Stretching from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) consists of more than 24 million acres of forested wetlands with fertile alluvial soils. Home to the Louisiana black bear and more than 100 fish species and 107 breeding land birds, the region is rich with biological diversity. But today, widespread loss of forests, combined with flood control and drainage efforts, has led to critical habitat loss for wildlife, damaged water quality, and reduced floodwater retention.