Upper Mississippi River Recovery Program

Upper Mississippi River Recovery Program
Name	Upper Mississippi River Recovery Program
Formation	1999
Type	Multistate conservation partnership
Headquarters	Rock Island, Illinois
Region served	Upper Mississippi River Basin
Parent organization	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Upper Mississippi River Recovery Program

The Upper Mississippi River Recovery Program coordinates multistate efforts to restore and recover federally listed species and associated habitats in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. It integrates federal, state, tribal, and nongovernmental partners to align actions under the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and related conservation authorities. The Program emphasizes science-based recovery, monitoring, and adaptive management across a landscape that includes major navigation infrastructure, floodplain ecosystems, and migratory corridors.

Background and Purpose

The Program was initiated in response to listing decisions under the Endangered Species Act and concerns from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about impacts of navigation and river management on imperiled species in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Partners include state fish and wildlife agencies from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and North Dakota where applicable, together with federal agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Tribal governments including the Ho-Chunk Nation and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska participate through co-management and consultation. Stakeholders such as the Mississippi River Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Audubon Society have provided technical support and outreach. The Program’s purpose is to avoid jeopardy determinations, recover populations of listed species, and reconcile river navigation with ecological sustainability as articulated by the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program and related regional planning documents.

Governance and Partners

Governance is structured around a steering committee and technical teams that include representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Rock Island District), state wildlife agencies such as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and tribal liaisons. Research partners include university programs at University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, and Southern Illinois University. Nongovernmental organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, American Rivers, and River Network collaborate on habitat projects and public engagement. The Program coordinates with national policy entities including the National Fish Habitat Partnership and the Federal Caucus on Migratory Birds. Advisory input has come from regional councils like the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association and international partners concerned with the Mississippi River corridor, including linkages to conservation planning in the Missouri River and the Great Lakes basin.

Conservation Goals and Target Species

The Program prioritizes recovery goals for federally listed freshwater and floodplain-dependent species, including the pallid sturgeon, the Topeka shiner, and the Indiana bat. Other focal taxa include threatened mussels such as the spectaclecase, the eastern pondmussel, and rare freshwater mussels regulated under the Endangered Species Act. Priority bird species include migratory waterfowl and waterbirds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, with conservation benefits extending to species like the least tern and the piping plover where overlapping habitat exists. Fish assemblages of concern include native cyprinids and percids referenced in recovery plans from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Goals encompass measurable increases in population metrics, distributional stability, habitat connectivity, and improved water quality to meet standards similar to those under the Clean Water Act.

Recovery Strategies and Actions

Recovery strategies combine structural and non-structural actions. Structural actions include habitat restoration of side channels, backwaters, and floodplain forests, channel reconfiguration projects coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation mission, and engineered enhancements such as wing dikes and submerged habitat complexity to benefit benthic fauna. Non-structural actions include flow management agreements, seasonal drawdown schedules, invasive species control targeting Asian carp and other nonnative fishes, and land acquisition or easements with partners like The Nature Conservancy. Actions also involve restoration of riparian corridors in cooperation with state departments of natural resources and watershed groups such as the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. Implementation references conservation planning tools used by the National Fish Habitat Partnership and recovery plan guidance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Monitoring, Research, and Adaptive Management

The Program maintains a robust monitoring network integrating data from the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program navigation and ecosystem monitoring, long-term fish and mussel surveys conducted by state agencies, and targeted research from university partners including University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and Missouri State University. Studies address life history of focal species, habitat suitability modeling, population genetics, and the effects of hydrologic regimes influenced by Lock and Dam infrastructure and other navigation structures. Adaptive management frameworks rely on peer-reviewed science published in journals such as Ecological Applications and Conservation Biology and draw on decision-support tools developed with agencies like the USGS and the National Science Foundation. Monitoring efforts coordinate with citizen science programs run by Audubon Society chapters and local watershed organizations to enhance detection and reporting.

Funding and Implementation Timeline

Funding sources include congressional appropriations administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, project-specific funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, grants from foundations like the Pew Charitable Trusts, and cost-share investments by state agencies including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Multi-year implementation is guided by rolling five- to ten-year work plans aligned with recovery objectives, periodic biological opinions issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and milestones coordinated with the National Environmental Policy Act review processes for large structural projects. Timelines emphasize phased habitat actions, progressive monitoring benchmarks, and reporting to stakeholders at forums such as the annual meetings of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association and interagency recovery summits.

Category:Conservation in the United States Category:Mississippi River