Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Missouri
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Missouri Project


Evaluating the role of Wetland Reserve Program easements in providing for multiple ecosystem functions

July 2018 - July 2023


Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • Natural Resource Conservation Service

Bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests were once the dominant ecosystem in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV), however conversion for agricultural purposes reduced the area of BLH forest across the MAV by 75%. Due to wetland loss and subsequent effects on biotic communities and water quality, the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) was initiated in 1990 to restore marginal agricultural lands to wetlands. The purpose of our project is to evaluate the effectiveness of WRP restoration projects at providing multiple ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling and wildlife habitat in the MAV. Providing information on the extent to which wetlands provide both wildlife habitat and nutrient cycling can guide future restoration efforts to ensure that project goals are met.

Presentations Presentation Date
Podoliak, J., D. Hicks and E. Webb. Assessing biotic communities on Wetland Reserve Program Easements in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. West Tennessee Water Resources Conference February 2020