Louisiana’s Mississippi River batture lands are included in a new partnership effort by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Mississippi River Trust to improve water quality and restore wetlands in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. The Batture Lands - Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) - Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) Project is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to enroll their batture land inWREP.
The land enrolled in the batture lands WREP project will provide flood protection, reduce soil erosion, and improve water quality for local areas and neighboring communities, as well as restore migration and winter habitat for neotropical songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl species.
WREP Sign-Up
The Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) is part of NRCS’ Wetlands Reserve Program. NRCS accepts applications for financial assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year.
How to Apply
Applications may be obtained and filed with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Interested agricultural producers should contact their local USDA NRCS office.
Louisiana Mississippi River Batture Lands Included in Project Area
Batture lands are the river’s active floodplain—the land that lies between the levees. Lower Mississippi River batture land is widely recognized for its wetland values. Agricultural land in the batture area comprises over 22,000 acres. The project area includes portions of parishes located in three Lower Mississippi River watersheds:
Lower Mississippi-Greenville (08030100): East Carroll and Madison Parishes
Lower Mississippi-Natchez (08060100): Madison, Tensas, Concordia, and West Feliciana Parishes
Lower Mississippi-Baton Rouge (08070100): Concordia, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, and East Baton Rouge Parishes
Click on maps for full screen version in PDF format which requires Adobe Acrobat.
Overview of Batture Lands Project Area
Lower Mississippi River Watersheds
Lower Mississippi-Greenville Watershed
East Carroll and Madison Parishes
Lower Mississippi-Natchez Watershed
Madison, Tensas, Concordia, and
West Feliciana Parishes
Lower Mississippi-Baton Rouge Watershed
Concordia, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana,
and East Baton Rouge Parishes
