Midwestern states within the Upper Mississippi River watershed currently contribute the greatest nutrient load to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. Often called “dead zones,” hypoxic areas have oxygen levels that can decrease to the point where the zone can no longer support living aquatic species. High concentration of nutrients — particularly nitrogen and phosphorous — is one of the major events that contribute to Gulf hypoxia.
To reduce water quality impacts downstream to fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, the conservation community identified the need for tools that prioritize the design and configuration of actions that appeal to upstream agricultural communities. As a result, theMississippi River Basin/Gulf Hypoxia Initiative (MRB/GH) was created.
Spearheaded by seven LCCs — Plains and Prairie Potholes, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers, Appalachian, Great Plains, Gulf Coast Prairie and Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks LCCs—the MRB/GH initiative is undertaking a strategic and transparent process to create an integrated framework that supports planning, design, configuration and delivery of wildlife conservation practices within the Upper Mississippi River watershed.
