Big Muddy Speaker Series

Presentation by David Galat, PhD, former Associate Professor with University of Missouri Fish and Wildlife Coop Unit

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

4:30 p.m. Free Paddle trip with Big Muddy Adventures! (details below)
6. p.m. Meet at Big A’s Restaurant
6:30 p.m. Presentation

At Big A’s Restaurant (in the back room)
308 N Main St. –  St Charles, MO
(directions below)

The importance of seasonal flooding to reconnect large rivers with their floodplains is essential for their ecological integrity. With channelization and levee protection along the river and its tributaries, the Lower Missouri River (LMOR) has been disconnected from much of its floodplain, with channel incision making such connection even more difficult.

When it come to projects attempting to reconnect the river and its floodplain on public lands, there are often real-world difficulties that arise between the theory and actual practice. Dr. Galat’s talk will be focusing on reconciling these difficulties. Dr. Galat will be sharing some of the research on floodplain connectivity on large rivers around the world as well as the Lower Missouri River.

This presentation covers four topics. First, connectivity and its attributes in large rivers are reviewed.  Then, past and present changes in lateral connectivity of the LMOR are described.  Next, the importance of lateral connectivity for fish spawning & nursery is illustrated in general and specifically for an intensively managed wetland pool at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area.  Lastly, additional examples are presented of enhancing lateral connectivity along the LMOR through the Missouri River Recovery Program by habitat creation.

Dr. David Galat is a former Associate Professor of Fisheries at the University of Missouri. He is currently a science adviser for the Nature Conservancy’s Great Rivers Partnership and has served on the Science Advisory Panel for the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee. He is currently trying (and failing) to stay home more with his chickens.

Free Paddle Trip with Big Muddy Adventures!

Join expert Missouri River guide Mike Clark of Big Muddy Adventures before the presentation for a up and downstream paddle through downtown St. Charles on the Junebug canoe. Space is limited – PLEASE REGISTER on the Greenway Network website.

Here’s the link to register – fill out your name and the month you want to join the paddle trip: www.greenwaynetwork.org/get-involved/educational-events/big-muddy-speaker-series-paddle-registration.php.

This opportunity brought to you by the generosity of Greenway Network and Big Muddy Adventures.

Meet by the river behind Big A’s at 4:30. You’ll be back by 6 p.m.

Directions

To Big A’s on the Riverfront, our host for the Speaker Series.

To get there from I-70

• Take I-70 to exit 229B – the 5th St. Exit
• Merge onto 5th St. headed north toward St. Charles.
• After about 1 mile, turn right on Monroe St.
• Turn left onto N. Main St.
• Big A’s will be on your right (308 N. Main St.) Additional parking is available in the rear.
• View on Google Maps.