At a Glance

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administers more than 450 Civil Works reservoir projects in 43 states encompassing nearly 12 million acres (at normal pool elevations, about one half is water and the remaining half is associated land). More than 20 Corps projects have been identified as Important Bird Areas, underlining the significance of many of these lands. The Corps is the steward of the lands and waters at Corps water resources projects. Its Natural Resources Management Mission is to manage and conserve those natural resources, consistent with ecosystem management principles, while providing quality public outdoor recreation experiences to serve the needs of present and future generations. Corps projects are relatively small when compared to the land area administered by other land management agencies. However, the majority of these projects are located along the migration routes of neotropical migratory birds, especially in the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys and the Great Plains. Corps projects maintain a wealth of riparian areas adjacent to lakes, streams, and rivers. These streamside and lakeside habitats are known to be an important landscape feature for migrant and resident bird species throughout the country. Furthermore, typical Corps projects protect headwater riparian or wetland ecosystems from human development, conserving critical breeding and migratory stopover habitat.