Audubon and Army Corps Sign Pact for the Mississippi River

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The regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) unites ecosystem restoration experts from the environmental and natural resource staff of the Corps’ six districts in their Mississippi Valley Division with those of Audubon's Mississippi River Initiative to collaborate on key conservation initiatives within 12 states and a 370,000-square-mile geographic boundary stretching from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Corps and Audubon staff have already begun exploring sustainable management of important habitats such as the Atchafalaya River system in Louisiana; Mississippi River diversions to restore wetlands and strengthen storm protection below New Orleans; and conservation education projects at places such as the Mississippi and Missouri River confluence near St. Louis.

"A strengthened relationship between the Corps and Audubon is absolutely essential," said Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh. "And the MOU will foster even greater collaborative achievements as both organizations strive to preserve our Nation's environment."

"Together, we can meet the broad array of challenges to keep this vital working river a river that works," added Audubon Vice President Roger Still. "We can advance the restoration of Mississippi Delta habitats that ensure a sustainable future for the people of coastal Louisiana. We can make certain the Mississippi remains as a globally significant migratory flyway for birds, and that it supports other important wildlife species. And we can protect water quality along entire length of the river."

Corps and Audubon representatives will meet later this month for joint planning and implementation efforts.

"This agreement must be more than a piece of paper," Walsh said. "The importance of this great river to our nation's economy and to our natural heritage demands that we work together for a balanced, sustainable future."

The Mississippi Valley Division comprises six interdependent districts with a regional headquarters in Vicksburg and district offices in St. Paul, MN; Rock Island, IL; St. Louis, MO; Memphis, TN; Vicksburg, MS; and New Orleans, LA.