Flood control along the Mississippi River is a central piece of a newly passed federal law — work that advocates believe is critical as the river basin sees more frequent and severe extreme weather events due to climate change.Â
Tag: Mississippi River
Posted inEnvironment
Volunteers collect and plant acorns along Mississippi River to save struggling forests
Trees that grow in the Mississippi River floodplain have been struggling. Government agencies and various nonprofits are trying to reverse the forestland decline by planting new trees, and volunteers are key.
Posted inEnvironment
Mississippi River towns pilot new insurance model to help with disaster response
The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, which represents cities in 10 states including Wisconsin, has announced a new insurance pilot, with hopes of better helping river towns recover.
Posted inEnvironment
Rollin’ on the river: How the Mississippi flows through song and still inspires today
During the summer, the band Big Blue Sky plays Friday nights for Maiden Voyage Tours, a northeast Iowa riverboat company. The band’s work adds to a centuries-long tradition of music inspired and transported by the Mississippi River.
Posted inEnvironment
The Mississippi River is eroding sacred Indigenous mounds in Iowa and Wisconsin
The Sny Magill Unit of Effigy Mounds National Monument near Clayton, Iowa, is a hidden wonder, with more than 100 sacred mounds built by Native Americans thousands of years ago. But the Mississippi River has significantly eroded the bank they built on, eating away at some of the mounds at the water’s edge.
Posted inEnvironment
Another Midwest drought is causing transportation headaches on the Mississippi River
For the third year in a row, extreme drought conditions in the Midwest are drawing down water levels on the Mississippi River, raising prices for companies that transport goods downstream and forcing governments and business owners to seek alternative solutions.
Posted inEnvironment
Could the Mississippi River benefit from Chesapeake Bay’s strategy to improve water quality?
Environmental groups and policy analysts in the Mississippi River basin have looked to a regional cleanup program in the Chesapeake Bay as a model.
Posted inEnvironment
Not just a Gulf problem: Mississippi River farm runoff pollutes upstream waters
Nutrient pollution doesn’t just contribute to the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone, it’s causing problems upstream, too. Across the Midwest, excess nitrogen is leaching from soil into groundwater, putting drinking water at risk.
Posted inEnvironment
At the mouth of the Mississippi, Louisiana bears the burden of upstream runoff. Why doesn’t it push for solutions?
Despite contributing little to the runoff problem, Louisiana bears the brunt. The state has the power to call on the EPA for a multi-state conference but has never done so.
Posted inEnvironment
Farm to Trouble: As conservation lags, so does progress in slashing Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’
Just one year away from a 2025 deadline to reduce nitrate and phosphorus entering the Gulf of Mexico by 20%, success seems unlikely.
Posted inEnvironment
For a century, this upper Mississippi River refuge has been an ecological oasis. What comes next?
The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Dozens of events this summer are aimed at getting people out to explore its beauty and unique value.
Posted inEnvironment
Spring bird migration is underway along the Mississippi River flyway: Here’s what to know
Here’s everything you need to know about the important Mississippi River flyway — and when and where to see birds amid their long journey.