Waterfowl Planning

LMVJV waterfowl planning focuses on ensuring that habitats within the MAV and WGCPO are able to meet the LMVJV’s share of waterfowl population objectives, based on the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). The NAWMP was first developed in 1986 and has been updated 7 times since then (see list of documents below).

Geospatial arrangement and availability of key habitat features are important determinants of overwinter health and survival of waterfowl. The Wetland Complex Model was developed in 2024 to prioritize areas based on an ideal combination of wetland types (Emergent Wetland, Bottomland Forest, Open Water, Agriculture), sanctuary, and available food energy.

Photo by Tom Koerner, USFWS

Photo by Tom Koerner, USFWS

Mississippi Alluvial Valley

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) is an ecologically rich wetland ecosystem, encompassing 25 million acres that can winter up to 40% of waterfowl in the Mississippi Flyway. To support the mission of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture uses a bioenergetic model to derive goals for waterfowl conservation. The results of the bioenergetic model and other documents are contained here.

View or download MAV Waterfowl Planning Documents

MAV Allocation Framework (2010)

MAV Stepdown - by State (2015)

Full Document (5 MB)

Arkansas only (2 MB)

Kentucky only (2 MB)

Louisiana only (2 MB)

Mississippi only (2 MB)

Missouri only (2 MB)

Tennessee only (2 MB)

Summary Document - MAV Waterfowl Stepped-Down State Summaries 2015

Photo by Bill Stripling

Photo by Bill Stripling

West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ozarks

The West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ouachitas (WGCPO) physiographic area occupies about 52 million acres in southwestern Arkansas, southwestern Oklahoma, western Louisiana, and eastern Texas. Although pine forests dominate the region, it is dissected by numerous river systems and forested wetlands. These wetland habitats support populations of several waterfowl species, including wood duck and mallard. The results of the conservation planning for waterfowl in the region and other documents are contained here.

View or download WGCPO Waterfowl Planning Documents

View or download the Derivation of Waterfowl Population Targets for the WGCP analysis.

 

North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP):

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico aims to recover waterfowl populations from historic lows in the early 20th century by restoring and managing wetland ecosystems to conserve biological diversity in the Western Hemisphere, to integrate wildlife conservation with sustainable economic development, and to promote conservation partnerships of public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals. Click here to visit the NAWMP page on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's site.

LMVJV Status Report to NAWMP Plan Committee 2021