Throughout the Mississippi River Watershed and in coastal Louisiana, Audubon is focusing its efforts on protecting declining birds and their habitats; improving water quality, mainly by reducing excess nutrients that cause the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone; and restoring natural hydrology and river functions to reduce the rapid loss of wetlands in coastal Louisiana. More than 1 million acres of Louisiana's coastal wetlands have already disappeared over the last 75 years because of intensive Mississippi River engineering, and up to 30 more football fields of marshes wash away each day. This exposes even more people and communities to destructive tropical storms; further reduces habitat for migratory, nesting and wintering birds; and threatens the state's critical industries including seafood harvesting, energy production and tourism.
