The Mississippi River Network’s River Days of Action is returning for its third year! Save the date: June 8 – 18th, 2023.
Here are three ways you can still join in on River Days of Action 2022!
#1: From highlights to spotlights, check out the River Days 2022 report!
#2: Make a difference by supporting our work!
Your gift of just $6 will cover the cost for one person to attend this year’s River Days of Action, and your $25 donation will cover the annual costs for one River Citizen. Giving is a simple way to make a big difference. Can the River count on you? Click here to make a gift today.
#3: Check out the River Days of Action recorded online events:
- The MRRRI Act: Upper River Community Update featuring Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance, Clean Wisconsin, and Friends of the Mississippi River
- Farm Bill 101 Webinar featuring Illinois Stewardship Alliance, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and Izaak Walton League of America
- A River Connected: Stories About River, Race, Home, and Climate presented by A House Unbuilt
REPORT: MISSISSIPPI RIVER NETWORK’S RIVER DAYS OF ACTION 2022
“With River Days of Action, we took a lesson from the River: we reach our grandeur by uniting.”
In its second year, the Mississippi River Network’s (MRN) River Days of Action (‘River Days’) continues to be a powerful example of what’s possible when we act together as 1 Mississippi. From June 7th – 12th, 2022, 50 MRN member organizations and community partners hosted more than 30 online and in-person events in all ten states the Mississippi River flows through. Over 1400 people participated in the various offerings, from canoe-based community cleanups and hands-on habitat restoration events to guided river museum tours and policy-focused educational webinars. River Days 2022 provided something for everyone while creating a healthier Mississippi River for people, land, water, and wildlife!
To keep River Days united from Headwaters to Gulf, all events aligned with the theme: The Mississippi River is Healthy, The Mississippi River is for All, The Mississippi River has a Voice. This theme reflects the change we seek; members created events centered on part or all aspects of this year’s theme.
In addition to being ‘on theme,’ all events included the universal action of calling on Congress to restore our Mississippi River, in which 300 people sent emails to their Senators and Congressperson. Elected officials and in-district staff up and down the River were invited to River Days events!
With Crawford Stewardship Project, folks learned about water health by participating in community science and cleaning up a local stream in Crawford County, Wisconsin.
Numbers are an important part of this story, but not the whole story. Please keep reading for uplifting River Days successes and hear from those who made it possible!
This year, eight events were offered online and provided a platform for folks to engage in MRN’s River Days no matter where they are. You can still connect with River Days of Action 2022 by watching the recordings of the online events. Here are some spotlighted events:
• Farm Bill 101 Webinar featuring Illinois Stewardship Alliance, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and Izaak Walton League of America
• The MRRRI Act: Upper River Community Update featuring Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance, Clean Wisconsin, and Friends of the Mississippi River
• A River Connected: Stories About River, Race, Home, and Climate presented by A House Unbuilt
Recorded webinars like the Farm Bill 101 or MRRRI Updates are found on 1 Mississippi’s YouTube channel. Check them out today!
“A group of Mississippi River lovers from across the globe including Africa and Europe, as well as from Mississippi and Arkansas gathered for a common purpose: to protect the River they love”.
-Jean-Canot Stephen Walker of Quapaw Canoe Company
During River Days of Action, Quapaw Canoe Company took folks out to West Montezuma Island where they picked up trash, swapped stories, shared food, swam, and connected with each other and the River.
Louisiana Bucket Brigade and The Descendant’s Project bike ride participants standing near the Bonnet Carre Spillway, learning about the environmental injustice in this area.
A priority of the Mississippi River Network is to support, collaborate, and uplift communities that have been historically oppressed and systematically excluded. This priority wove throughout River Days of Action 2022, including MRN providing Event Funding Support, uplifting stories often neglected, and through Member-hosted events. Some spotlight events include:
• Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s Down by the River bike ride
• Mississippi River Water Trail Association’s Kayak with KLife
• The Water Collaborative’s Floating Planter Box for Indigenous Communities Impacted by Climate Change
• Land, Literacy & Legacy’s Bridging Winona 4-day event including the Fannie Lou Hamer Mississippi State Historical Marker Unveiling and Legacy Historial Bus Tour
• Mississippi Park Connection, Paddle Bridge Guiding Collective, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area’s Adaptive Kayak Paddle
From an organizational standpoint, River Days mobilizes the Network and allows the opportunity to nurture existing Network relationships while establishing new connections. We know that a diverse, intersectional, and multi-faceted coalition is essential to embrace the issues and opportunities facing the people, land, water, and wildlife of our Mississippi River. We are grateful to all our Network members and partners – new and longstanding!
“We are all leaders and should be empowered to protect our communities and the things we are passionate about.”
The Mississippi River Network’s Policy Director, Maisah Khan, showcases the cleanup efforts in St. Louis, MO as part of the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation Stream Team’s and Great Rivers Greenway Revamp the Riverfront! What a difference we can make together.
At the individual level, River Days provided a platform for everyday folks to connect with the River in a myriad of meaningful ways such as Kindred Nature’s River of Restoration: Guided Nature Therapy Experience to Two Paddle’s first Mississippi River Paddle Weekend. More spotlight events include:
• Piasa Palisades Sierra Club Storm Drain Stenciling
• Friends of the Mississippi River hosted three habitat restoration events
• River Des Peres Watershed Coalition’s Bike With Your Boots On river ride and water quality testing
• Green Interchange’s Garrison Creek Cleanup
“Participants joined from parks, homes, yards, and cars to share river memories, release stress, and tune in to the nature near each of us. Turtles, wrens, ducks, trees, breezes, raindrops, and more became part of the experience for folks in states along the River and beyond, all connecting as part of River Days of Action.”
A ‘Big River’ thank you to our Mississippi River Network members, partners, funders, and River Citizens. By hosting events, collaborating with member organizations, and promoting, you all made River Days of Action a success. Thank you!
Walton Family Foundation, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund, A House Unbuilt, Audubon Center at Riverlands, Banner Public Affairs, Bridging Winona, Ceres, Chesapeake Bay Commission, Clean Wisconsin, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Crawford Stewardship Project, Friends of the Mississippi River, Great Rivers Greenway, Green Interchange, Inc., Healthy Gulf, Illinois Sierra Club, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa State University Extension Program, Izaak Walton League of America, Kindred Nature, KLife, Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance, Land Literacy & Legacy, Land Water Place UMN, League of Women Voter’s Iowa, League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River, LightHawk, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Lower 9th Ward for Sustainable Development, Mississippi Prak Connection, Mississippi River Water Trail Association, Mississippi Valley Traveler, National Audubon Society, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Mississippi River National River and Recreation Area – NPS, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Wildlife Federation, Paddle Bridge Guiding Collective, Patuxent Riverkeeper, Piasa Palisades Group of the Sierra Club, Quapaw Canoe Company, River des Peres Watershed Coalition, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, South Wings, St. Louis Aquarium Foundation Stream Team, The Descendants Project, The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, The Wetlands Initiative, Two Paddles LLC. We are sorry if we missed someone on this list. Thank you all! For questions or comments, contact info@1mississippi.org
You can still be part of River Days of Action!
Whether you participated in River Days of Action or not, you can still carry the spirit of the program with you and help the River all year long! Our 10 Actions list can help. From choosing native plants for your yard, to picking up waste, reducing fertilizer use, or contacting your Congressperson – the 10 Actions is a list of simple steps you can take every day, with many benefits for you and the River.
You can also make a difference by supporting our work. Your gift of just $6 will cover the cost for one person to attend this year’s River Days of Action, and your $25 donation will cover the annual costs for one River Citizen. Giving is a simple way to make a big difference. Can the River count on you? Click here to make a gift today.
The League of Women Voters Iowa and League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region ILO toured the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa and learned about the central role our River plays in American culture and ecosystem health.
PDF VERSION OF THE REPORT:
MISSISSIPPI RIVER NETWORK’S RIVER DAYS OF ACTION 2022
Action Alert: Help Restore Our Mississippi River Now
Our Mississippi River provides us with so many gifts: drinking water, healthy habitats, cultural connections, and incredible recreation opportunities. How can we give back to our River? Today, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the River needs your help.
You can make a difference for people, land, water, and wildlife by sending an email to Congress urging them to Help Restore Our Mississippi River. Take this fast and meaningful action now!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Community Canoe and River Cleanup on 6.11 with Quapaw Canoe Company! Photo: Quapaw Canoe Company
River Days of Action 2022 is possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors:
We also count on your support. It’s free to participate in most River Days of Action events, but it costs over $6 per person to produce this program. Will you chip in to help cover these costs?
Questions? Contact Outreach Manager, Michael, at info@1mississippi.org
Want to read about last year’s River Days of Action?
The section below contains the 2021 River Days of Action Report.
REPORT:
MISSISSIPPI RIVER NETWORK’S RIVER DAYS OF ACTION 2021
Step 1
Become a River Citizen
Yes! The River can count on me!
I am committed to protecting the Mississippi River and will take at least three actions to care for this valuable resource. Please keep me informed about actions I can take to protect the Mississippi River as a River Citizen:
Step 2
Educate Yourself
The 1 Mississippi program is implemented by the Mississippi River Network and is the nation’s only grassroots outreach effort focused on the entire Mississippi River with the goal to educate the public on the urgent issues facing the River. The Mississippi River Network is a coalition of over 55 organizations working toward a healthy and resilient River for the land, water, wildlife, and people.
Nutrient pollution
Importance of floodplains and wetlands
Farm bill conservation programs
Step 3
Take Action
There are many ways you can take action for a healthy Mississippi River. We have a list of 10 actions you can take now. Check out our action center for current action alerts, bigger projects we are working on, and ways to get involved. You can also check out our events calendar to see what events are happening in your area.
10 actions you can take now!
The Action Center
Events Calendar