Our Rivers Connect Us
“We love the lower Mississippi River,” said Scott Lemmons, director of freshwater programs for The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi. “I grew up here and I’ve been bringing my daughter Vicki here since she could walk.” Now 14 years old, Vicki enjoys fishing on the rivers and streams that feed into the Mississippi River. “It’s just part of my life,” said Vicki. Originating from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota and flowing 2,333 miles to the delta in southern Louisiana, the Mississippi River is the largest river system in the United States. Its basin includes tributaries from 31 states and plays a vital role in our country’s
history, ecology and commerce. What happens upstream in places like Missouri, impacts the river’s health and Vicki’s
fishing in Mississippi. Everything, good or bad, flows down the river and into the Gulf of Mexico. A healthy river provides important ecosystem services such as water for drinking and irrigation, flood control, transportation, recreation and habitat for fish and wildlife. In Missouri, we are working in key river drainage basins, or watersheds, to reduce the amount of harmful nutrients and excess soil that we send downstream. See how our projects, and your support, are making a difference. The Missouri River is considered the “Center of Life” for the Great Plains. It has served as a main artery for exploration, food, trade and transportation for thousands of years. Today more than one-quarter of all the agricultural land in the U.S. is found in the Missouri River Basin. In Missouri, TNC collaborated with partners to launch a 4R program, educating landowners on the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, at the right time and in the right place. This focus on fertilizer management and conservation practices helps improve soil health and limits the amount of harmful runoff loading into these waters. In 2015, TNC established the Western Ozark Waters Initiative to combat some of the biggest problems facing the Elk and Spring rivers, including too much soil, or sediment, and excessive harmful nutrients loading into these waters. A large stream restoration project on the Elk was completed in 2018 and work continues in both watersheds to increase buffers, or vegetation, along the rivers to improve water quality and habitat for wildlife.
8 MISSOURI: ACTION AND IMPACT
TOP Vicki Lemmons, at age 8, fishing along the Mississippi River © Courtsey of Scott Lemmons
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