About Us

We believe when people and organizations come together, we can make real, lasting changes 1 Mississippi was established in 2009 by the Mississippi River Network (MRN) to organize people dedicated to protecting the Mississippi River into a national constituency of River Citizens. River Citizens live in all 50 states, take simple actions to improve the River and advocate for River protections to local and national decision makers.

MRN created the 1 Mississippi program to encourage River Citizens to act through education, inspiration, and opportunities to embrace and advocate for the Mississippi River. MRN is a coalition of nearly 70 nonprofit organizations and businesses working together to protect the people, land, water, and wildlife of the United States’ greatest River.

Our current and past sponsors and supporters include the following. We also depend on contributions from River Citizens and enthusiasts like you. Click here to learn how you can support our work and make a difference for the River.

Walton Family Foundation
Mosaic
Water Foundation
McKnight Foundation
Bass Pro and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund
WestRock Foundation
Jonah Maccabee Foundation

Join our

COMMUNITY

And Get a Free E-book!

When you sign up as a River Citizen you’ll receive our newsletters and updates, which offer events, activities, and actions you can take to help protect the Mississippi River.

You’ll also get our free e-book, Scenes From Our Mighty Mississippi, an inspiring collection of images featuring the River.

RIVER CITIZEN TESTIMONIALS

"I am a River Citizen because I was born at the headwaters of the Mississippi in Little Falls and grew up across from the Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island, IL (I biked there in summer of 2013 and saw there river display) I lived on Nicollet Island for 6 years in late 80’s and to mid 90’s…"

Elizabeth Irene Goodman Hallowell

"I am a River Citizen because the River is perfect. Man is not perfect. If man makes a mistake against the River, the River will find it, and exploit it."

John Barry

Author, Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America

The Mississippi River Network

1 Mississippi program is implemented by the Mississippi River Network (MRN) to encourage River Citizens to take action through education, inspiration, and opportunities to embrace and advocate for the Mississippi River.

The Mississippi River Network is a coalition of nearly 70 organizations working toward a healthy and resilient River for the land, water, wildlife, and people of the United States’ greatest River. Founded in 2005, the Network has grown into a diverse coalition of nonprofit organizations and businesses from the River’s headwaters in Minnesota, to where it drains into the Gulf of Mexico. Network members share resources, implement whole River strategies, and support the 1 Mississippi national program.

The Network focuses on three priority issues that need River-wide cooperation:

  • Establish a national commitment to protect and restore the Mississippi River through increased public awareness and support.
  • Promote sustainable agricultural practices throughout the Mississippi River Basin.
  • Encourage reliance on natural infrastructure and restoration of wetlands and flood plains.

National Organizations

American Rivers

Website

American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature.

1101 14th Street NW, Suite 1400 Washington, DC 20005

American Farmland Trust

Website

American Farmland Trust launched the conservation agriculture movement and has been bringing agriculture and the environment together since 1980. We take a holistic approach to farmland and ranchland, protecting it from development, promoting environmentally sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on it. Agriculture offers the most promising solutions in our fight against climate change—but only when we support farming can it fulfill its promise to feed us and heal our planet.

1150 Connecticut Ave NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036

Black People Who Hike

Website

Our mission is empower, educate and reengage black people to the outdoors through wellness campaigns, health advocacy and community based activities including hiking, camping, kayaking, rock climbing and yoga.

The Conservation Fund

Website

We practice conservation to achieve environmental and economic outcomes. Every Fund program places conservation at its center, and our entrepreneurial staff create and implement innovative, practical ways to benefit the natural world and the well-being of Americans from every walk of life.

At the Fund, we believe that conservation is an “all-hands on deck proposition,” in the words of one of our former Board Chairs. Conservation takes many forms, and our programs interpret and practice conservation in a mutually-reinforcing way – working in concert to ensure the value of natural resources in America remain essential to our prosperity.

1655 N. Fort Myer Drive
Suite 1300
Arlington, Virginia 22209

Environmental Defense Fund

Website

We began in 1967, as a scrappy group of scientists and a lawyer on Long Island, New York, fighting to save osprey from the toxic pesticide DDT. Using scientific evidence, our founders got DDT banned nationwide.

Today, we’re one of the world’s leading environmental organizations. In the U.S., Fortune magazine called our board one of the country’s most influential nonprofit boards.

And science still guides everything we do.

1875 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20009

Green Lands, Blue Waters

Website

Green Lands Blue Waters and partners are conducting essential research, improving the genetics of old and new crops, translating knowledge into Continuous Living Cover farming systems, developing new extension and outreach capacity, working in farm fields, shaping policy, building profitable markets for new crops, and changing the narrative around what’s possible through agriculture. The value of Continuous Living Cover farming comes in yields and profits, but also in improved soil health, cleaner water, new economic opportunities, more wildlife, reduced risk, and resiliency in the face of a changing climate.

1991 Upper Buford Cir, Saint Paul, MN 55108

Izaak Walton League of America

Website

The Izaak Walton League is one of America’s oldest and most successful conservation organizations – and we are the only organization training, equipping, and coordinating volunteer water quality monitors on a national scale. These volunteers are the heart and soul of our common-sense conservation mission. Through member-driven bottom-up governance, the Izaak Walton League is protecting outdoor America in communities across the country, while working strategically at the national level to win critical conservation battles.

707 Conservation Lane
Gaithersburg, MD 20878

LightHawk

Website

We are conservation scientists working with the leading environmental groups on the continent, showing them how aviation can augment their work, in perhaps unexpected ways, and creating flight campaigns that achieve significant conservation outcomes.

P.O. Box 913239, Denver, CO 80291

National Audubon Society

Website

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation.

225 Varick St
New York, NY 10014

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Website

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities.

NSAC’s vision of agriculture is one where a safe, nutritious, ample, and affordable food supply is produced by a legion of family farmers who make a decent living pursuing their trade, while protecting the environment, and contributing to the strength and stability of their communities.

110 Maryland Avenue NE, Suite 209 Washington, DC 20002

National Caucus of Environmental Legislators

Website

The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators empowers a nonpartisan network of legislative champions to protect, conserve, and improve the natural and human environment.

We believe that the key to advancing sound policy in the states is well-informed legislatures with strong champions who can advocate on behalf of the environment, develop shared strategies, and collaborate with their peers across the country on shared learning and action.

NCEL does not lobby for the enactment or defeat of any state or federal legislation.

1100 H Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005

National Wildlife Federation

Website

America’s experience with cherished landscapes and wildlife has helped define and shape our national character and identity for generations. Protecting these natural resources is a cause that has long united Americans from all walks of life and political stripes. To hunters, anglers, hikers, birders, wildlife watchers, boaters, climbers, campers, cyclists, gardeners, farmers, forest stewards, and other outdoor enthusiasts, this conservation ethic represents a sacred duty and obligation to protect and build upon our conservation heritage for the sake of wildlife, ourselves, our neighbors, and—most of all—for future generations.

PO Box 1583, Merrifield, VA 22116-1583

Natural Resources Defense Council

Website

NRDC works to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.

40 West 20th Street
11th floor
New York, NY 10011

Northeast-Midwest Institute

Website

The Northeast-Midwest Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization committed to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for the 18 states of the Northeast and Midwest. As a policy-focused institute with a 40-year track record of producing first-rate research, developing policy options, and building and supporting regional coalitions, the Institute has unique standing in that it was founded in response to calls by the Congressional Northeast-Midwest Coalition for a stable and trusted source of regional data and research as well as policy options and analysis. It is precisely these roots and relationships on Capitol Hill which now position the Northeast-Midwest Institute to chart a future that encompasses an expanded agenda of critical regional issues and to embark on a strategy to achieve increased impact.

1875 Connecticut Ave NW
Universal North 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20009

Illinois

Heartlands Conservancy

Website
Our organization was founded by natural resource and agricultural leaders from seven counties in southwestern Illinois – Madison, St. Clair, Monroe, Bond, Clinton, Washington and Randolph counties. Our founders recognized early on that to make a meaningful impact for the environment in our region, our efforts would need to focus not only on protecting pristine natural areas, but on restoring nature where it has been degraded, enriching the communities of our region, promoting responsible development, and sharing our knowledge with others.

3 North High St., Belleville, IL 62220

Illinois Environmental Council

Website

IEC works to safeguard Illinois—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

Since our founding in 1975 by a group of dedicated grassroots environmentalists, IEC has led issue advocacy campaigns by allowing environmental organizations to pool their resources and create a higher profile for environmental issues.

Today, IEC represents more than 90 environmental and community organizations and nearly 300 individual members from throughout Illinois

520 E Capitol, Springfield, IL 62701

Illinois Stewardship Alliance

Website
Mission: We are an alliance of farmers and eaters. Our mission is to find, connect, train and amplify the leadership of farmers and eaters who use their choices and their voices to shape a more just and regenerative local food and farm system. Our statewide community unites to educate policymakers and form a powerful voice that has a seat at every table where decisions are made.

Vision: An Illinois where farmers earn a living responsibly stewarding the land and feeding our communities; people can easily and affordably find and buy local food that aligns with their values; and we all enjoy vibrant, resilient, and healthy communities.

230 Broadway Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701

Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation

Website
The Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation (JDCF), a land trust in Jo Daviess County, IL, was founded in 1993 by a small group of local individuals who wanted to somehow maintain the open space of a piece of property near Galena that had recently been put up for sale. The group’s purpose was to permanently protect what many deemed ‘the Gateway to Galena’ from development, ensuring that the pristine view of the City from Hwy 20 along Horseshoe Mound would be preserved for future generations to enjoy. That goal recently became a reality when JDCF finally purchased the 100 acres known as Galena Gateway Park in 2010. During the almost 18 year struggle to reach this goal, the Foundation grew from a group of volunteers meeting in one another’s basements to an organization with an office and full-time staff that is dedicated to land conservation in all of Jo Daviess County.

126 N. Main Street
Elizabeth, Illinois 61028

Living Lands & Waters

Website
Headquartered in East Moline, Illinois, Living Lands & Waters is a 501 (c)(3) environmental organization that was established by Chad Pregracke in 1998. Since the organization was founded, Living Lands & Waters has grown to be the only “industrial strength” river cleanup organization like it in the world.

Spending up to nine months a year living and traveling on the barge, the Living Lands & Waters crew hosts river cleanups, watershed conservation initiatives, workshops, tree plantings and other key conservation efforts.

OUR MISSION:
We like wins. Big or small. But, what’s a win to us? Our mission is threefold:

To aid in the protection, preservation, and restoration of the natural environment of our nation’s major rivers and their watersheds.
To expand awareness of environmental issues and responsibility encompassing our rivers.
To create a desire and opportunity for citizens to take an active role in helping to make a cleaner river environment.

17624 Route 84 North
East Moline, Illinois 61244

National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

Website
The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠), a division of Lewis and Clark Community College, is dedicated to the study of great river systems and the communities that use them. The center aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds, and their associated communities. NGRREC℠ was founded in 2002 through a collaborative partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Natural History Survey and Lewis and Clark Community College. The center aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds, and their associated communities.

One Confluence Way, East Alton, IL 62024

Prairie Rivers Network

Website
At Prairie Rivers Network, we protect water, heal land, and inspire change.

Using the creative power of science, law, and collective action, we protect and restore our rivers, return healthy soils and diverse wildlife to our lands, and transform how we care for the earth and for each other.

Prairie Rivers Network is the independent, state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

1605 South State Street, Suite 1
Champaign, IL 61820

Sierra Club – Piasa Palisades Group

Website
Are you concerned about environmental issues in Madison County, Illinois, and surrounding counties? Then join us! The Sierra Club is involved in numerous conservation efforts in the region. We hold monthly educational meetings about environmental topics and offer local outdoor outings. We are also active in issues that affect our community such as air and water quality, land use, and forest issues.

The Nature Institute

Website
The Nature Institute (TNI) is a non-profit land conservation and environmental education organization based in Godfrey, IL. Since its founding in 1980, The Nature Institute’s board and staff have worked to foster an awareness and appreciation of the natural world through preservation, restoration, and education.

Each summer TNI hosts about 400 children, grades pre-K through 6th, for Discovery Day Camp, a premier, ACA, nature day camp. Every school year, more than 8,000 area students visit TNI for field trips, including high school and college students. TNI also owns and manages more than 450 acres of protected land, such as the Olin Nature Preserve, the Mississippi Sanctuary, the Kemp and Cora Hutchinson Bird Sanctuary, and the Heartland Prairie Project at Gordon Moore Park. These natural areas provide unique places for the public to experience the diversity of the Riverbend area with its hardwood forests, prairies, and wetlands.

2213 S. LEVIS LANE
GODFREY, IL 62035

The Wetlands Initiative

Website
OUR VISION
A world with plentiful healthy wetlands improving water quality, climate, biodiversity, and human well-being.

OUR MISSION
The Wetlands Initiative designs, restores, and creates wetlands. We innovate, collaborate, and employ sound science to improve water quality, habitat for plants and wildlife, and our climate.

OUR FIRST 25 YEARS
A 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, the Wetlands Initiative was incorporated in 1994 and began regular operations in 1995. Marking our first 25 years of ecological restoration, this video takes viewers on a whistle-stop tour of TWI sites, looking back on the organization’s origins and forward to upcoming projects.

53 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1015
Chicago, Illinois 60604

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities

Website
Our vision is to be an inclusive place of belonging that works for social justice, as inspired by our Principles.

(The concept of Beloved Community is drawn from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of Beloved Community)

3707 Eastern Avenue,
Davenport IA 52807

Mississipi 

Lower Mississippi River Foundation
Website
The Lower Mississippi River is trapped behind levees, inaccessible to most of the people who live on its banks. At the Lower Mississippi River Foundation, we believe that by connecting people to their waterway we can improve the health of the river and the lives of those who live in its floodplain. To do this we create opportunities for the people of the Delta to experience the wild beauty of the Mississippi and help us protect it for future generations.

107 PERRY STREET
HELENA, AR 72342

Quapaw Canoe Company (Business partner)
Website
The Mighty Quapaws is an after-school apprenticeship program run by Quapaw Canoe Company for Clarksdale youth, skills include swimming, canoe making, paddle construction, and river guiding. In February 2004 the Mighty Quapaws completed Dorothy the Double Eagle Dugout which now sits in the children’s room of the Carnegie Public Library. “You can’t get in the canoe unless you have a book with you!” Also: The Mighty Quapaws took second place at the Mississippi River Memphis Canoe Race in May, 2004. Mighty Quapaws is made possible with a grant from the Dreyfus Health Foundation.

You can help support the Mighty Quapaws Internship Program: send your tax-deductible donation to Quapaw Canoe Company today! Thank you! May the Great Spirit bless you!

291 Sunflower Avenue
Clarksdale, Mississippi

Minnesota

Friends of the Mississippi River

Website
Friends of the Mississippi River engages people to protect, restore and enhance the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities region.

Friends of the Mississippi River envisions a river that is recognized and celebrated for its intrinsic values. Imagine with us a river where the water is clear and clean and safe to swim in, where fish and wildlife are healthy and abundant, and where scenic bluffs and cultural treasures are protected.

This is a river where residents and visitors can escape the rush of daily life to find solitude in a hidden backwater, mystery beside ancient mounds, and the wonder of paddling past towering bluffs.

Here you can catch fish that are healthy to eat. You can stroll through oak savannas and sand prairies alive with the diversity of our natural heritage. Here historic sites speak to the timeless connection between people and the river.

Envision a river accessible to all and a community that actively embraces this river ethic and welcomes its role as the Mississippi River’s steward for current and future generations.

101 East Fifth Street, Suite 2000 | Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101

Friends of Pool 2

Website

Friends of Pool 2 is an organization made up of people like you. People who care deeply about the river. Our members enjoy boating, fishing, hunting, water sports, camping, and observing wildlife on the Mississippi River. We welcome the participation of river-related and waterfront business people and homeowners, collaborating to preserve, restore, and enhance the quality of the recreational river experience within Pool 2 of the Mississippi River.

P.O. Box 284
Newport, MN 55055

Great River Greening

Website

At Great River Greening, we have ecological expertise in natural resource and water quality management, and in community building. We focus our work in locations and on activities that offer conservation impact, ecosystem services, and community benefits. Our projects include:

Native planting designs for developed and natural areas.

Restoration and stabilization of shorelands and ravines.

Ecological inventories and restoration management plans.

Plantings of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses.

Restoration and management activities, including exotic species removal, prairie seed collection and sowing, and prescribed burns.

Conservation practices on farmland for water quality.

251 Starkey Street, Suite 2200
Saint Paul, MN 55107

A House Unbuilt

Website

The work of A House Unbuilt is research, performance, and activism. Through the use of movement and listening with the body, these activities operate together to engage and investigate the social fabric of communities. Our bodies are immediate, a physical presence with the power to intervene in systems much larger than themselves. Our bodies can bring the incomprehensible paradoxes of our times to a human scale. Listening with the body is a radical practice that can open more ears and create greater possibility for civil discourse.

A House Unbuilt perceives story as an embodied object, existing in time, continuous. We believe that all that we are is story. Story can connect us. Story is a confluence of individual landscapes, voices, and movements, and this is vital to our approach to both gathering and sharing ourselves. Story is only ever captured in part and creates great opportunity for empathy.

Through story, through listening, A House Unbuilt creates opportunity for others to reconsider and reimagine the place where they are from, the people that surround them, and the time that they live in.

321 Main Street S, Suite 204, Stillwater, MN, 55082

Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance

Website

Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA) is a grassroots organization dedicated to saving a disappearing lake. Sediment loads—the size of a city block filled to the height of the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis—accumulate in Lake Pepin every year. With sedimentation rates 10x above normal, the lake is in a fight for survival. It has two water quality impairments and is expected to prematurely disappear in just a few generations.

LPLA builds on a long history of local activism to protect Lake Pepin and relies on community engagement, science, and public policy to improve water quality, habitat, and accessibility. Our work philosophy prioritizes the voices of people who passionately use, deeply love, and intricately know Lake Pepin. It’s this community support that enables LPLA to publish first-hand accounts about ecological degradation, record boat groundings, reduced recreational access, and community isolation that has occurred from excess sediment.

Land-Water-Place (University of Minnesota)

Website

The Land-Water-Place Project offers readers opportunities to learn about how issues of equity and justice pervade matters that are commonly thought of as “natural resource” questions. The short articles featured on this site, all of which lead out to a link or an article for further exploration, are intended to achieve three goals: Provide a way into a field of thinking and practice that may be new to readers who are specialists in other areas; offer insights into the manifold ways that issues of equity and justice pervade subjects that many see as removed from social concerns; serve as the “first word” (as opposed to “last word” that starts users/readers on a path of their own professional and intellectual exploration.

If you have any questions, please contact Joanne Richardson at holr0002@umn.edu.

Mississippi National River & Recreation Area

Website

In the middle of a bustling urban setting, this 72 mile river park offers quiet stretches for fishing, boating and canoeing, birdwatching, bicycling, and hiking. And there are plenty of visitor centers and trails that highlight the fascinating human history of the Mississippi River. This a great place to start your exploration of this important river.

120 W Kellogg Blvd, St Paul, MN 55102

Mississippi Park Connection

Website
Mississippi Park Connection strengthens the enduring connection between people and the Mississippi River by enriching the life of the river and the lives of all who experience our national park, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Vision Statement
In partnership with the National Park Service, Mississippi Park Connection will ignite discovery and a lifelong relationship with the Mississippi River. Through youth education, environmental stewardship and community engagement, we will mobilize residents and visitors, and serve as a model for operating a national park in an urban area where people are part of the landscape.

111 E Kellogg Blvd #105, St Paul, MN 55101

Minneapolis Edible Boulevards

Website

We are an initiative devoted to dismantling food apartheid policies and creating self-sustainability in our Green Zone neighborhoods in North and South Minneapolis. Over the last two years, we’ve partnered with Little Earth Farm, Growing North Minneapolis and their Step-Up youth to teach participants how to create gardens on their boulevards. By teaching people how to create their own gardens and grow their own food, we want our participants/mentees to use these skills again and become mentors in the community.

Through this “shared fruit” vision, we want participants to have access to the produce they grow while also sharing it with passersby, whether it be someone who doesn’t have access to land for growing their own or someone who is curious about trying something new. We’re changing our broken food system, neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block, boulevard garden by boulevard garden. Won’t you join us?

Prairie Island Indian Community

Website

We are the Bdewakantunwan – those who were born of the waters. We are one with the land. The waters, the bluffs, the prairies, the buffalo shape and define who we are as Dakota people.

Our members descend from the Bdewakantunwan (Mdewakanton) Band of Eastern Dakota. We are the Dakota Oyate (people), are also commonly referred to as the Minnesota Sioux.

This is our homeland; our relatives lived on these lands that are now called Minnesota for countless generations. Dakota people from throughout the region gathered in this area to live, hunt, worship and raise their families. It is a special place; a spiritual place, and a final resting spot from many of our ancestors.

Despite past efforts to eliminate the Dakota Oyate from Minnesota, and the ongoing hazards we face, we are a resilient people and Prairie Island will always be our home.

Our mission is to achieve our tribal vision to be a forward-thinking, sovereign nation focused on achieving unity, prosperity, and security for our Tiwahe (family) by embracing innovation to ensure well-being of our Tribal Members, to honor those who came before us, and to prepare for the next seven generations.

634 W. Main St., #300, Madison, WI 53703

Trust for Public Land

Website

From helping raise funds for conservation; to protecting and restoring natural spaces; to collaborating with communities to plan, design, and create parks, playgrounds, gardens, and trails; we work with communities to ensure that development happens for them, and not to them.

2610 University Avenue, Suite 300 | St. Paul, Minnesota 55114

MissourI

Greenway Network
Website
Greenway Network is an all-volunteer organization based in St. Charles County, MO that works throughout the Confluence region.

Our mission is to conserve natural resources and to protect watersheds. We do this primarily through clean water education, research, restoration and recreational programming.

It is our belief that when you experience nature, you learn to love it. And once you love it, you want to take care of it.

10 Triad South Drive, Suite B
St. Charles, MO 63304

Mississippi River Water Trail Association
Website
Mississippi River Water Trail, a National Water Trail since 2012, encompasses 121 miles of the Mississippi River including the confluence of the two longest rivers in the country, 75 sites including 62 rest areas and 17 camping areas, three lock and dams, and spanning two states, rural areas and a large urban area St Louis Missouri. The Mississippi is the river that flows past the origin of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the St. Louis Arch and attracts people from all over the world. The Mississippi River Water Trail is a magnificent destination for paddlers, close to home for millions of people, as well as scenic, and healing.

Since 2007, MRWTA has coordinated volunteers and events on the river to insure quality, affordable, recreational and educational opportunities and to promote safe public use of the trail. We collaborate with communities, organizations, and agencies to foster conservation by both developing and supporting the trail.

301 Riverlands Way
West Alton, Missouri 63386 US

Mississippi Valley Traveler (Business partner)
Website
The Mississippi River cuts a 2,300-mile course through the heart of the United States and a deep path through the imaginations of people around the world. I’ve been getting to know this river and its people for over a decade. I read about it; I listen to stories; and I experience it for myself from the tops of bluffs and the seats of canoes.

It’s an immense river, with a history to match. Much of the lore is about the big events—the Civil War, steamboat races, epic floods—but the lure is the little things: migrating tundra swans; mist rising from the backwaters in fall; thick carpets of lotus and lilies; a summer sunset of pale golden light spilling across the faces of yellow limestone bluffs.

Whether you live next to the river or are visiting, the Mississippi has much to offer. Along the river, you’ll find friendly small towns and big city culture. The Mississippi is great for boating of all kinds, including paddling in canoes and kayaks. The fishing and hunting is good, and there are plenty of parks and quiet places to hike and camp or just to watch the sunset.

Above all, the Mississippi is your river, whoever you are and wherever you live. Come along with me and get to know your river a little better.

Missouri Coalition for the Environment
Website
Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) is Missouri’s independent, citizens’ environmental organization for clean water, clean air, clean energy, and a healthy environment.

We are a trusted, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) state-level environmental advocacy organization, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a state-wide partner supporting allied organizations and initiatives around the state. We deliver vital information to thousands of Missourians on issues that affect our water, air, food, health, and the environment.

With the help of our members and allies, we are making the world a better place. We believe our air, water, and land are gifts to sustain all life and we believe these resources should be available to serve the public interest today and for all future generations and not sacrificed for short-term gain. This work requires vigilance, stewardship, advocacy, compassion, and a heck of a sense of humor. We hope you will join us.

409 Vandiver Dr. #5-205
Columbia, MO 65202

Arkansas

Arkansas Public Policy Panel

Website
The Arkansas Public Policy Panel advances social and economic justice through respect for human dignity, diversity, empowerment and an inclusive, fair and transparent political process.

The Panel provides hands-on experience in civic participation by helping community groups organize, create infrastructure, set goals and develop action plans to reach those goals.

1308 WEST SECOND STREET, LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS 72201

Mississippi River Trail

Website
The Mississippi River Trail, coursing along America’s backbone, the Mississippi River, from its headwaters in Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, offers approximately 3,000 miles of on-road bikeways and pedestrian and bicycle pathways for the recreational enjoyment, health, conservation and tourism development of river communities, river states, and the nation.

We invite you to explore the trail, order a guidebook for the best cycling maps, read about us, plan a trip, review our maps, link to our partners, supporters and friends, and become a part of MRT.

858 North Jackson
Fayetteville, AR 72701

Louisiana

Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
Website
Land loss threatens the future of coastal Louisiana — our communities, culture and economy. We’re losing rich, productive wetlands, and the bounty and protection they provide us, with consequences that reach far beyond the Gulf coast.

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) supports the good progress we have seen on this issue in recent years, especially the science-based State Coastal Master Plan. However, we believe an even bolder response is required. We urgently need large-scale land building, including sediment diversions that harness the power of the river to build land. The most important actions to be taken to advance necessary projects are under the control of the state and federal governments. All the work we do must serve the purpose of driving needed action. To this end, we must build support for restoration amongst stakeholders and we must build the funds and capacity of CRCL to increase our influence and to be able to sustain our efforts.

3801 Canal Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70119

Healthy Gulf

Website

Mission
Healthy Gulf’s purpose is to collaborate with and serve communities who love the Gulf of Mexico by providing the research, communications, and coalition-building tools needed to reverse the long pattern of over exploitation of the Gulf’s natural resources.

Vision
A healthy Gulf of Mexico returned to its former splendor that supports a thriving ecosystem that includes the Gulf’s natural resources and, just as importantly, the people, communities, and cultures that depend on those resources.

P.O. Box 2245
New Orleans, LA 70176

Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper
Website
The Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) is a community based not for profit organization that has been focused on resolving the unique environmental struggles present in Louisiana for roughly 30 years. Through education, empowerment ,advocacy and support, LEAN provides the necessary tools and services for individuals and communities facing environmental problems that threaten their health, safety and quality of life.

In 1986 a group of concerned citizens gathered in Baton Rouge to share stories and offer support for the environmental struggles their communities were facing. Mothers, fathers, plant workers, community members, doctors, lawyers, and everyday citizens from around the state came together because they all were facing severe environmental challenges and no one was adequately addressing their concerns. Within this solidarity and combined purpose the Louisiana Environmental Action Network was formed. From the original founders to the almost 30 years of work, LEAN brings the experience and expertise of countless community members and professionals together to build a powerful resource for anyone working to resolve the environmental challenges that Louisiana faces. Many of these community members and environmental experts are represented on LEAN’s board of directors. LEAN has been on the forefront of the environmental movement in Louisiana for decades, building and supporting countless individuals and organizations to create a more aware, engaged and empowered public.

P.O. Box 66323
Baton Rouge, LA 70896

SouthWings

Website
Founded in 1996, SouthWings is a non-profit conservation organization that provides a network of volunteer pilots to advocate for the restoration and protection of the ecosystems and biodiversity of the Southeast through flight. We have flown thousands of individuals and organizations to educate community leaders, policy-makers, and the media, and to collect scientific data on forests, watersheds, historic landmarks, and the globally significant ecosystems of the Southeast. SouthWings is headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, with satellite offices in New Orleans, Louisiana and Annapolis, Maryland.

The response to SouthWings flights has been overwhelming. Among many of its educational benefits is the effective media tool to educate millions of citizens nationwide. Over our history, SouthWings flights have enjoyed coverage with national stories in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, 60 Minutes, the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, National Public Radio, Fox TV News, Audubon Magazine, National Geographic magazine, E Magazine, the NBC Nightly News, Our Earth of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Orion Afield, as well as many local and regional news outlets.

5500 Prytania Street #532
New Orleans, LA 70115

Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans

Website

The Water Collaborative seeks to build a diverse network for all impacted by flood risk by focusing on equitable practices to sustainably live and thrive with water.

1433 North Claiborne Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70116, United States

Louisiana Bucket Brigade

Website

Our organization began with a clear purpose: to support communities whose health and homes are devastated by the petrochemical industry. The air sampling bucket exemplifies our commitment to putting power in the hands of people, and getting these communities in the media and elevating their work is a core part of what we do. We also generate tools to help people document pollution.

The Bucket Brigade is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, supported entirely by private donations from individuals, foundations and other like-minded organizations. Ongoing financial support is critical to fund the day-to-day work necessary to achieve our partner communities’ goals.

3416 B Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70119

Citizens Against Widening the Canal

Website

CAWIC is a non-profit organization based in the Holy Cross/Lower Ninth Ward communities dedicated to stopping the Port of New Orleans and US Army Corps of Engineers from constructing the economically indefensible and environmentally destructive replacement lock in the Industrial Canal.

Wisconsin

Clean Wisconsin

Website

For more than 50 years, Clean Wisconsin has been working to preserve and protect Wisconsin’s clean water, clean air and natural heritage. With an active membership and advocacy base 20,000-strong, our dedicated staff of experts conducts sound science, engages in public policy, takes legal action, and fosters strong partnerships with allies and stakeholders to help ensure a safe, healthy environment for everyone.

634 W. Main St., #300, Madison, WI 53703

League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region

Website
Our Interleague organization consists of local leagues in the states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin that are located within the Upper Mississippi River Region – a USGS defined region of the US. All the leagues have at least part of their membership living in this large watershed. At this time, the several leagues in Missouri who are also part of this watershed, are not member leagues.

Click here to learn more about what an ILO is and how it fits into the LWV national structure.

Our organization is recognized by the LWV US as an official Inter League Organization, and we abide by all policies and positions of the LWVUS, and the 4 state leagues who have also joined – LWV IA, LWV IL, LWV MN and LWV WI. We are a non-partisan, 501 (c)(3) organization.

PO Box 258106
Madison, WI 53725-8106

Landmark Conservancy

Website

Landmark is a non-profit conservation organization serving 20 counties in western and northwestern Wisconsin. We work primarily with private landowners who wish to conserve their land in perpetuity. Conservancy staff evaluates and select potential projects based on notable conservation values. We also work with local municipalities, state, and federal entities to create public preserves and trails for all to enjoy. Our primary tools for land protection are conservation easements and land acquisition.

500 East Main Street, Suite 307 Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751

Lake Onalaska Protection and Rehabilitation District

Website

The Lake Onalaska Protection and Rehabilitation District is a unit of local government under Wisconsin Statutes, comprised of property owners whose land adjoins, formed to play a role in the planning and management of the Lake’s resources. Our mission is to collect information to inform lake management alternatives and promote projects that will lead to an improved lake environment. We work cooperatively with federal and state agencies whose authority overlaps our lake, which is in the lower part of Pool 7, an impoundment formed by Lock and Dam 7 on the upper Mississippi River.

W8155 County Road ZB, Onalaska, WI 54650

Michael Fields Ag Institute

Website

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is a non-profit organization addressing the challenges of soil fertility, water quality, climate resilience, food security and farm success through research, education and policy.

PO Box 990, East Troy, WI 53120

Iowa

Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

Website
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque envisions a vibrant and inclusive Dubuque region where everyone can thrive. Since 2002, we have inspired people to give back to their community, and we turn this generosity into lasting change across our region, increasing access to resources and opportunities that help all people succeed.

With our affiliate foundations across the seven-county Dubuque region, we chart clear paths forward that address complex social challenges, from academic achievement to economic opportunity. We are committed to engaging, listening to and learning from all corners of the community to understand its most pressing needs today and tomorrow — and then building the partnerships and assets necessary to address them.

Generosity and collaboration fuel everything we do, and everyone has something to contribute. Contact us to learn about the many ways we are building a strong, thriving Greater Dubuque for all—and how you can donate your time, talents, and dollars to transform our region.

700 Locust Street
Dubuque, IA 52001

Iowa Environmental Council

Website

The Iowa Environmental Council is the largest and most comprehensive environmental coalition in Iowa.

Our mission: A safe, healthy environment and sustainable future for Iowa.

Through education, advocacy and coalition-building, we raise awareness, generate action and create large-scale change that makes Iowa a better place to live, work, explore and enjoy.

505 Fifth Ave. Suite 850
Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation

Website

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) is a statewide 501 (c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization that works with private landowners and public agencies to protect and restore Iowa’s land, water and wildlife. Since our founding in 1979, our supporters and staff have protected more than 180,000 acres of Iowa’s natural resources.

INHF was the first land trust in Iowa to receive national accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance.

505 5th Ave., Suite 444
Des Moines, IA 50309

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

Website

Our mission is to inspire stewardship by creating educational experiences where history and rivers come alive.

Our vision is to become the world’s leader in interpreting and protecting the life, history and culture of our region and rivers, to create a more global, knowledgeable and engaged citizen.

350 East 3rd Street, Port of Dubuque, Iowa 52001

River Action

Website

We work to protect and restore the Mississippi River and our shared RiverWay environment.

We strive to foster cultural and economic activities that showcase the Mississippi River and our shared RiverWay environment.

We promote awareness and adoption of sustainable practices that enhance the Mississippi River and our shared RiverWay environment.

822 E. River Drive
Davenport, Iowa 52803

Kentucky

Kentucky Waterways Alliance

Website
Since 1993, Kentucky Waterways Alliance has been the only statewide organization focused on waterways in Kentucky. We work with communities on local watershed issues and advocate for better policies and programs at the state and national levels. With a mission to protect, restore, and celebrate Kentucky’s waterways, our work is making a difference in the quality of life for all Kentuckians.

Our mission is accomplished through four strategic goals:
Identify key places for protection on a local watershed level.
Carry out a statewide movement to protect Kentucky’s waterways through grassroots activism and large-scale awareness.
Work on behalf of communities and the promises laid out in the Clean Water Act by influencing public policy.
Build a strong and sustainable water network by promoting and supporting local watershed groups.

120 Webster Street, Suite 217
Louisville, KY 40206

Tennessee

Friends for Our Riverfront
Website
Friends for Our Riverfront, formed in 2003, is a nonprofit, all-volunteer citizen group dedicated to the wise use of our riverfront resources for the enhancement of our community.

Our goal is to promote improvement of the public space along the riverfront to its full potential as a green space for public enjoyment, preserving its historic, natural, and aesthetic character, and to support a clean and vibrant harbor.

P.O. Box 111387
Memphis, TN 38111

Harpeth Conservancy
Website
The Harpeth Conservancy, formerly known as the Harpeth River Watershed Association (HRWA), in middle Tennessee, is a science-based conservation organization dedicated to clean water and healthy ecosystems for rivers in Tennessee. We employ scientific expertise and collaborative relationships to develop, promote and support broad community stewardship and action.

215 Jamestown Park Road
Suite 101
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027

Tennessee Environmental Council

Website

To develop, prioritize and implement a statewide Sustainability Agenda with the input of a broad coalition including citizens, conservation groups, environmental policy experts, elected officials, and representatives of private businesses, industry, and educational institutions. The Council’s current priorities are increasing recycling and composting in Tennessee communities. Business and personal practices that enhance sustainability in TN are emphasized and promoted through the Sustainable Tennessee Program.

​One Vantage Way Suite E-250
​Nashville, TN 37228

Blessed Earth Tennessee

Website

From the beginning, God was very pleased with creation and called it “good.” God created humans to take care of that good creation. Over and over throughout scripture, our role as stewards of God’s creation is clear. In creating us in his image, God gave us a great privilege, and a great responsibility. Why care? Because God’s Word calls us to care.

We offer a variety of ways for you to learn and get involved. If you are called to take action such as planting trees, or restoring local streams, you may be interested in our Living Waters program. You can also help with a community garden or get involved as a volunteer or intern. Find tip sheets, readings, and other educational materials in our Resources, Scriptures, and Free Bible Studies sections. Or join our monthly Prayers for the Earth program to connect in prayer with our team and fellow supporters. Welcome and thank you for caring for God’s creation.

TennGreen Land Conservancy

Website

TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation) empowers landowners and communities to protect large, connected natural areas that support diversity of life, inspire appreciation of nature, and spark action to protect the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land that sustains us all.

1213A 16th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212

Green Interchange

Website

As an avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman, I care deeply about our environment. Unfortunately today, some of the extreme proposals out there have forced conservatives out of the discussion when we should very much be in it. I came up with this idea as an easy way for everyday Tennesseans from both sides of the aisle to come together and take a small first step toward protecting our environment, and beautifying our interchanges too. Because of House Ethics rules, I can’t be a part of this project directly, but I am honored that this team has launched my idea, the Green Interchange, and I can’t wait to see the impact they make.

923 Sullivan Bend Road, Mount Juliet, TN 37122

Contact us

8 + 14 =

Step 1

Become a River Citizen

Yes! The River can count on me!

I am committed to protecting the Mississippi River. Please keep me informed about actions I can take to protect the Mississippi River as a River Citizen, and send me my free e-book!, Scenes From Our Mighty Mississippi!

 

Step 2

LEARN ABOUT THE RIVER

We protect what we know and love. As a River Citizen, you’ll receive our email newsletter and updates, which offer countless ways to engage with and learn more about the River. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter) , and YouTube, where we share about urgent issues facing the River, such as nutrient pollution, the importance of floodplains and wetlands, and bedrock legislation such as Farm Bill Conservation Programs.

Step 3

Take Action

There are many ways you can jump in and take action for a healthy Mississippi River. Our 10 actions list includes simple steps you can take at any time and wherever you are.  Check out our action center for current action alerts, bigger projects we are working on, and ways to get involved.