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.
- Helped prepare 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:
- Development of an online sport fishing guide for the lower river (download the PDF or Flash version). Download the fact sheet (PDF, 3.8 MB)
- 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 will be completed in 2021.
- Developed a comprehensive Geographic Information System to help plan and implement habitat restoration and river-access improvement projects.
RECENT NEWS
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
River Shrimp: Long-Armed, Long-Distance Traveler
Jan Jeffrey HooverUS Army Engineer Research and Development CenterVicksburg, MS Shrimp are typically thought of as marine animals, characteristic of Gulf waters, but there are also species inhabiting the fresh waters of the Mississippi River. The largest of these (60-100 mm) is the Ohio River shrimp, or simply “river shrimp” (Macrobrachium ohione). Like its saltwater relatives,…
Continue Reading River Shrimp: Long-Armed, Long-Distance Traveler
Endangered Fat Pocketbook Mussel Found Along the Lower Mississippi River
The endangered Fat Pocketbook mussel is one of three priority species listed in a Strategic Habitat Conservation Plan for the Lower Mississippi River. Although it was listed as federally endangered in 1976, and at that time known only from the St. Francis River system in Arkansas, it was first found in the main channel of the lower…
Continue Reading Endangered Fat Pocketbook Mussel Found Along the Lower Mississippi River
The Paddlefish: Primitive Fish Inspiring Future Technology
Jan Jeffrey Hoover and Edward J. PerkinsEnvironmental LaboratoryUS Army Engineer Research and Development CenterVicksburg, MS The North American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is a primitive species with an unusually sophisticated multi-purpose tool: its snout. Common in the lower Mississippi River basin, it is harvested for its eggs which provide gourmets with caviar rivaling that of related…
Continue Reading The Paddlefish: Primitive Fish Inspiring Future Technology