A River Changed

A River Changed. . When Lewis and Clark began their exploration in 1804, the Missouri was wild with constantly changing channels and chutes. The "Big Muddy" got its name from its shifting bottom., The river topped its banks every spring and deposited nutrients in the floodplain, creating a diverse system of plants and animals., In 1912, Congress funded improvements on the Missouri. The task was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers. The river was straightened and narrowed for navigation, flood control, farming, economic development, and to create jobs., The Corps built six large reservoirs to control flooding. They removed snags and used wing dams to direct the broad river into a more narrow, deeper, and faster channel for navigation., Today's Missouri is very different from what Lewis and Clark explored. The entire portion bordering Iowa has been straightened; over 96 square miles of floodplain have been converted and the river is 18 miles shorter. Over a third of the river upstream from Iowa is corralled in six reservoirs. 30,000 acres of sandbars and islands disappeared as well as 17,000 acres of surface water., These changes left marks on the surrounding land as well. More land was cultivated. Tree cover, wetlands, sandbars, and grasslands disappeared., Reduced fish and wildlife populations reflect the decline in habitat. Many plant and animal species have become endangered or threatened, some are completely gone.