The Mississippi River Trust (MRT) is a charitable, non-profit organization. Since 2002, we have been working with private landowners who want to find ways to preserve the rich tapestry of landscapes and history of the Lower Mississippi River Valley.
We cooperate with other land trusts, government agencies, and conservation organizations to help us meet our goals.
Our Goals
- To improve the fish, wildlife, and plant resources of the Lower Mississippi River Valley
- To acquire and hold title to land and conservation interests in land in the states of Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee
- To educate the public about fish, wildlife, and plant conservation
- To encourage the public to be responsible stewards of the Lower Mississippi River Valley’s natural resources
- To develop incentive-based conservation programs
- To ensure conservation programs in the Lower Mississippi River Valley are effective and cost-efficient
- To educate the public about the conservation options available to private landowners
Habitat Conservation
We encourage landowners in the Lower Mississippi River region to donate land and interests in land for conservation purposes. We also acquire and hold title to land and conservation interests to improve and protect water quality; to enhance and protect wildlife populations; and to improve local economies through nature-based recreation.
Our primary tool for land conservation is a conservation easement. It is an alternative to selling land for development. A conservation easement allows a landowner to retain ownership of the land, protect important environmental or historical assets of the land from future development, and obtain certain tax advantages.
Many of our habitat conservation projects, including the Lower Mississippi River Batture Reforestation Project, focus on the active floodplain of the Lower Mississippi River, an area of 2 million acres of land and water from Cairo, Illinois, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Conservation Education
We promote a broader knowledge of conservation options and stewardship of the region’s natural resources through landowner workshops, field days and Internet resources such as the Conservation Finance Center.
Conservation Policy
We work with government agencies and other private entities to address and solve the region’s conservation challenges through legislation, federal appropriations and the development of innovative programs.