How To: Stand Up for the River at Public Forums

 

The Mississippi River Commission is holding its annual low water inspection tour and public hearings with stops coming up in New Madrid, Memphis, Vicksburg, and Morgan City. These follow the meetings the Commission held in LaCrosse, Dubuque and Alton this week. I had the pleasure of representing Mississippi River Network (MRN) at the Dubuque hearing and provided public comment and a request for the Commissioners to sign on as River Citizens.

The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) was created 135 years ago and is charged with providing water resources engineering direction and policy advice to the Administration, Congress and the Army for the Mississippi River drainage basin. The MRC is headquartered in Vicksburg, MS and Major General John Peabody, Commander of the Vicksburg Division of the Corps of Engineers, serves as President of the Commission. Members of the Commission are appointed by the President and include three civilians, along with representatives from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Corps of Engineers.

Dr. Norma Jean Mattei, one of the civilian Commissioners signed on as a River Citizen citing, “The River is very important to me; it is my responsibility to be a good steward in its management.” We thank her for her commitment to the River.

Several MRN member organizations were represented at the Dubuque meeting, including the Izaak Walton League and the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. In addition, there was a ceremonial signing of the agreement between the Corps and the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative by the Mayors of Dubuque, Guttenberg and Clinton and the Corps of Engineers.

The MRC meeting and other public hearings are a great opportunity for individuals as well as organizations to express their thoughts about the River to decision makers who are on the front lines of what needs to be done for the health and management of America’s greatest River! You care about the River, so let them know you are a River Citizen. It is easy to do and here are a few guidelines to help you as you prepare for the hearing.

• Keep the message concise; emphasize no more than three points.
• Write it down. Most public bodies require a copy of your remarks to be entered into the official record. It also helps because you can read it rather than trying to remember every point you want to make. Here is the statement I read into the public record at the Dubuque hearing.
• Speak up. You want to make sure they hear what you are saying. Most times a microphone is at the podium, so speak directly into the microphone.
• Practice reading your message aloud several times before you go to the hearing. That way you are familiar with what you are going to say, and you can look up at the officials rather than keeping your head down while you read.
• Be polite. Address the chair of the group–in the case of the MRC, start by saying, “Thank you, Major General Peabody and members of the Commission for the opportunity to address you today.” Thank them for their service. Then read your statement. Slowly, let them hear and understand what you are saying.
• Relax! Public speaking can be frightening to some, but when you are familiar with what you want to say, once you get started, it is a conversation. You can click here to find some public speaking tips that could help you out in this scenario.

If nothing else, try to attend one of the meetings. You get to go on the Mississippi, which serves as a towboat for the Corps of Engineers and inspection vessel for the MRC.

 

Dates for upcoming hearings are:

Aug. 20 – 9 a.m. – Memphis, Tenn. (Beale Street Landing)

Aug. 21 – 1 p.m. – Vicksburg, Miss. (City front)

Aug. 23 – 9 a.m. – Morgan City, La. (Port Commission dock)

 

Good luck and thank you for standing up as a River Citizen.

 

Claudia Emken
Policy Manager, Mississippi River Network