Throughout the Mississippi River watershed, wetlands store floodwater, improve drinking water quality, and serve as homes for millions of birds and other animals. Against this backdrop, the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk published a landmark reporting project exploring the wonder of and threats to these landscapes, “Down the Drain: A watershed moment for America’s greatest wetlands.”This reporting arrives at an important political moment. Last year, the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA significantly limited the agency’s power to regulate wetlands, resulting in more than half the nation’s wetlands potentially losing federal protections. Further, President Trump’s EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has heralded a new era for wetlands under the administration. By Illan Ireland, Mississippi Free PressOne Iowa landowner fights to farm a designated wetland.