Big Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers
In this transformational moment, we urge the Administration to demonstrate its conservation, climate, and environmental justice commitments by deploying federal flood relief programs that can protect marginalized communities and birds that depend on the Mississippi Flyway. The Yazoo Pumps must be abandoned once and for all.
Jill Mastrototaro, Mississippi Policy Director for Audubon Delta
Most endangered rivers
Threat: Wetland Destruction, Environmental Injustice
The Big Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers are home to an abundance of wetlands and habitats that support more than 450 species of birds, fish, and wildlife in the heart of the Mississippi Flyway. This special place is threatened by a harmful project known as the Yazoo Backwater Pumps. The project would damage thousands of acres of wetlands while reinforcing historical environmental and racial injustices for predominantly Black, impoverished communities. The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must prioritize immediate, effective flood relief using nature-based solutions to help local communities while conserving vital wetlands that provide natural flood protection and climate resilience.
American Rivers appreciates the collaboration and efforts of our partners:
- Audubon Delta
Help protect the Big Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers
Urge the Army Corps of Engineers to drop the Yazoo Pumps and prioritize nature-based, non-structural flood solutions to protect people and the environment along the Big Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers.