What Makes the Mississippi River Great? Aquatic Ecologist Richard Sparks
This river that most of us see every day belongs to a world class of great rivers. It is home to ancient lineages of fishes that have seen the dinosaurs and the glaciers come and go. It is a continental flyway for millions of migratory birds in spring and fall. This river gathers water, soil, and nutrients from the Rockies, 1,100 miles due west; from the Appalachians, 1,000 miles due east; and from the great heartland of North America. This river carries these materials another 1,000 miles to nourish fertile floodplains and the great delta that it created in the Gulf of Mexico. This river was like no other river the first European explorers had ever seen or read about. They marveled at species unknown to them, including fish as big as logs that when caught could feed their entire party for several days. The later settlers knew history and had great expectations about their river locations; evidenced in the place names they chose: Cairo, Thebes, and Memphis. This river has inspired great literature, art, photography, and films. Its waters move inexorably downstream, but its music has moved both upstream and down.
Today, we use this Mississippi River to carry goods that will travel not just across a continent, but around the world. It is the source of drinking water for our river cities and the final step in treatment of our waste water. Amazingly, the ancient fishes are still here, the birds still make their 1,000-mile journeys between their breeding grounds and wintering areas, and it is still a source of inspiration and renewal. The Piasa Palisades Chapter of the Sierra Club in Alton played an important role in preserving and restoring the natural features of this great river. From 1972 to 1998, Dr. Richard (Rip) Sparks directed the Large River Research Program of the Illinois Natural Survey from field stations located on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. In 2002 he helped found the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center on the Mississippi River at Alton, Illinois.
Attendees and friends are invited to have dinner and meet the speaker at the Old Bakery Brewery, 400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton, Il 62002 starting at 5:30 p.m. The speaker Series will begin at 7:30pm in the event room adjacent to the dining room. For more info contact Chris Krusa 410-490-5024 or clkrusa@charter.net
This is sure to be a stimulating presentation and generate some excellent discussion...and you might even hear about some roles that the Piasa Palisades Group of the Sierra Club has played in preserving and restoring our Great River. We hope to see you there!