An Era of Restoration

An Era of Restoration. . , In 1986, Congress designated the upper Mississippi River as a nationally significant ecosystem and navigation system, the only inland river in the United States to have such a designation. Through an Environmental Protection Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its partners are restoring important habitat for river fish and wildlife, re-establishing some of the Mississippi's natural water-level fluctuations, rebuilding and protecting river islands, and cleaning out sediment-clogged side channels and backwaters., There are many noteworthy river-restoration efforts underway in the Twin Cities. Friends of the Mississippi River and Great River Greening lead community-based restoration efforts. The Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation works the redevelop Saint Paul as a river-oriented community. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a 72-mile-long national park that runs through the Twin Cities, attracts millions of people every year who boat, fish, or simply enjoy the river's beauty., The Mississippi's restoration is ongoing. Fish and freshwater mussel populations are recovering and bald eagles are once again nesting along the upper Mississippi River. These barometers of the river's health give us hope, but the era of restoration is not complete., American Bald Eagle , Photo courtesy of Carol Chapman, Mississippi River, Saint Paul