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Missouri River and Tributaries Need a Plan

Presentation by Kenneth Ray Olson and Lois Wright Morton

These two researchers will share their case for developing a multi-state Missouri River Commission to help manage issues of flooding, navigation and sedimentation and their impact on human populations and agriculture.

The Missouri River

Time and Place

Wednesday, June 13, 2018
7:00 pm

Big A's on the Riverfront
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Presentation by Kenneth Ray Olson and Lois Wright Morton

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

6. p.m. Social Hour at Big A’s on the Riverfront
7:00 p.m. Presentation

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

Presentation is FREE and open to the public! 

Hosted by Greenway Network

As we enter the 21st Century three major concerns have emerged: climate change and impacts, food insecurity, and homeland security including infrastructure, navigation, and water supplies. All three themes run throughout this research presentation.

Each Great River in North America is a case study from which much can be learned from past catastrophic events to better plan for the future. Previous short documentaries focus on the Missouri River and tributaries including the Platte and the Yellowstone rivers, how their confluence creates something far greater than the sum of their flows and the bottomlands that are sources of wealth and risk to those whose lives are intertwined with the rivers. They illustrate managing the river when it exceeds flood stage; dredging in drought to assure a navigable channel; and earthen levees, floodwalls, dikes and weirs and reservoirs engineered to tame the great rivers and its tributaries for human uses.

Collectively these case studies portray the multi-functional value of the rivers and human attempts to manage rivers and their bottomlands under intensified agricultural uses, changing settlement patterns, and shifting social values.

There is a need for the Mississippi River Commission and the USACE to develop a Missouri River and tributary plan similar to their lower Mississippi River and tributaries plan to address the Missouri River flooding and navigation issues. Such a plan is possible if the northern states adjacent to the Missouri River are willing to contribute and participate in the development of the management plan. This plan is essential to address the current waterway infrastructure restoration issues. The need for a comprehensive plan will be made by presenting case studies on the Missouri and tributaries including the navigation and sedimentation challenges.

Kenneth is Professor Emeritus of Soil Science, Department of NRES, College of ACES, at UI at Champaign-Urbana. He received his B.S. and M.S. from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. from Cornell University and has been an Assistant, Associate, Full and Emeritus Professor in NRES at the UIUC since 1983.

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.

Resources & Links

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The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles

is hosted by these wonderful partners:

All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!

The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Rocheport and Kansas City.

A special thank you to Greg Poleski  of Greenway Network for making this happen!


The views and opinions expressed by our presenters do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of Greenway Network, the Big Muddy Speaker Series or any of the partners that support this public forum. The Big Muddy Speaker Series believes that hearing diverse perspectives is a crucial building block for an informed public.