Sertle explained this slough can hold excess water during flooding and heavy rains. “You know you’re in a wetland or near a wetland when the redwings are around,” he said. Mike Sertle, who manages Mississippi wetlands restoration projects for Ducks Unlimited, spies egrets, great blue herons and other birds among the vegetation. It’s 60 acres of tall grasses and shallow ponds surrounded by trees. One project is at a place called Rasky Slough and is about 10 miles northeast of the St. “So many of my cities have seen new projects wash away” when there’s too much water, Wellenkamp said.Īnd when there’s too little, those projects “get stuck in the mud, because the water is way out there in the channel because it’s a drought.”Īfter major flooding in 2019, his organization started focusing more on wetlands restoration to better manage the river’s water. More and more, people want to interact with the Mississippi and the scenery along its 2,340 miles through activities like birding and canoeing, as well as parks and public spaces right next to the water, Wellenkamp said.Ĭommunities up and down the river are eyeing multi-million dollar developments that tap into this desire and attract tourists and business.īut the cities Wellenkamp works with face one unavoidable problem: The Mississippi floods, and climate change is making those floods carry more water and last longer. No longer is the nation’s largest river seen as only a corridor for commerce. “It has a larger international following than the Grand Canyon.” “People all over the world want to come and see this iconic natural phenomenon that is the Mississippi,” said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. The Mississippi River has been having a bit of a moment.
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