First-ever National Mississippi River Day frames the river as 'the great connector'

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5 days ago

Michael Anderson views the Mississippi River as the country's great connector.
It flows through 10 states — both red and blue — weaving its way through major population centers and small towns. Millions of Americans drink from it, and live, work and play on its banks.
For that reason, Anderson believes it's high time the river had its day. This year, it will.
For the first time, June 2 will be recognized as National Mississippi River Day, a move that Anderson and other advocates hope will bring sorely needed attention to one of the country's most significant waterways as it continues to struggle with pollution, disinvestment and the effects of climate change. The environmental advocacy group One Mississippi, for which Anderson directs outreach and education efforts, launched the day to kick off its annual campaign for the river, River Days of Action.
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"In a time where it's almost more immediate to turn our backs on each other, now is the time to turn toward the river and turn toward each other," Anderson said. "This is about having a dedicated day for the people of the river, in these mainstem states and beyond, to turn toward each other.
Several river cities and three states, including Wisconsin, have formally recognized the day.
Gov. Tony Evers wrote in a proclamation that the river connects Wisconsin to the global economy and that protecting it is paramount as environmental threats continue to grow.
In April, the national conservation group American Rivers named the Mississippi the most endangered river in the U.S. because of the Trump administration's plans to scale back spending on natural disasters, including flooding. There's significant room for improvement in federal flood relief programs, advocates said, but they argued federal participation is key to coordinating flooding response because the Mississippi touches so many states.
The upper Mississippi River in particular is experiencing higher water flows and more severe, longer-lasting flooding due to climate change and land use changes. These high waters are killing floodplain forests and disrupting fish habitats. On the lower river, drought years have caused barges to run aground. And pollutants from Midwest farm fields and urban centers continues to choke aquatic life at the river's mouth off the coast of Louisiana.
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Layoffs and cuts to federal agencies that manage the river are also causing concern among environmental advocates. That's in part what propelled Steve Marking, a river historian and guest performer for American Cruise Lines on its Mississippi River cruises, to organize a June 14 event at Goose Island County Park near La Crosse as a part of One Mississippi's River Days of Action.
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"Celebrate the Mississippi," hosted by the Upper Mississippi River chapter of the Izaak Walton League, of which Marking is a founding member, will include a paddling trip through the river's backwaters, an outdoor photo contest, a floodplain forest tour and a demonstration of the league's Save Our Streams program, which teaches people how to do their own water quality monitoring. The demonstration is meant to help people realize their own power in taking care of natural resources, Marking said.
"Being able to take charge of the data and find out whether your local stream, your local creek or even the mainstem of the Mississippi is healthy or not ... is something we can do," he said.
On June 2, One Mississippi will host an online celebration at noon to hear residents' stories from along the river and discuss what's needed to protect it.
Anderson said he thinks momentum for National Mississippi River Day will continue to build in years to come, similar to Earth Day.
"There's just a really encouraging message of hope — of where we are ... and also of where we can go," he said.
Madeline Heim covers health and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: First-ever National Mississippi River Day happening June 2