In the simplest terms, it refers to the lands and waters remaining between federal levees or bluffs along the eastern and western banks of the river. It is what remains of the river’s active floodplain. The batture covers approximately 2 million acres between Cairo, Illinois, and Baton Rouge,…
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Black Carp: New threat to native mussels and snails
Black Carp, Mylopharyngodon piceus, are raising new concerns about non-native, invasive carp species in the Lower Mississippi River. Unlike the four other non-native carp species found in the lower river, Black Carp, which can grow to 100 or more pounds, eat mussels and snails. They have pharyngeal teeth they use to crush mollusks and eat…
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Pallid Sturgeon: Living Dinosaur at Home in Lower Mississippi
Ancestors of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) coexisted with dinosaurs millions of years ago. Fossil sturgeon specimens from North America are believed to be nearly 80 million years old. Despite this ancient lineage, biologists are just now unlocking some of the mysteries of this ancient species on the Lower Mississippi River. Through increased monitoring…
Continue Reading Pallid Sturgeon: Living Dinosaur at Home in Lower Mississippi