Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk

09/26/2026

🐾 Have you seen any black bears lately?

Black bear sightings are increasing in the Lower Mississippi River Basin. Tennessee Lookout reporter Cassandra Stephenson shares the history of black bears in the basin — and what their comeback means for people who also call the basin home.

Read the full story: https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/08/27/after-decades-of-overhunting-black-bears-are-slowly-recolonizing-the-lower-mississippi-river-basin/

09/25/2026

Flower Garden Banks, a coral reef ecosystem off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, is showing signs of damage due to nutrient pollution from the Mississippi River. Nutrient pollution, combined with hot tub-like underwater heat waves, can lead to disease outbreaks.

Story by Louisiana Illuminator reporter Elise Plunk

An isolated reef off the coast of Louisiana and Texas holds within its corals a record of Earth’s history, and scientists are reading it to understand how nutrients from the Mississippi River are affecting the reef’s health amid rising threats to corals around the globe.

09/22/2026

Earlier this year, Amazon announced that its unfinished data center in Ridgeland, Mississippi — a city of 25,000 just north of Jackson — would use an estimated 93 million gallons of water per year. But a private agreement obtained by the Mississippi Free Press shows the data center could theoretically use up to 14 times more water annually with no other guidelines or restrictions around everyday usage.

Story by Mississippi Free Press reporter Illan Ireland

Amazon has promised Ridgeland, Mississippi, that its data center won’t strain local water supplies. Their agreement shows few guarantees.

09/21/2026

A tick bite could change more than what's on your plate.

Alpha-gal Syndrome, sometimes called the "red meat allergy," is a growing tick-borne illness affecting people across the Midwest.

From mild symptoms to severe allergic reactions, understanding the risks could help keep you safe. | via Rose LaForest, a corps member with Report for America, Nine PBS, and Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk

Supported in part by Report for America, the Missouri Foundation for Health, Connie and Dan Burkhardt, the Betsy & Thomas Patterson Foundation, and a generous gift made in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore P. Desloge, Jr.

09/18/2026

Advocates say data centers have one environmental problem that’s easy to solve: light pollution. As data centers expand in the Mississippi River Basin, they’re calling for light pollution rules to protect migrating birds and nighttime pollinators.

Story by Desk reporter Héctor Alejandro Arzate

The Midwest has more than 600 data centers, with hundreds in development. Light pollution rules would protect wildlife.

09/14/2026

Join our award-winning collaborative! The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk invites newsrooms to apply to host one of six new reporting positions through Report for America. Applications open today and close Oct. 19.

Benefits of joining the Desk include:
✅ A full-time reporter to cover agriculture, water, climate, energy, and/or other environmental issues
✅ Salary support for the reporter — 50% the first year, 33% the second and 20% in the third year
✅ Editing from the Desk’s experienced editorial staff
✅ A peer cohort for support, best practices, story ideas and sources
✅ Participation in award-winning projects
✅ A $1,000 annual stipend for your newsroom to use on your reporter’s expenses and more!

If your newsroom is interested in applying, we are hosting an information session on Sept. 30 at noon Central Time. Learn more and register for the webinar:
https://agwaterdesk.org/2026/09/14/newsrooms-invited-to-apply-to-join-ag-water-desk-through-report-for-america/

09/12/2026

We hope to see you at the Conservation Expo at Cooper’s Landing in Columbia, Missouri! Desk Social Media Producer Dominique Hodge and Executive Director Sara Shipley Hiles are sharing a booth with the Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program and the Missouri Water Center. Come talk to us about our reporting, Missouri watersheds and how to stay connected with us through our newsletter.

Mizzou School of Natural Resources

09/10/2026

We’re heading outside this weekend!

The Desk will be at the Conservation Expo at Cooper’s Landing on Saturday, along with our friends at the Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program and the Missouri Water Center. Stop by to chat about Missouri watersheds, learn more about our work and connect with others who are passionate about conservation and the outdoors.

https://cooperslandingmo.com/event2022/expo2026/

09/07/2026

Diagnoses of alpha-gal syndrome, a severe, tick-borne allergy, are rising throughout the Mississippi River basin. Expanding white-tailed deer populations, climate change and massive historical shifts in land use and development have fueled the rise of this mysterious illness.

Arkansas is a bellwether for much of the country. The state had 1,331 suspected cases in the first half of 2025. That figure has nearly doubled over the same period this year.

As the condition spreads, researchers are still unraveling the disease, public health agencies are struggling to track it, and there’s little federal funding or coordination driving efforts forward. But that may be changing as awareness spreads. The challenge now isn’t just understanding the disease; it’s figuring out how to stop it. Arkansas researchers and residents may hold some clues.

Story by Arkansas Times’s Elizabeth Cline

As an epicenter of a mysterious tick-borne illness, The Natural State offers a window into what’s driving its rise, how it functions — and what comes next.

09/04/2026

This summer, residents of West Tennessee spotted black bears in cornfields, golf courses and even yards. The bears likely came from bordering states with expanding populations, like Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri.

These bears were once abundant in most of the United States, but decades of overhunting and habitat loss threatened to wipe out the population altogether. The recent sightings are a sign that black bears are starting to recolonize the lower Mississippi River basin.

Story by Tennessee Lookout’s Cassandra Stephenson

Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency say black bears are slowly recolonizing Middle and West Tennessee.