[[Image:Mississippi_River_Watershed.gif|thumb|Mississippi River Watershed]]
Conservation programs for the Mississippi River watershed are designed to protect and preserve the Mississippi River and the surrounding area by implementing practices that decrease the harmful effects on habitats due to development and thatalso overlook monitoring that helps to support future planning and management. A main focus of many conservation programs is nutrient pollution from agricultural runoff as well as problems relating to sediment and toxins. Farming in the Mississippi River basin supplies most of the nation's soybean and corn and is a major contributor to nutrient and sediment loadings. Conservation programs work with local farmers and producers to decrease excess nutrients because they cause major water quality problems along with hypoxia and loss of habitat. Organizations such as the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force and programs such as the Upper Mississippi River Forestry Partnership and the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative contribute to conserving what is left of the Mississippi River Watershed.
