The locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) created stable high water conditions. Over time, this continual inundation drowned out the aquatic plant communities and caused stress to the river’s floodplain forests. Natural resource organizations and agencies are working with the US Army Corps of Engineers to change how they operate these dams to regain some of the seasonal variability in water levels to reinvigorate these vegetation communities within the UMR. Join Gretchen Benjamin of The Nature Conservancy to hear about this important work, how it has evolved over 25+ years, and how it is improving the health of the UMR.
Gretchen Benjamin, The Nature Conservancy, and board member, Wisconsin Wetlands Association
Recorded May 29, 2020.
Gretchen Benjamin is the Large River Specialist for the Midwest Division of The Nature Conservancy and a member of the Board of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association. Her work focuses on restoring and protecting ecological conditions in the Mississippi River and other national rivers. Before joining the Conservancy in 2008, Gretchen spent nearly 25 years serving in different capacities on the Mississippi River for the Wisconsin DNR. Gretchen lives near the banks of the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
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