NFWF and Partners Announce $5 Million in Grants to Restore Forests and Wetlands in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Funding will restore bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands, improving habitat for wildlife including the Louisiana black bear, alligator gar and waterfowl

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced nearly $5 million in grants to improve, restore and expand important forest and wetland wildlife habitats in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, one of North America’s most important landscapes for fish and wildlife. Leveraging $1.8 million in nonfederal matching contributions from grantees, the investments will generate a total conservation impact of almost $6.8 million.

The grants were awarded through the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Restoration Fund (LMAV Fund), a partnership between NFWF and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, International Paper’s Forestland Stewards Partnership, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Walton Family Foundation. This year marks the ninth year of funding through this public-private partnership supporting voluntary conservation actions in the Lower Mississippi Valley. 

“The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley is both a vital landscape for wildlife and a working landscape that supports communities across seven states,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “These grants will help restore and reconnect forests, wetlands and floodplains across the region, improving habitat for wildlife while also enhancing water quality and strengthening the natural infrastructure that benefits working lands and agricultural communities. This work demonstrates what is possible when public and private partners come together to invest in the long-term health and resilience of this nationally significant landscape.”

The new and continuing projects supported by the 12 grants announced today will improve habitat across the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley landscape through enhanced wetland management, forest thinning, tree planting and aquatic habitat restoration. Through those practices, these projects will provide critical interventions to improve populations of the iconic species of this landscape such as the Louisiana black bear, alligator gar, ducks and swamp rabbit.

“Working with nature as infrastructure is good for people and communities. Restoring forests, wetlands and floodplains can improve water quality, reduce flood risks and strengthen the working lands that communities depend on. These investments show how conservation can deliver tangible benefits for both people and ecosystems across the Lower Mississippi Valley,” said Moira Mcdonald, director of the Walton Family Foundation's Environment Program.

Protected areas such as National Wildlife Refuges and State Wildlife Management Areas serve as focal points for conservation in the private lands–dominated South. This slate of projects leverages the ecological value of these areas by working to connect the landscape around these conservation hubs. To accomplish this, the projects will benefit 10 federal or state protect areas, improving and expanding existing habitat. Collectively, the funded projects will:

• Improve hydrology on 3,100 acres, restoring natural flooding patterns that support wildlife and wetland health
• Restore 6,800 acres of existing hardwood forest with wildlife-friendly forest treatments
• Plant more than 1.9 million bottomland hardwood seedlings, creating forest habitat for a myriad of species and increasing carbon capture and storage 

“Restoring bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley is an investment in healthier habitats, cleaner water and more resilient ecosystems,” said Sophie Beckham, International Paper’s chief sustainability officer. “For International Paper, this work reflects our commitment to advancing nature-positive outcomes in the places where we source fiber, work and live. Healthy forests are essential to the environment, and they are also essential to our business as we continue to transform renewable resources into sustainable products people depend on every day.”

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley covers 24 million acres across Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee and is the largest wetland ecosystem in the United States. The region’s hardwood forests, oxbow lakes and other habitat types are home to a wide array of wildlife from the American green-winged teal to the fat pocketbook mussel. More than 60 percent of North America’s bird species use the valley as a landing pad during their migration south or call it home over the winter. 

By the 1990s, less than 25 percent of the region’s forest cover had survived the conversion to agricultural land and the alteration of wetland hydrology for flood control. These changes reduced the amount, quality and connectivity of the forests and wetland habitats and degraded water quality within the Mississippi River and tributaries, lowering the capacity of the entire ecosystem to sustain fish and wildlife species. 

The LMAV Fund supports projects that improve, restore, and expand existing bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands to improve habitats for the more than 100 breeding land birds and other forested wetland-dependent species that inhabit these ecosystems. The fund also works to improve water quality and restore aquatic habitat connectivity for aquatic species like the alligator gar, which need access to the floodplain and river for different parts of their life cycle. The fund’s work benefits local communities by improving forest health, enhancing wildlife habitat, increasing water quality and supporting jobs associated with these projects within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.

A complete list of the 2026 grants made through the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Restoration Fund is available here.    

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works with partners to foster sustainable and impactful conservation solutions so that people and nature thrive together. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation’s conservation foundation. NFWF works with the public and private sectors to sustain, restore and enhance the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. Since its founding, NFWF has supported more than 7,200 grantee organizations and funded more than 23,900 projects that have generated a total conservation impact of more than $12 billion. Learn more at nfwf.org.

About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit fws.gov.

About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP; LSE: IPC) creates sustainable packaging solutions that enable our customers, teammates and shareowners to thrive in an ever-changing world. We are a leader in corrugated packaging, partnering with customers across industries to protect what matters most, strengthen supply chains and create lasting value. Learn more at internationalpaper.com.

About the Natural Resources Conservation Service
As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary private lands conservation agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat. Through one-on-one, personalized and voluntary assistance, NRCS works with producers and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and business goals to ensure the health of our natural resources and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.

About Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.

Matt Winter
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
202-857-0166
matt.winter@nfwf.org