Grassland Restoration at Riverlands

The Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a critical stopover for 326 bird species utilizing the Mississippi Flyway.

Tallgrass prairie once blanketed 15 million acres of the Midwest and supported a vast diversity of plants and animals. People began converting these grasslands to cropland and other uses 150-plus years ago. Invasive species, unsustainable grazing, and urbanization have further degraded or destroyed this once massive ecological community. Today, less than 5% of our tallgrass prairie remains making it one of the most imperiled ecosystems on the planet. Grassland birds are sustaining serious population declines as a result, more than any bird group in North America. 

Wet prairies are one expression of this once vast prairie biome. Today, Audubon is supporting the US Army Corp of Engineers in the continued restoration of 1,200 acres of prairie marsh at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, an effort the Corps initiated in 1988 to bring back an example of pre-settlement grassland habitat found in the Great Rivers Confluence area. 

We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Corps in maintaining and improving Riverlands as a vital source of food, shelter and safe passage for thousands of birds. We thank the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative (MoBCI) for supporting grassland restoration at Riverlands.