Deep in the heart of North America lies the Mighty Mississippi, one of the world’s greatest rivers, whose modest beginning as a tiny brook is 2,350 miles later transformed into a gushing river that empties itself into the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way this Father of Waters serves as a watershed for over 1.2 million square miles and incorporates tributary rivers from 32 states and two Canadian provinces. Mississippi derives it’s name from the Ojibway Indian(Chippewa Indian) word “Messipi” which means “Big River” or “Mee-zee-see-bee” meaning “Father of Waters.”

This mighty river and its adjoining forests and wetlands provide habitation for a diverse array of flora and fauna and comprise the largest continuous system of wetlands in North America. The Mississippi is home to at least 260 species of fishes and 25% of all fish species in North America. Forty percent of the country’s migratory waterfowl utilize the river passageway during their Spring and Fall migration and 60% of all the North American birds comprising 362 species utilize the Mississippi River Basin as their migratory take-off point. There are 38 acknowledged species of mussel from Cairo, Illinois upstream to Lake Itasca and on the Lower Mississippi, one can find at least 60 different species of mussels. The Upper Mississippi is home to more than 50 species of mammals and at least 145 species of amphibians and reptiles inhabit this area.

Forest land in this area is host to a number of species such as black willow, eastern cottonwood, sycamore, boxelder, silver maple, river birch, green ash, American elm, hackberry, pin oak, bur oak, and swamp white oak and silver maple, which is the predominant species in all reaches.

The river is navigable by ocean vessels upstream as far as Baton Rouge and by commercial craft with a 9-foot draft as far as Minneapolis and is controlled and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S Coast Guard.

However, this river ecosystem has been greatly altered by human activities. Most of the river and its floodplain have been adapted extensively for human developments such as commercial navigation, cultivation and construction. Many of the tributaries distribute generous amounts of sediments and nutrients and also pesticides and pollutants from metropolitan and industrial areas into the river.

Continuing effort on the part of the government and various other organizations has made a great difference in preserving this river ecosystem that is host to a diverse range of living organisms.