Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Midwest Region, intends to issued a Single Source Cooperative Agreement Award without competition to Michigan State University (MSU) for a project selected by the Steering Committee of the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative (ETPBR LCC).Estimates of nutrient loading to the Gulf of Mexico indicate that nine states within the Mississippi River Basin are responsible for approximately 75% of all nitrogen and phosphorus delivered to the Gulf. The Mississippi Basin also supports a rich assemblage of fish species; at least 25% of all species in the conterminous United States are found in the Basin. These assemblages reflect their habitats, human landscape disturbances, and fragmentation of the river network by dams. Climate also has close association with aquatic habitat conditions an ultimately fish community composition. Climate change is anticipated to lead to additional changes in stream habitats, including changing thermal properties and flow regimes. Ultimately, such changes will affect the Gulf, underscoring the importance of addressing upstream impacts.

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