Mississippi River Trust

Protecting our Lower Mississippi River Heritage

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The purpose of the Lower Mississippi River Batture Reforestation Project is to achieve more sustainable land and water management in the active floodplain of the Lower Mississippi, thus providing significant ecological, economic, and societal benefits.

Northern pintails. Photo by Bill Stripling

The Lower Mississippi River Batture Reforestation Project improves water quality, helps landowners, saves taxpayer dollars, and improves wildlife habitat along one of the world’s greatest river systems.

James L. Cummins, President
Mississippi River Trust

The goals of this project are to:

  1. Improve water quality in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
  2. Expand habitat for federally protected species, at-risk species or other wetland-dependent wildlife.
  3. Support the implementation of existing regional conservation initiatives.
  4. Reduce soil erosion and increase carbon sequestration in the project area.
  5. Reduce the erosion of vulnerable lands during floods and protect federal flood control and navigation infrastructure to benefit producers and taxpayers.
  6. Reduce taxpayer-funded disaster payments and other payments on flood-prone land.
  7. Provide additional outdoor recreation opportunities to expand and diversify local economies in one of the nation’s most impoverished regions.