This cooperative agreement will contribute to lower mississippi valley joint venture (lmvjv) office staffcapacity for conservation delivery coordination, private landowner outreach, and technical…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 awarded Mississippi River Trust a $100,000 cooperative agreement under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Program (CFDA 15.664), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029. This award funds a full-time Delivery Coordinator position within the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture (LMVJV) office to enhance conservation delivery capacity, private landowner outreach, and technical guidance throughout the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The Delivery Coordinator will coordinate multiple regional partnerships, including the Arkansas Conservation Delivery Network, Louisiana-Mississippi Conservation Delivery Network, and the Tri-State Conservation Partnership, to advance sustainable forest and wetland management for fish and wildlife habitat conservation.

The primary services delivered through this cooperative agreement include coordination of conservation practitioners, facilitation of Farm Bill program delivery in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and collaborative engagement with non-governmental organizations, community leaders, and private landowners. Expected outcomes include adoption of desired forest management conditions by land management organizations, increased partner contributions toward LMVJV habitat goals, expanded funding and capacity support from external sources, and efficient delivery of conservation assets through coordinated planning and cooperation. Primary beneficiaries include fish and wildlife populations—particularly U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Birds of Conservation Concern and waterfowl—as well as local communities and state and federal agency partners throughout the region.

This cooperative agreement will contribute to lower mississippi valley joint venture (lmvjv) office staffcapacity for conservation delivery coordination, private landowner outreach, and technical guidance toconservation practitioners in the mississippi alluvial valley (MAV) through a full-time delivery coordinator. The delivery coordinator serves as a member of the lmvjv office staff, which receives broad direction from thelmvjvs 17 member management board. The delivery coordinator provides essential capacity to advance the sensiblemanagement of forests, wetlands, and working lands, collaborating with non-government organizations, communityorganizations, community leaders, and private landowners, through the long-standing lmvjv partnership. Thesefunctions are carried out through coordination of the arkansas conservation delivery network (CDN), louisiana-mississippi CDN, TRI-state conservation partnership, and other regional partnerships that function to conservewetland and forest habitats for the benefit of fish and wildlife in the MAV. Expected outcomes from theseactivities include adoption and substantial application of desired forest conditions for wildlife principles byland management organizations, substantial contributions by partners towards the habitat goals and objectives ofthe lmvjv partnership, increased funding and capacity support for these activities by participating partners andoutside sources (foundations, grants, etc.), and efficient delivery of conservation assets by partners throughplanning, coordination, and cooperation. Beneficiaries of these activities are fish and wildlife populations(notably, USFWS birds of conservation concern and waterfowl), local communities, downstream communities, andcooperating private, industry, state government, and federal partners. The delivery coordinator will focusespecially on facilitating working lands farm bill program delivery through coordination of natural resourceconservation service and other partner staff within the TRI-state conservation partnership, and through promotionof forest management according to principles of lmvjv desired forest conditions.