Audubon Center at Riverlands: A Hemispheric Crossroads for Bird Migration and Bottomland Forest Conservation

The Mississippi is properly price studying about. It isn’t a commonplace river, however quite the opposite is in all methods exceptional. 

— Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi 

The Mississippi River is a globally important ecosystem, sometimes called the “lifeblood of America” for each individuals and birds. Its huge watershed drains 41 p.c of the continental United States, touching three-fifths of the nation’s states and two Canadian provinces. It kinds the core of the Mississippi Flyway, a central migratory passageway supporting practically 60 p.c of North America’s migratory hen species. Regardless of this ecological significance, the river faces rising pressures and was lately named America’s most endangered river. Lengthy earlier than this designation, Audubon and its companions have been working to revive, rehabilitate, and reimagine this iconic system—efforts that are actually extra pressing than ever. 

Simply north of St. Louis, the Audubon Center at Riverlands sits at probably the most vital migratory stopover websites alongside the Mississippi River. Nestled throughout the 3,700-acre Riverlands Migratory Chicken Sanctuary, the Middle and the encompassing panorama lie at a hemispheric crossroads for birds flying between the Arctic, the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf, and past. With more than 300 bird species recorded right here, Riverlands is not only a sanctuary; it’s a world lifeline for migratory birds. 

The Bird Migration Explorer reveals how linked the Middle and the encompassing panorama really are throughout the whole western hemisphere. Birds noticed at Riverlands hyperlink this floodplain to greater than 45 nations and territories from northern Canada to the southern reaches of Chile and Argentina. Information from greater than 100 tagged species present connections just like the Blackpoll Warbler’s connection to Cuba, the Cerulean Warbler’s ties to Venezuela, the Frequent Nighthawk’s attain into western Brazil, and the American Golden-Plover’s presence in Uruguay. And these birds aren’t merely passing by—being noticed at Riverlands highlights the area’s position as a important gateway, linking breeding and wintering grounds. It offers important locations for birds to relaxation, refuel, breed, and survive as they join ecosystems throughout the Americas. 

On the basis of this panorama for a lot of species are bottomland hardwood forests—wealthy, seasonally flooded woodlands that when stretched broadly alongside the Mississippi’s banks. Right this moment, more than 50 percent of these forests have been lost or degraded resulting from growth, altered hydrology, and the introduction of invasive species, corresponding to reed canary grass and Japanese hops, in addition to illnesses like Dutch Elm Illness and emerald ash borer since 1989. Though fragmented and diminished, these forests are extra important than ever, offering important habitat in a panorama the place such assets are more and more scarce. 

For a lot of landbirds, the Higher Mississippi’s bottomland forests are all the pieces. They supply refuge and assets in a fragmented panorama, together with a gentle provide of meals and the applicable forest construction wanted to lift their younger safely. Regional species of curiosity, such because the Crimson-shouldered Hawk, Warbling Vireo, and American Redstart, depend upon these forests for nesting, molting, foraging, and protected passage throughout migration. Cavity excavators such because the Crimson-headed Woodpecker depend on standing useless bushes to create nesting websites. As soon as deserted, these cavities can turn out to be prime actual property for Prothonotary Warblers, which nest above shallow water as the one cavity-nesting warbler within the East. 

From Riverlands, Audubon scientists lead long-term efforts to monitor, shield, and restore these declining forest habitats. In keeping with the 2025 State of the Birds report, populations of japanese forest birds have decreased by 27 p.c since 1970. Whereas some species in mature forests are doing higher than these in disturbed forests, the losses are widespread. This makes native conservation important to bending the hen curve again towards steady populations. 

This work started in 2014 with the launch of a bird-monitoring program within the St. Louis area. It has since expanded northward, spanning from the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Discipline groups conduct annual breeding hen level counts and habitat and vegetation surveys to construct a clearer image of how birds work together with bottomland forests over time. These surveys reveal which habitat options—corresponding to cover top, tree density, and tree species composition—finest help thriving hen communities. 

In keeping with Tara Hohman, conservation science supervisor for Audubon Riverlands, these surveys are the baseline for regional conservation. “The worth of this work has been important to influencing the administration of those forests for wildlife, together with forest well being. Serving to to construct a system that advantages the ecology on a panorama stage.” 

These insights information conservation actions. Throughout 70 river islands and conservation areas, Audubon and companions—together with the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tribal Nations, and state businesses—are eradicating invasive reed canary grass, replanting native species like swamp white oak and black willow, and restoring the layered forest construction that birds must thrive. Thus far, greater than 3,000 acres of the floodplain forests within the area have been enhanced, with greater than 160,000 bushes planted. 

Trying forward, Audubon goals to deepen and develop this work by persevering with restoration and monitoring at present websites whereas filling important information gaps elsewhere alongside the river. By understanding what makes a bottomland forest productive for birds and making use of these classes at scale, we will reverse a long time of habitat loss and assist stem inhabitants declines of forest-dependent species.  

For Hohman, this work is vital for the way forward for native breeding birds and people migrating to different corners of the hemisphere. “Via this work, we attempt to enhance and restore bottomland forests for the well being of the habitat and the birds that decision it dwelling. Whereas we proceed to fine-tune our understanding of the wants of our breeding birds inside this method, we additionally hope to set up an understanding of the migratory hen wants and use of this particular habitat.” 

Because the Mississippi winds previous Riverlands, the floodplain forest pulses with life. This stretch of river is greater than a stopover—it is a continental epicenter, the place a long time of labor to revive bottomland forest habitat are shaping a brighter future for birds. On this important stronghold, Audubon is stepping as much as the duty and the chance to make sure that future generations of birds—and folks—proceed to thrive.