Most Endangered Rivers
The Mississippi River named the #6 Most Endangered River of 2022
The Mississippi River supports millions of people and countless birds, fish, and other wildlife. Despite the importance of this critical river corridor, habitat is being degraded, new sources of water contamination go unchecked, wetlands continue to be drained and lost, and flood damages are escalating. To respond to these threats, Congress should establish a new geographic program overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that focuses on ecosystem health, conservation, and restoration of the Mississippi River through the passage of the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Act.
View American Rivers’ America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2022 report.
Watch the 2022 Most Endangered Rivers announcement video. It is cued up to the Mississippi River segment and features Congresswoman Betty McCollum MN-04 and Mississippi River Network members, Mark River Peoples and John Ruskey with Quapaw Canoe Company and Olivia Dorothy with American Rivers.
“To address the multitude of inter-related environmental issues along the Mississippi River, we need a coordinated, holistic approach…at the moment, the restoration and resilience programs on the Mississippi River are disjointed and poorly coordinated.”
Watch Kelly McGinnis, the Mississippi River Network’s Executive Director, and Matt Rota, the Senior Policy Director with Healthy Gulf, discuss the Most Endangered River listing and this historic opportunity to take action for our mighty Mississippi on Super Talk Mississippi’s Coast Vue with Ricky Mathews.
The segment can also be listened to here.
More about American Rivers’ Most Endangered Rivers Campaign
The America’s Most Endangered Rivers® report is one of the best-known and longest-lived annual reports in the environmental movement. Each year since 1984, grassroots river conservationists have teamed up with American Rivers to use the report to save their local rivers, consistently scoring policy successes that benefit these rivers and the communities through which they flow.
American Rivers reviews nominations for the America’s Most Endangered Rivers report from river groups and concerned citizens across the country. Rivers are selected based upon the following criteria:
- A major decision (that the public can help influence) in the coming year on the proposed action;
- The significance of the river to human and natural communities;
- The magnitude of the threat to the river and associated communities, especially in light of a changing climate
The report highlights ten rivers whose fate will be decided in the coming year, and encourages decision-makers to do the right thing for the rivers and the communities they support. It presents alternatives to proposals that would damage rivers, identifies those who make the crucial decisions, and points out opportunities for the public to take action on behalf of each listed river.
Step 1
Become a River Citizen
Yes! The River can count on me!
I am committed to protecting the Mississippi River. Please keep me informed about actions I can take to protect the Mississippi River as a River Citizen, and send me my free Mississippi River Trivia e-book!
Step 2
LEARN ABOUT THE RIVER
We protect what we know and love. As a River Citizen, you’ll receive our email newsletter and updates, which offer countless ways to engage with and learn more about the River. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter) , and YouTube, where we share about urgent issues facing the River, such as nutrient pollution, the importance of floodplains and wetlands, and bedrock legislation such as Farm Bill Conservation Programs.
Step 3
Take Action
There are many ways you can jump in and take action for a healthy Mississippi River. Our 10 actions list includes simple steps you can take at any time and wherever you are. Check out our action center for current action alerts, bigger projects we are working on, and ways to get involved.