Return of the classic river cruise - Mississippi Valley Division (2024)

SUMMER 2019Return of the classic river cruiseCAPT. DAMON KENNEDY is guiding the white Today, you can cruise Twain-style on luxuriouspaddle wheeler with red gingerbread trim througha Mississippi River gorge of ancient limestone, past vessels even a creative author couldn’t dream up.nesting eagles that a passenger spots with a scopeand a scene so natural it could have been from Mark Twain’s multi-story glass atriums, private balconies and 22-day itiner-day—save for the fact the day’s cruise has a Taco Tuesday theme aries that start at $12,000 a person (and run up to $22,000),and margaritas are being offered at $1 off. cruises on this specially designed vessel bear little resemblance The Minneapolis Queen is just one member of a growing family to the steamboats of old. But river cruising’s excitement andof vintage riverboat royalty that transports travelers back to pace haven’t changed. As National Geographic Traveler wrote inwhat’s widely called the most romantic era of river cruising but a piece called “The return of the American steamboat vacation”with a decidedly modern twist. about a trip on the classic riverboat the American Queen: In addition to the short river cruises like these on scenicstretches of the Mississippi, an ever growing number of cruise “Days on the river pass slowly… Passengers settle into card gamesliners better known for trips down the Rhine or across the in the handsome Mark Twain Lounge or relax with a beer and a Caribbean now hold riverboat book in the Gentleman’s Card Room (beneath a mounted fish and aABOVE: Launched in cruises on the Mississippi. Instead stuffed bear). At Front Porch of America, hot dogs and board games2016, American Cruise of European capitals, their stops come with soft-serve ice cream, which you can take to a rocker onLines’ America is a new- are towns like Memphis, Tennessee the deck to gaze at the stands of cottonwood and black willow thatgeneration paddlewheeler and Natchez, Mississippi. Some stretch as far as the eye can see. The Grand Saloon, modeled afterthat comes with a putting of the vessels are restored paddle Ford’s Theater, hosts bingo games and song-and-dance revues like Our Mississippi is a quarterly newsletter of the U.S. Armygreen on top deck, “Mark wheelers from the Victorian heyday, Hooray for Hollywood, a show of high-saccharine hits à la ‘Over the Corps of Engineers about its workTwain library and chart others billed as the “new modern Rainbow.’ After dinner, couples fox-trot to a live band.” in the Mississippi River Basin. It is published in cooperation with otherroom” and private decks. riverboat” and designed by boat- state and federal agencies andIt’s one in a series of new builder owners. Much has happened since that 2012 voyage. The American other river interests with whom the Corps collaborates and partnersships built specifically for The American Harmony made its Queen has integrated shore excursions that capture river his- toward long-term sustainability ofMississippi River cruising. maiden voyage in August, and with tory and culture and launched a new vessel, American duch*ess. the economic uses and ecological integrity of the river system. Continued on page 2 >>

ABOVE: In these postcard photographs, steam-powered paddle wheelers dock at the levee in St. Louis, A River Tale where it was common to see more than 150 boats at a time by the 1830s. Then, before additional work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made the northern river navigable, rapids north of the city made this the Charles Dickens took a northernmost point that many boats could travel. steamboat trip on the Mississippi River. River towns from Minneapolis to New Orleans authorized the agency to do,” says Brian Rentfro, He wasn’t impressed. boast some variation of traditional paddleboat U.S. Army Corps of Engineers historian for the cruises, and American Cruise Lines is midway Mississippi Valley Division and Mississippi River When Charles Dickens booked passage on an American through launching its five-ship series of modern Commission. “The next part was strengthening river steamboat in 1842, his first thought—understandably, riverboats, some offered with Twain themes river banks to keep the channel from meandering given the risks of steamboat travel of the day—was room throughout the voyage. and keep erosion from causing more trees to fall in selection. The comeback of river cruising has meant an and create more snags. The next phase was build- “We had been a great many times very gravely rec- economic boon to river cities like Twain’s home ing levees. You can’t have the navigation without ommended to keep as far aft as possible, because the town of Hannibal, Missouri. A major riverfront the flood control, and then there was the story of steamboats generally blow up forward,” he wrote in a book renovation is underway, partly so that two cruise dredge boats. They still had to dredge hot spots to about his travels, American Notes for General Circulation. liners can dock on the shoreline at once, says keep the river open.” Dickens and his wife traveled from his native England Melissa Cummins, community relations manager Even with many obstacles removed, river travel for a lengthy tour of the U.S. when railroads were three for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum. was treacherous in a way that today’s passengers on decades from crossing the Mississippi River. Her attraction is a stop on every cruise ship on a luxury—or taco—cruise could scarcely imagine. “What words shall describe the Mississippi, great father the upper river, the museum’s executive director Between 1811 and 1851, 21% of river accidents of rivers!” he wrote. “An enormous ditch, sometimes two or a frequent on-board speaker. were caused by explosion, according to an Army three miles wide, running liquid mud, six miles an hour: its strong and frothy current choked and obstructed every- River towns from Minneapolis to New Orleans boast some where by huge logs and whole forest trees … For two days we toiled up this foul stream, striking constantly against the variation of traditional paddleboat cruises, and American Cruise floating timber … which renders it no easy matter to remain in bed.” Lines is launching a five-ship series of modern riverboats. He found the western American steamboats curious and frightening. “The whole is but a few inches above the The appeal of such immersion on the history of steamboats. In a 10-year period in the water’s edge. Seeing the great body of fire that rages and Mississippi, passengers tell her, is that river 1830s, 272 steamboats were destroyed after less roars beneath the frail pile of painted wood . . . the wonder towns have kept the charm of days gone by, she than three years of travel. A survey of shipwrecks is, not that there should not be so many fatal accidents but said, and love—as Mark Twain did—telling tales on the Mississippi River bottom within the Corps’ that any journey should be safely made.” of fascinating characters they’d met along the way. St. Paul District shows the ships wrecked by Refreshments and meals were equally depressing, explosion, fire, snags and sometimes risky pilot- Dickens wrote. “We drank the muddy water of this river Days of old ing driven by intense competition. At one time, St. while we were upon it. At each (meal), there are a great The steamboat’s true heyday—the era between those Paul gave free wharfa*ge for the season for the first many small dishes and plates upon the table, with very little flat-bottomed keelboats that depended on river cur- boat to arrive from below, making river races an in them.” rent (or paddling) to move and the railroad—was economic necessity to some. relatively short-lived in river history terms. Kerosene lighting didn’t help either, notes As Twain wrote: “Mississippi steamboating Clarke “Doc” Hawley, a riverboat historian, cal- DAY CRUISES ON THE MISSISSIPPI was born about 1812; at the end of thirty years liope player and former captain of the Belle of There’s one way to really understand the poetry of river litera- it had grown to mighty proportions; and in less Louisville, the Delta Queen, the American Queen, ture; take your own trip down at least one small stretch. Here than thirty years more it was dead!” Creole Queen, the Natchez and more. are a few ways to do that, the old-school way. But the popularity was instant, the show- “They were lighted by coal oil, which was the The Natchez: While other trips cruise the river near New boats the floating entertainment palaces of the cause of a lot of the steamboat fires—those chan- Orleans, the Natchez is the only true steamboat. Get ser- 19th and early 20th centuries, bringing theater, deliers,” he said. “In the winter, you had to light enaded by calliope favorites on the ninth steamer to bear the saloons and music to river towns with organ- them for breakfast, lunch and dinner so you could name Natchez since 1823. STEAMBOATNATCHEZ.COM like steam calliopes, packet boats brought both see the menu—or even where to stick the fork in. The Minneapolis Queen: This cruise is a deal—$19 for adults, passengers and cargo like cotton, sometimes “It wasn’t like if you had an oil lamp or chande- $10 for kids, and more if dinner’s included, for the chance to stacked so high you couldn’t see out. lier in a house—those weren’t dangerous unless traverse the only natural canyon on the Mississippi. Departs The combination of increased traffic and an you knocked one over. But say you’re going down from downtown Minneapolis. TWINCITIESCRUISES.COM unpredictable river in some ways ushered in the the river with the current 15 miles an hour, and LaCrosse Queen: There’s live music with dinner during sunset existence of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. you hit a sandbar. When you hit that sandbar, if one one of the prettiest bluff-lined stretches of the river—and The agency that would become the Corps was the boat is a big one, the boat goes “stop!” and as a special treat, the boat locks through Lock and Dam 7. first formed to remove snags that wrecked some the oil would come out and go all over the dining LACROSSEQUEEN.COM steamboats. room, and the boilers were right under the dining Memphis Riverboats: Pick from an Elvis music cruise, river “Snag removal was the first job that Congress room, so that was the end of that.” —K.S. history and more. MEMPHISRIVERBOATS.NET2

RETURN OF THE Tern Trail cams are known for the wildlife surprises they inevitably offer. Rarely do they provide evidence of a potential endangered species comeback the way one did this summer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. “Our trail cameras, located on the tern nesting barges, captured an image of an adult least tern with bands from 2017,” says Insiyaa Ahmed, a member of the environmental stewardship team at the Army Corps’ Rivers Project Office in West Alton, Mo. “This is the first confirmation we have of a returning tern banded at Riverlands.” Biologists have been monitoring and banding least terns at the migratory bird sanctuary since 2009 when they set up a nesting barge for habitat and research in the middle of Ellis Bay. One confirmed case of a tern returning over a 10-year project period may not sound like much until you consider this: There have been no documented or confirmed nesting successes in the wild on the Upper stretches of the Mississippi from roughly St. Louis, north, since the 1960s. The only exception was a successful nest in Pool 24 between Clarksville and Hannibal, Missouri, at another Corps-run project affiliated with its Environmental Management Program that lowered the navi- gation pool to expose mudflats for vegetation and migrating birds. The interior population of the least tern, just eight inches long when full grown, has been on the endangered species list since 1985, increasing its visibility and making it a conservation priority for federal agencies working on rivers within the central U.S. Overall population numbers have since risen dramatically on the free-flowing lower river, but the bird remains in peril on the impounded northern stretches. There, the locks and ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP dams that keep the river navigable for Overall population numbers LEFT: The nesting barge floats in Teal Pond within the Riverlands barge traffic and commerce have changed the hydrology—and nesting habitat. The have since risen dramatically on Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Sur- river no longer forms natural sandbars as the free-flowing lower river, but rounded by fencing, it’s not as it once did, and that’s the bird’s preferred scenic as a traditional river sand- nesting habitat, said Ryan Swearingin, the the bird remains in peril on the bar, but it’s far superior when wildlife biologist who heads up the tern barge project. impounded northern stretches. it comes to offering protection from the tiny least tern’s many The project at Riverlands seeks to predators. The project which mimic nature in a particularly unusual— includes banding tiny legs no but so far effective—way. Biologists built a modified sandbar on top of an old steel barge that was retired when larger than the tube inside an the Corps purchased a new navigation dredge. Teams took everything off the deck and covered it with a four-inch ink pen, is helping to develop a layer of sand, seeking to replicate the substrate of a Mississippi River sandbar. They added driftwood and placed it sustainable colony on the Upper strategically around the barge to offer a place for tern chicks to get out of the sun and potentially avoid predators. River that might not need such The fledglings are kept safe, too, from predators, too, in a particularly extreme way. An electric fence was set up last artificial nesting help. The photo, year after a greedy mink snuck onboard and wiped out an entire year’s worth of nesting chicks last year. bottom right, offers visual evi- “We partner with the World Bird Sanctuary and staff that have a master bander permit; it allows them to put dence of project success. This leg bands on birds, and we coordinate with them,” Swearingin said, adding the bands are tiny enough to go on legs bird, banded in 2017, returned to roughly the size of the tube inside an ink pen. the barge to nest.PHOTOS: U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. The record number of chicks banded was 65 in 2017, and while this year they stopped at 46, more continued to hatch in spite of an unexpected challenge. One of the two barges that had been linked together for the platform sprung a leak and had to be hauled to shore for repair, leaving a smaller platform. River flooding may have made up for that, Swearingin notes, given “we were the only show in town” with suitable nesting habitat not inundated by the flood. Gathering evidence of a particular tern’s return is tough since they tuck their (tagged) leg under a wing when flying. But then the cameras caught the red band—the color tagging crews used in 2017—offering more hope of project success. “This was initially started to hopefully bolster the local population,” Swearingin notes. “The larger the colony can get, the more easily they can ward off predators. If these artificial habits and habitat restoration could help lead to a de-listing of the species, it would be a great thing.” —K.S. ourmississippi.org 3

Projects draw attention to plastics in the Mississippi In a laboratory just downstream from the Melvin Price Locks and known throughout the food chain.” ABOVE: Dr. Anthony Dell uses a Dams in Alton, Ill., Dr. Anthony Dell peers down the microscope at countless tiny, No one sees the problem as vividly as mesocosm filled with Mississippi colorful pieces of plastic, so little as to potentially go unnoticed, while nearby, those participating in river cleanups as their River water to see how quickly vari- plastics of a more familiar form float. full-time job. One of the most shocking hauls ous forms of plastic break down. Instead of the fish and invertebrates scientists generally study here at the of plastics came in a cleanup near Memphis, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, he and colleagues have says Meghan Elgan, education and projects instead floated white plastic bowls like you’d use for a picnic, bright red Solo coordinator for the clean-up organization Living Lands and Waters. Volunteers cups, chips bags and water bottles—all to test how quickly each type of plastic collect tens of thousands of plastic bottles each year, and that’s by far the major- breaks down and what that might mean for the countless critters and humans ity of the tons of waste collected annually in U.S. rivers. that ingest what remains. Researcher Dell said he’d heard plenty about plastics in the marine system, Dell is a research scientist at NGRREC and is leading development of the new especially about larger pieces affecting sea birds and fish and marine mam- “Mississippi River Plastic Pollution” (MRPP) consortium that includes partners mals—but not much about plastics in freshwater or terrestrial ecosystems. at Lewis and Clark Community College, Saint Louis University, and a forensic sci- “Only for the last five to 10 years have scientists started exploring the plastic ence laboratory at the University of Staffordshire in Great Britain that specializes cycle in freshwater ecosystems,” he said, “despite that 90 percent of plastic that in the breakdown of plastics and microplastics—applying expertise gained in CSI ends up in marine systems coming from rivers.” cases to the health of those who depend on the river. Photos of the new proj- Going forward, the MRPP consortium will concentrate on a few key themes ects underway in NGRREC’s mesocosms—controlled outdoor laboratories that related to understanding the “plastic cycle” in the Mississippi River basin, includ- mimic natural conditions—aren’t going to capture the imagination in the same ing where the plastic is found in the environment, which animals interact with way as a dolphin or sea turtle tangled in a plastic grocery bag. But the results the plastic, and what (if any) are the broader ecological effects. As an ecologist, have the potential to be every bit as startling. Dell is especially interested in understanding how plastics are affecting river eco- Microplastics, generally no larger than a Mardi Gras bead, can fill the guts systems and the countless microbes, plant and animals species that comprise of animals, making it difficult for them to consume normal food. They also are them—many of which are central to the human society. known to attract other pollutants like a magnet. That magnifies the potential “Ultimately, our group hopes to contribute to an understanding of how much poisons for anything that ingests them. And they come from so many sources— plastic there is in the Mississippi River basic, where is coming from and how from the breakdown of bags and bottles to tiny plastic beads found in things does it move around, and what impacts it is having on the ecosystem, including from fleece jackets to toothpaste—that they’re ubiquitous in water column and humans” he said. “Is it changing species interaction and affecting structure of river sediment. Even so, the impacts have rarely been studied or focused on in the entire food web? Or is it basically everywhere and not doing anything, which freshwater systems—until now. is of course possible, but is not what early work in this area is showing.” —K.S. Some 100 Great Lakes mayors recently called upon manufacturers to halt use of microplastics in personal care items. Mississippi River mayors through the Cities and Towns Initiative have BE PART OF THE SOLUTION launched their own project, one that includes the • Pick up trash in your surrounding area. United Nations as a partner, to both improve plastic • Bring your own reusable cups, straws, silverware, recycling capabilities in river towns and to convince napkins and use when getting takeout meals or plastic-producing companies to pledge to reduce beverages. usage by 20 percent. • Avoid any personal care products that list “poly”PHOTOS: U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. “We’re talking a basin that drains 31 states, and as an ingredient. 40 percent of the Gulf of Mexico’s plastic prob- • Use reusable grocery bags, sandwich bags, food lem comes right out of the Mississippi River,” says covers and paper towels. Colin Wellenkamp, the Cities and Towns Initiative’s • Avoid purchasing fleece and other synthetic executive director. “This plastic waste as it makes clothing and wait until it’s actually dirty to wash its way downriver doesn’t remain whole; it gets torn the clothing you already own. up, broken apart and turned into toxic confetti. The • Take the Living Lands and Waters challenge: fish eat it, we eat the fish, it gets sucked into water facebook.com/groups/livinglandsandwatersgroup treatment facilities, gets caught into water used SOURCE: LIVING LANDS AND WATERS for things like the beverage industry. It makes itself ourmississippi.org 5

LIFE ON A MISSISSIPPI DREDGE Long hours, close ties, and homemade If you’ve ever been on or near the Mississippi River, you may have seen a strik- sediment moved, by the Goetz alone, and it is one of several dredges working on ing configuration of boats nestled together, one that look like a four-star hotel the Mighty Mississippi. with decks, chairs and staterooms attached to a large propulsion vessel. The other appears to be a loud industrious workhorse connected to nearly 10,000 feet of A close-knit lifestyle steel pipes, spewing water and sand onto shore. Combined, you get something like Dredge life is a world of hard hats, shared rooms, long hours and intense camara- a little city in the middle of the river. derie, as crew members get to know each other on an intimate level that resembles This “boat-convention” is home to 53 crew members, all of whom work to make the familial. Mike Siebel, dredge leverman, says that he “can tell you more about it possible for everything from trade to tourists to move up and down the mighty this crew’s eating habits than I can my own son’s.” Mississippi. The teams, which travel from the Goetz to their lodging on the Quarters Barge You are looking at the life, and the work, of a dredge boat team. Taggatz via motorboats for breaks, meals, and shift changes, work together for The Dredge Goetz, christened in 2005 and working near Davenport Iowa this seven twelve-hour consecutive days, returning seven days later to repeat the cycle. day on one of a series of hazardously hot summer days, deepens the Mississippi Some, like Cook Steward Ilona “Loni” Moen, are going on a three-week stretch River to at least nine feet to insure that large vessels, like barges, can pass easily. without a break. No replacement cook could be found, and Moen is dedicated A hydraulic cutterhead spinning underneath the Mississippi’s surface dislodges to the crew, despite having to miss two major family events. “We give up a lot rock, sand and debris from the bottom on the river, turns it into a slurry, and to do this job” adds Susie Tsolakov, Cook Assistant and former Cabin Attendant, sends it through a pipeline to the shore, creating massive sandbars used to restore who still tries to maintain the condition of the ship’s laundry room, lounge, and wetlands and encourage riverside recreation. other facilities even as she works full time in the kitchen to fill in the slack until Dredge crews work from the moment the river thaws to the beginnings of the a vacant cabin attendant position can be filled. Tsolakov, too, feels committed to winter freeze, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with round-the-clock her crew. One year, she put up Christmas decorations to cheer teams working over teams working 12-hour shifts. As this year’s flooding has greatly increased the need the holidays. Today, she has baked chocolate chip cookies for crewmen to sample for maintenance dredging, there are plenty of opportunities for overtime work, while on break. and many on the crew undertake these extra hours willingly. This year’s flooding, While the crew does experience the downsides of being far from family for says the dredge Captain Brian Krause, could easily surpass 1 million cubic yards of extended periods of time, they also tout the benefits of life on the river. Team6

Have your say on river flooding and sediment The Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Ca orps of Engineers is joining with the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association to address the disruption of river communi- ties, farmers, shippers and local residents from an increase in major flood events and increase in need to dredge the sediment in a rather unusual way: simply listening. The groups have been hosting Saturday “open space” events in which people who come set the agenda and lead discussions. There’s no presentation at all byThe Dredge Goetz by the Numbers experts. Instead, conversations have and will focus on reducing 4 Women on Crew (out of 53) flooding risks, maintaining the 3Minimum number of years it will navigation channel, reducing take to complete dredging due river sediment and preparing for to this year’s flooding a future of long-term drought. Attendees are asked to share 26 Rooms on the Taggatz what impacts to them have 7 Rooms on the General Warren been and how residents and 30 Loaves of bread baked per week leaders can come together to 4,000Dollars spent per week on better address the issues. The open forums begin in groceries July and continue Aug. 24 in 10,000Gallons of potable water Godfrey, Illinois, at Lewis and on the Taggatz Clark Community College and146,000Cubic yards of sediment Sept. 7 at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, at Southeast Missouri dredged from the floor of the State University. Thoughts can Mississippi River in a 12-day be shared online, too, at: mvr. period (most recent job) usace.army.mil.cheesecake members say they love working on the water, traveling to new places, and running life, and one of the previous captains was the father of Krause’s good friend. Many their equipment with efficiency and competence. Many spoke of the excellent on the crew have relatives in the industry who worked with the Captain in the past. health and retirement benefits that their jobs provide. Krause loves to see his crew take pride in their work. “People have no idea what Meals, though, came up often as an advantage of life on the Goetz, thanks to we do,” he says, noting that he loves to share information about dredge life. It’s Moen’s flair and creativity in the kitchen. Tenderloin steak, meatballs with mashed important, he notes, for the public to be aware of the service his team provides. potatoes and corn, and Moen’s cheesecake are all crew favorites. Only one “fail” And a close team it is. A death in someone’s immediate family is always followed was mentioned—a gumbo. by a group donation of some kind. When Siebel’s father died, a massive wreath “We don’t have many southerners on this boat,” reasons Moen, who crafts an appeared at the funeral, even though none of the Goetz team new Siebel’s dad eight-week rotating menu but confides that “I wing it every week.” For example, personally. When Krause’s dog of 17 years died, full time Engineering Equipment with today’s weather soaring once again over 100 degrees, lunch’s scheduled lasa- Operator and part-time woodworker Channing Helgeson made a soapstone gna will be replaced by a salad and sandwich bar. memorial to his captain’s companion, the artwork now displayed prominently on The brains behind these steak-and-cheesecake-loving sailors is the ebullient Krause’s desk. Helgeson has gifted his creations to various other crew members, Captain Krause, who boasts 23 years’ experience on the river, during which time including a mini-computer replica for Administrative Assistant Support Vincent he has occupied every position on the dredge with the exception of leverman. Perez, a reticent, soft-spoken man with a dry sense of humor who, it has been While Krause, sporting a brand new and still-itchy rope tattoo on his forearm, reported by anonymous sources, “is fun to have a beer with.” PHOTOS: LESLEA HARAVON COLLINS. enjoys all parts of his job from PR to paperwork, his favorite role is piloting the Krause’s 12-hour shift is nearing its end. It has been a busy day. Groceries have propulsion vessel, the Motor Vessel General Warren, which packs 3,000 horse- come in from the Riverview Boat Store in Bellevue, Iowa, and need to be trans- power. “It’s a totally different mindset being away from the computers and many ported and unpacked. The Goetz has finished one cut and must be moved upstream busy workers,” he says. Also, the view is spectacular from the pilothouse. to begin again. All pontoon pipes must be dismantled and repositioned. Krause, who knew the four previous dredge captains from the St. Paul District While the Goetz never takes a break, Krause gets to—at least for a few hours. where he and the dredge William A. Thompson and the William L. Goetz both originate, Tonight, he, together with Perez and Thomas Burrow, St. Paul Survey Technician is very connected to his crew. Tsolakov, who also happens to be an LPN, previously Inspector, will head into Davenport, IA rest their sea legs a bit, and watch a base- worked at a local nursing home and helped care for Krause’s father at the end of his ball game. The River Bandits are playing. —L.H.C. ourmississippi.org 7

National Loon Center moving toward reality The quavering wail of the common loon MyMISSISSIPPI Resources Trust Fund towards a National Loon Center. epitomizes the sparkling lakes and wilderness spirit of The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presented a 25-year the Mississippi River headwaters. Its continued pres- lease to the National Loon Center Foundation for use of ence is threatened by human disturbance and pollutants land within its Cross Lake Recreation Area. The grant such as lead and mercury. But new hope for the loon’s from the state of Minnesota will go toward the shore- future is rising on the shores of Cross Lake, Minnesota, line restoration and non-building features of the Center. where a community partnership has formed to cel- “Having the boat dock and boardwalk in place will ebrate, protect, and study loons. continue public access while allowing the shoreline The National Loon Center is dedicated to the survival to be protected for water quality and loon habitat,” and protection of loons and to educating people about said Becca Nash, director of the Legislative-Citizen how they can help. It will be located on the U.S. Army Commission on Minnesota Resources. The LCCMR Corps of Engineers’ Cross Lake Recreation Area, which makes recommendations to the Minnesota legislature adjoins the lakes where one of the largest migratory for how the Environment and Natural Resources Trust gatherings of loons occurs. Fund dollars should be spent. Leah Heggerston, executive director of the National The newly completed no-fee lease is a first for the St. Loon Center is excited about the project’s prospects. Paul District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “For Minnesota, it seems perfect as the loon is the state “We determined that construction of the National bird,” she said. Loon Center fits with our mission,” said Will The popular recreation area already includes a Wolkerstorfer, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps 122-site campground, day use area, boat ramps, and of Engineers - St. Paul District. “It will promote our accessible fishing pier. The Center will encompass an environmental stewardship responsibilities and won’t interpretive center, outdoor demonstration areas, and impact existing recreation.” An immediate benefit will Vince King, Elvis Tribute Artist a freshwater education/research center. Other features be the replacement of the old day-use restrooms. Houston, Texas will include docks, floating boardwalks, and outdoor A separate partnership agreement between the U.S. exhibits, bird sanctuaries and a floating classroom to Army Corps of Engineers and the National Loon Center “I’ve been an Elvis tribute artist for more study water quality and invasive species. The center will establish the details for use of the land for the than 15 years, and it’s wonderful to see fans will operate year-round through an onsite partnership shoreline restoration, docks, boardwalk, and outdoor of all ages smiling and singing along. There’s with the Corps and the Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber exhibits. With that agreement in place, construction this whole other Elvis world out there, a huge of Commerce. could begin in the fall of 2019, after the main tourist hard-core community of fans, and thousands The summer of 2019 saw two vital steps in creation season. Partnerships will continue to be key as the proj- of them come together each August for Elvis of the center. The Minnesota state legislature appro- ect develops. Week in Memphis. I do about 150 shows a year, priated $4 million from the Environment and Natural “It’s awesome working together,” said Corrine and two years ago I was named Grand Cham- Hodapp, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pion at the Elvis Presley EXPO Competition Cross Lake Recreation Area manager. “The and People’s Choice Winner at the King of the collaboration will help greatly with educa- World contest in Memphis. tion and public outreach.” “Elvis had that special something, that Heggerston highly praises the proj- indescribable ‘it’ that a charismatic few have. ect’s many partners. The Center and But he also had enormous talent: a richness the University of Minnesota are already in his voice, which was why his music has working on water resources curriculum endured. So I do my best to respect Elvis’ together. The University has been instru- image, his music, and all he did. I’ve studied mental in the center’s feasibility and market his moves, mannerisms, the way he stood, the studies. Formation of a scientific loon way he moved his hands, and the way he held council is already underway. Community his mic. When I perform, it’s all about giving his organizations, university, and state and fed- fans a chance to experience what an Elvis con- eral agencies are also engaged. cert was really like. You know, the Mississippi Project completion is targeted for 2022 Delta and its gospel tradition inspired so much LOONS: KIM SCHNEIDER. and will require a total investment of of his music: its roots speak to the story of the $10 million. The National Loon Center South, but Elvis’ gift made it America’s music ABOVE: This architectural rendering shows the airy interior space of the Foundation launched a capital campaign on too and shared it with the world.” —J.T. National Loon Center being planned in partnership with a U.S. Army July 20 to raise the balance needed. NATION- Corps of Engineers recreation center. ALLOONCENTER.ORG —D.D.8

My MISSISSIPPIKeeping the river natural Master plan manages the tricky play/protection balanceS ome of the most pristine stretches of the Mississippi River—favorite recreation lakes and dramatic bluffs with distant views—lie within the 240-mile stretch from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. It’s a migratory flyway (in some cases permanent home) to 325 spe- cies of birds, home to 118 different types of fish and rare species of mussels, and thelocation of many historic resources, not surprisingly since humans of every era have picked riversas transportation and settlement hubs. How the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will manage and protect the lands and also walk thetricky balance between protection and access for recreation is the impetus behind a new masterplan. While the Corps has multiple missions relating to the river, this plan guides the use anddevelopment of natural and recreational resources of some 52,000 acres of Corps-managedland. A companion plan being updated as well classifies management actions on federallyowned lands. The public offered input on what they’d like to see in the plan at a series of meetings heldthrough July across the project area. Many comments focused around a new bicycle path, thedesire for more and better sandbar beaches and continued access for paddling, fishing and hunt-ing, said Megan O’Brien, the Corps’ plan formulator. The public will have another chance to givetheir input on the draft plan later this year. While most public lands will continue to be managed for multiple purposes, classification ishelpful in future decision-making, says Trevor Cyphers, fishery biologist and head of the report’senvironmental sections. “If a certain parcel of land is classified for wildlife management, ourselves or the Fish andWildlife Service will try to focus on restoring native species, giving them best chance can to sur- Brian Gray, Lockmaster Lock and Dam 2 “As a child we would go to Lake Pepin every once in awhile. I would see the river from the pontoon point of view. It didn’t dawn on me there was a towing industry; it was simply plea- sure. But I’ve seen all aspects of it now. “I became lockmaster in 2012. What strikes me most about my job is the technology of how this whole place was constructed. To have the capability of building this even today seems like it would be a major undertaking, but to be able to have done it almost 100 years ago is pretty amazing. And yet it’s a pretty simple operation. We just use gravity to raise and lower our lock chamber. “The towing industry runs 24:7, and we never know when tows will be here. There are challenges sometimes. We have high flows right now, and sometimes it’s hard for tows to get to the wall. The river wants to carry them out toward our dam. But it’s pretty amazing what these pilots can do. We can be conversing with them that whole time, and you get a pretty good feel for what their life is like. They work six hour shifts, six on and six off every day. Used to be in the day we’dMaster plans help keep the river attractive to both wildlife and the people increasingly drawn to the save our newspaper and give it to them so they’d have newsMississippi for recreation. to read. Now they’re on cell phones, so it’s kind of obsolete. “What’s coming upriver is fertilizer, concrete material, andvive,” he said. “If an area is classified for low-density recreation, a place where there are a number going down would be oats, corn, soybeans, oil products andof beaches or bike trails, that helps us determine what to do there too.” scrap from the Twin Cities. It’s interesting, like the fertilizer The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, requires that federal projects take for instance. You see it as a chemical coming up river andcultural and historic resources into consideration, said Vanessa Alberto, a Corps archaeologist head- don’t think about it, but it’s critical for all the farmers in theing up that section of the report. The focus for the Corps when it comes to historic resources is the Upper Midwest. You realize how important it is for the river toprotection and preservation of resources such as shipwrecks or Native American and other historic remain viable.artifacts. The Corps also preserves history through educational resources like interpretive panels on “We get visitors, too. A traffic counter at our parking lotsuch topics as the pearl button industry, the historic locks and shows we get 50,000 cars driving down here a year. Waterdams themselves or reminders of eras like the fur trade. FOR MORE: does something to people, and you never know what you’ll “We have information going back 13,000 years we knew mvp.usace.army.mil/ see. Eagles are here. Heron. You see otter once in awhile andthat people were living in the area—that’s when the most UpperMississippiRiver some mink. Or you’ll see a coyote going across the ice, or anrecent glacial advance retreated,” Alberto said. “From then up MasterPlan/ eagle catching fish and flapping wings across the water tountil today, the river has continued to be used.” CONTACT: get it to shore. The master plan, she says, is the baseline guiding docu- UMRMasterPlan2019@ “Right now, My Mississippi is the reason I get up in thement for how the Corps manages the river and Corps-owned usace.army.mil morning and come in here every day. It’s a challenging job,lands into the future. —K.S. and I love it. I love the fact I can be outdoors and combine the beauty of the river with actually doing my job. I’m a lucky guy.” ourmississippi.org 9

OUR MISSISSIPPI KIDS How to make a bird feeder at home! Pinecone bird feeder Citrus Bird Feeder What you need What you need Pinecones Citrus fruit like oranges or Nut butter or vegetable shortening grapefruit Bird seed mix Bird seed mix Twine, string, or yarn Wooden skewer String or twine Instructions Instructions • Clean your pinecone by shaking off any dirt or • Cut the citrus fruit in half and broken bits. Tie a long piece of twine or string scoop out the fruit, leaving to the base of the pinecone. It should be long only the rind intact. It should enough to hang the pinecone from a tree look like a small bowl. branch or porch. Smear the outside of the • Poke three evenly spaced pinecone with nut butter or vegetable short- holes along the upper edge of the citrus half, and loop ening. Try to get it inside all the gaps! long pieces of string or twine through the holes. • Pour bird seed mix into a shallow container. • Poke the skewer through the citrus horizontally to Then roll the covered pine cone in the bird create a perch for the birds. seed mix. • Fill your bowl with bird seed mix. Keep your string out of • Hang the bird feeder from a tree or from your the way so you don’t accidentally bury it under seed! porch. (Avoid using very thin string, such as fishing • Hang your bowl outside from a tree or other structure. line, to tie up your bird feeder because it can create a • Watch your feeder for birds throughout the day—espe- tangling hazard for birds.) cially in the mornings and evenings as birds are more • Watch for birds visiting your feeder! active during these times. Send us pictures of birds at your feeders! editor@ourmississippi.net Can you see the dino in that bird? Look more closely at the next bird you see heading down the Mississippi River flyway, and you might be getting a glimpse into the ancient past. Experts say that dinosaurs almost all had bird behaviors. Fossils from the Archaeopteryx (the oldest known bird, shown in Archaeopteryx, 3D rendering a 3D rendering at right) show marks left by feathers, Great Blue Heron Bald Eagle Sandhill Crane and experts have correlated bird behaviors with many other dinosaur species. Plant-eating dinosaurs would feed young for several weeks so they could grow from their birth size of 16 inches to four feet before leaving the nest. The remains of two carnivores found since their remains were buried in a sandstorm found them in the position still of brooding eggs on their nest—just as birds do. From eagles to hummingbirds, birds are the most successful and varied branch of the dinosaur family. SOURCE: BIRDS OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND DRIFTLESS AREA (STORIES FROM BIG RIVER MAGAZINE). Match the dinosaur-like Can dive at speeds Cleans itself with mud, Snares prey by walking bird with a key feature of its up to 100 mph dances and bugles slowly or standing still modern-day behavior. for long periods of time10

OUR MISSISSIPPI TRAVEL Follow the river-inspired blues trailABOVE: “Kingfish” Ingram performs at Club Ebony, one treat awaiting on the Mississippi Blues Trail. RIGHT: LuciousSpiller plays at Red’s in Clarksdale. BELOW: More iconic trail stops. O n stage at Club Ebony in Indianola, Mississippi, Robert Johnson sold his soul with the image of B. B. King grinning over to the devil for guitar prow- his left shoulder and a few hundred admirers ess to New Roxy’s tale of Sam sitting within 20 feet, Christone “Kingfish” Cooke being born close by to Ingram belts the blues. A Clarksdale, Mississippi, the Riverside Hotel (once the native who is barely two decades old, is the up- hospital for blacks) where and-coming bluesman who is reviving the Delta blues while his Empress of the Blues Bessie career explodes simultaneously. His head shuffles from shoulder Smith died after a car acci- to shoulder while his guitar and voice howl and groan the stories dent, the city tells each story of the Delta. proudly. Downtown accom- At a time when the blues might be considered a dwindling modations like Travelers genre, heat is rising in Mississippi thanks in part this Clarksdale Hotel as well as the rural native and to the Mississippi Blues Trail. Shack Up Inn let you lounge “So many blues lyrics are personal expressions of direct experi- in history while restaurants ences with what life throws at you,” states Greg Johnson, Blues like Hooker Grocery, Abe’s Curator at J.D. Williams Library in University, Mississippi. “The BBQ, and Our Grandma’s river symbolizes so much to folks in the Delta. It’s still a force to House of Pancakes fuel your be reckoned with.” body and fill your soul. See how the river and the blues are intertwined as you explore But you might say it all started—as B.B. King exclaimed—at Festivals not to miss more then 200 trail markers in Mississippi alone noting artists, Dockery Farms in Cleveland, when Charley Patton’s moved there clubs, historic events and more along the Mississippi Blues Trail, to work as sharecroppers and the redefine the delta’s gift with a September 20 starting with The Gateway to the Blues Visitor Center in Tunica. voice that would be as mighty as the river. Mississippi Blues Festival, Patton’s gruff, loud voice established the cathartic Greenville, Miss. blues sound as the river carried him away from the October 17-20 working plantation life and directed him toward joot Deep Blues Fest & Delta Busking joints (now called juke joints) along the river’s cities, Stages DEEPBLUESFEST.COMOctober where drinking, dancing and relaxing were key. The 17-19 blues became a soundtrack of expression, where lyrics Mississippi Delta and melodies captured the suffering, anguish and hopes Tennessee Williams Festival of the sharecroppers. His most popular song “High DELTAWILLIAMSFESTIVAL.COM Water Everywhere” mourned the Mississippi River December 6-7 flood of 1927. “The water at Greenville and Leland, it Burdine’s Blues & Greens Festival done rose everywhere,” he sang. “I would go down to at Shack Up Inn BBGFESTIVAL.COM There you get an overview of the trail—and the genre itself. Rosedale, but they tell me it’s water there.” April 16-19, 2020 BLUES TRAIL PHOTOS: SEEING SOUTHERN PHOTOGRAPHY. “The museum serves to educate the blues historian and the Others would continue the legacy. South to Indianola at the 17th Juke Joint Festival blues novice on the history and the origin of the music that was B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, you learn JUKEJOINTFESTIVAL.COM developed out of the cotton fields of the region,” says Webster of King’s beginnings in the cotton fields, his days at KWEM in Franklin, president of the Tunica Convention and Visitors Memphis and his road to being named the King of the Blues. Bureau. Pay your respects at his burial site, just outside the museum, and If there ever was a city rooted in the blues, though, it is finish the night at Club Ebony where King played as a young man. Clarksdale, Mississippi. Tagged “Home of the Blues,” Clarksdale This night, it is the young performer Kingfish on stage, the one promises live music 365 nights a year in venues like New Roxy, many believe will reinvigorate the blues scene with his dazzling Levon’s Bar and Grill, Ground Zero, and the legendary Red’s Juke guitar and gut-wrenching vocals. He affirms Joint promising cold beer and sizzling blues from local favorite the claim of Johnson, the blues curator, that as FOR MORE: Lucious Spiller. long as young audiences keep re-discovering msbluestrail.org Thanks to the music, this once dying town is experiencing a the blues, it will never die and the future is renaissance. From the Crossroads (Highways 61 and 49) where wide open. —J.G. ourmississippi.org 11

US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul PRSRT STD PM-E Sterling U.S. POSTAGE 180 East Fifth Street, Suite 700 PAID St. Paul, MN 55101 GREENVILLE, MI PERMIT NO. 338 Welcome the new Record flooding crushes TNC tool targets Commander duration records restoration priorities Maj. Gen. R. Mark Toy is the The entire Mississippi River basin flooded this year With limited funding for restoration, coupled with newest commander of the in what Jared Gartman, chief of readiness and growing needs, decision makers look to find the spots Mississippi Valley Division contingency for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where their work will have the greatest impacts on of the U.S. Army Corps of Mississippi Valley Division called a “total system areas like wildlife habitat, flood risk and wildlife qual- Engineers. Toy took com- flood” that crushed records for duration on much ity. The Nature Conservancy is helping out with a new mand in late July from Maj. of the river and had caused $2 billion in damages by interactive, web-based and data-driven tool that seeks Gen. Richard G. Kaiser, just the end of March. That doesn’t include the cost to identify such places in the Mississippi River Basin. who has been assigned of repair of the more than 30 levees damaged along TNC’s tool draws upon a recent TNC analysis as Deputy Commanding General for the U.S. Army the river. of comprehensive flood risk to allow users to inter- Corps of Engineers in Washington D.C. Gartman joined river mayors with the Mississippi actively choose subsets of data layers of interest to Toy, highly decorated for both his domestic and mili- River Cities and Towns Initiative in a summer press them and view the resulting effects on the portfolio of tary posts, comes to Vicksburg from Cincinnati, Ohio, conference to discuss the unprecedented impacts. priority sites identified throughout the basin. where he most recently served as commander of the The flood fight was the longest on record for New The tool couples potential flood event impacts Corps’ Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. During that Orleans at 240 days of active flood fighting by just with other data to identify priority floodplains for assignment, he was temporarily deployed to Kabul, June, and water levels didn’t start falling until July 29. conservation or restoration. Afghanistan, where he led a task force comprising Army In that district, the Corps opened the Bonnet Carré The tool also integrates spatial data depicting Corps personnel and the Joint Improvised Explosive Spillway twice for the first time since its construction current and likely future development in floodplains Device Defeat Organization. He previously had served in 1931. Impacts, though, were spread up and down to project estimated flood damages and popula- several posts, domestically and abroad. the river into towns like Alton, Illinois, where floods tion exposure. It also estimates potential losses to As MVD’s 40th commander, Toy will be respon- idled some 700 workers, and Greenville, Mississippi, flooded agricultural lands and soon will also include sible for the Corps’ water resources programs in a where 14 sewage pump failures in impoverished information about projected changes in rainfall inten- 370,000-square-mile area that includes portions of areas created havoc. The single bright spot was sity, duration and frequency, and social vulnerability. 12 states. the cooperation across levee districts as well as Officials say the tool will be most useful when applied In addition, Toy will be president-designee of the volunteerism. in partnerships with local planners and decision- Mississippi River Commission, the presidentially “This is a great example of the Midwest,” said makers; TNC currently is working with a U.S. Army appointed agency that oversees the comprehensive Mayor Frank Klipsch of Davenport, Iowa, Co-Chair of Corps of Engineers-funded Silver Jackets Flood Risk Mississippi River and Tributaries flood control and the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. “All Management process in Missouri to identify land for navigation project, as well as the entire Mississippi people are coming together to not only help with the purchase for flood protection purposes. River and its tributaries. immediacy of the problems, but then redoubling their efforts to help people get back into their businesses.” Scan here with your smartphone to go to the Our Mississippi website. Here, you can subscribe to our e-edition, read past editions and find river-related education materials. Send story ideas to editor@ourmississippi.netQuestions or Comments:U.S.A.C.E. REGIONAL OUTREACH SPECIALISTS Mailing list changes: Contributors this issue:Insiyaa Ahmed, St. Louis, Mo. Elizabeth Burks, Memphis, Tenn. Andrea Sterling, 651-290-5664 EDITOR/LEAD WRITER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 636-899-0076 901-544-0761Vanessa Alberto, St. Paul, Minn. Katelynn Dearth, St. Louis, Mo. To read online: Kim Schneider Leslea Haravon Collins 651-290-5388 636-899-0086 ttps://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/Media/ h GRAPHIC DESIGNER Debra DietzmanKevin Bluhm, New Orleans, La. Angie Freyermuth, Rock Island, Ill. Publications/Our-Mississippi/ Diane Kolak Rick Stoff 651-290-5247 309-794-5341 Click “Subscribe here” to subscribe via email. Janis Turk This newsletter is a quarterly update of ongoing efforts in the Mississippi River Watershed and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Army.

Return of the classic river cruise - Mississippi Valley Division (2024)

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