Delta State University has launched a funded conservation initiative to assess and protect bald eagle habitat in the Mississippi Delta while providing hands-on research experience for students.
SuperTalk Mississippi reported the project was developed by Dr. Nina Baghai-Riding, a professor of environmental science and biology, and that the university’s proposal, titled “Conservation, Education, and Mitigation of Bald Eagles Habitat,” was approved for funding after encouragement from the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The report says the initiative responds in part to highway widening projects along Interstate 55 in DeSoto County and another Mississippi highway that affect nearby bald eagle nests and require their relocation. In early October 2026, Delta State received additional support through an MDOT award, the report added.
Students enrolled in Delta State’s Materials and Methods in Environmental Science and Ornithology courses will survey potential eagle habitats at Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge, Bear Pen Park and the former Delta State golf course. The work will include evaluating water quality, identifying potential nesting sites and assessing food sources.
The project will also screen local plants for environmental contaminants, including atrazine and glyphosate, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kits, SuperTalk Mississippi reported.
SuperTalk Mississippi said the university plans classroom and community outreach components: Delta State’s Wildlife Society will host guest lecturers on eagle food webs, pollution and emerging habitat threats, and the project will support coursework in wildlife management, ecology, plant sciences, environmental regulations and biotechnology. Baghai-Riding is working with Cleveland Central High School and Hayes Cooper Center on hands-on projects for K-12 students, the report added.
Other partners named in the report include the Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center in Greenville, private landowners and professional ornithologists. Ulgonda Dunlevy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Division told Baghai-Riding the university will be included in future collaborative projects, the report said.
The SuperTalk Mississippi story noted that bald eagles in the region face threats including vehicle collisions, lead poisoning, pesticide exposure and habitat fragmentation, and that Mississippi supports both year-round and wintering eagle populations that use rivers, backwaters, catfish farms and farmland. Delta State University is a four-year public institution in Cleveland with nearly 2,800 students, the report said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
