Focusing on climate change for this conference is immensely important to us as we are seeing the severe effects in our river communities. Some examples of these extreme events are increased flooding, more recent and extreme derechos, droughts, and rapid temperature fluctuations. Specifically looking at our upper Mississippi River basin, these events are not only damaging to our communities, but to the river’s overall natural ecosystem. The Department of Natural Resources released an article in early July 2022 stating the updated status on the Upper Mississippi River trends. Some key takeaways and important notes to understand when speaking on climate change and the Mississippi River are how much the river is changing and for a variety of reasons. They found that there is more water in the river at an increased frequency, creating longer high flows. The high flows lasting longer is difficult on the overall hydrology and quality/quantity of the native species in the river. There is also an increase in floodplain forest loss due to the forest response to environmental changes, increased flooding, and invasive species. When these changes become apparent enough to see the negative effects, we know we need to make stronger policies and get our communities involved in these efforts. Which is what led us to wanting to make the conference climate change themed; to not only advocate for what our environment and communities deserve, but to educate policy makers and stakeholders on environmental efforts being made, and how climate change is actively affecting the people in our communities.
The Upper Mississippi River conference started in 2003 in collaboration with the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, U.S Fish and Wildlife Services, and U.S. Coast Guard and continues to examine sustainable activities and practices of many river communities. The 16th Edition of the UMRC is happening this year on October 19th-20th at Stoney Creek Inn, Moline, IL. The theme is a Changing Climate and Our Evolving Mississippi River. We are focusing on how the private and public sectors can address climate change, whether that be at the non-profit or city levels. Our keynote speakers are Ray Wolf, the Science and Officer from NOAA and Art Cullen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of the new book, Storm Lake: A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper.