Serving Mississippi by conserving our most imperiled species and working with federal and state agencies, private landowners, and others to conserve plants, fish, and wildlife. The Mississippi Ecological Services office is the oldest field office in the country, first established in 1948.
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Section 7 Section 7
Section 7 Consultation The Endangered Species Act (ESA) directs all Federal agencies to work to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to further the purposes of the Act. Section 7 of the Act, called "Interagency Cooperation," is the mechanism by which Federal agencies ensure the actions they take, including those they fund or authorize, do not jeopardize the existence of any listed species.

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Latest News

A woodpecker perched on a tree with a bug in its mouth.
Endangered Species Act
Downlisting of Red-cockaded Woodpecker from Endangered to Threatened
The Department of the Interior today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is downlisting the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. This milestone is the result of five decades of collaborative conservation efforts between the...
close up of a freshwater mussel laying in a person's hand
Endangered Species Act
Public Invited to Comment on Slabside Pearlymussel Draft Recovery Plan
The public can now view and comment on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s draft recovery plan for the endangered slabside pearlymussel, a freshwater mussel which helps protect water quality by filtering out pollutants, algae, and harmful bacteria.
Posing directly in front of the camera is a an olive to brown turtle looking away with its head turned to the right of the image.
Endangered Species Act
Service Finalizes Listing for the Pearl River Map Turtle
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the final listing of the Pearl River map turtle as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Native to Mississippi and Louisiana, the listing of this turtle reflects the growing extinction crisis and highlights the importance of the ESA and...
Snail crawling up a vertical rock face
Endangered Species Act
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Conducts Five-Year Status Reviews of 59 Southeastern Species
As part of the process mandated by the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct five-year status reviews of 59 endangered or threatened fish, wildlife, and plants. 
Big Black rocksnails in water
Science and Technology
Extinct Mississippi snail rediscovered: landowner partnerships key to conservation success
Scientists found a living population of an assumed extinct Mississippi freshwater snail, the Big Black rocksnail, according to a study published in Biodiversity and Conservation, March 25, 2024.
Clear river water flows over a rock-covered stream bottom
Endangered Species Act
Proposal to list pyramid pigtoe mussel withdrawn
In the wake of new genetic research indicating the pyramid pigtoe freshwater mussel is not a distinct species, rather is the same animal as the more common round pigtoe, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service withdraws its proposal to list the pyramid pigtoe as a threatened species under the Endangered...
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About Us

Several pitcher plant pitchers
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The Mississippi Field Office will work proactively with other Service programs and external partners to conserve and enhance trust species and their habitats. We will strive to be dedicated and professional, promoting scientific excellence and a strategic approach to address landscape scale conservation, not only in Mississippi but throughout the Southeast.

What We Do

Person standing in the back of a pick-up truck, holding an antenna in the air. Antenna is connected to a box resting on his thigh.
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The conservation of our nation’s most imperiled species is at the heart of our office’s work. It drives what we do, from reviewing federally funded or authorized projects, to proactively working recover rare species. All of our work is done in conjunction with partners, including state wildlife agencies, tribes, other federal agencies, private industry, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations.The conservation of our nation’s most imperiled species is at the heart of our office’s work. It drives what we do, from reviewing federally funded or authorized projects, to proactively working recover rare species. All of our work is done in conjunction with partners, including state wildlife agencies, tribes, other federal agencies, private industry, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations.

Our Organization

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Close up of a California condor. Its pink featherless head contrasts with its black feathers.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
A duck flies over a tundra pond.
We use the best scientific information available to determine whether to add a species to (list) or remove from (delist) the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. We also determine whether already listed species should be reclassified from threatened to endangered (uplist...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Condor soars over mountain ridge.
We work with partners to conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend, developing and maintaining conservation programs for these species to improve their status to the point that Endangered Species Act protection is no longer necessary for survival. This...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Butterfly with orange, brown, and white wings perched perched on a flower head gathering nectar with another butterfly on the backside of the flower head.
We assess the conservation status of species, using the best scientific information available, and identify those that warrant listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. A species that we find warrants a proposal to list as endangered or threatened, but listing is...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Partners for Fish and Wildlife: Nevada Coordinator Susan Abele Meets with Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Member to Conduct a Site Visit at Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Since 1987, we have helped more than 30,000 landowners to complete more than 50,...
Program

Location and Contact Information