Wetlands Reserve Program - Mississippi
August 16, 2016 •
1
min read
Wetlands Reserve Program - Mississippi
The floodplain of the Mississippi delta once comprised a vast and unique wetland ecosystem consisting of bottomland hardwood forests, oxbow lakes, and cypress swamps. These characteristics, along with the region's long growing season and mild winter temperatures, produced extremely diverse habitat for wildlife, including winter foraging habitat for migratory waterfowl. However, it is estimated that 80% of these bottomland hardwood wetland forests have now been converted. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in Mississippi emphasizes the restoration and protection of this delta ecoregion, which contains critical waterfowl habitat.
Accomplishments
Since 1997, Ducks Unlimited has assisted the NRCS with reforestation and hydrology restoration activities in Mississippi. Accomplishments to date include reforestation of bottomland hardwoods (i.e., planting of bare-root seedlings) on 29,500 acres enrolled in the WRP. Additionally, hydrology restoration measures have been completed on approximately 10,600 acres, thus providing valuable moist-soil habitats for wintering waterfowl.
Benefits
The Mississippi delta is one of the most intensively farmed regions in the United States. Several million acres of cotton, rice, soybeans, corn and catfish are grown annually. Croplands enrolled into WRP are planted to bottomland hardwood tree species that ultimately filter out sediments and nutrients that would otherwise end up in the Mississippi River. Reforestation of bottomland hardwood forest ecosystems is also providing critical habitat for many wildlife species including white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and waterfowl.
