Where on the map are our 20,000 River Citizens?
Hello, River Citizens and Mississippi River Network (MRN) Members! My name is Lizzy Silber and I have been an intern for 1 Mississippi for the last two years. This past summer I have worked on many projects but by far my favorite project has been using Geographic Information Software (ArcGIS) to map information for 1 Mississippi. This software was something that piqued my interest while at school and I am grateful that I got to expand my knowledge working with it as well as all of the help from Ryan McGinnis of Anatum GeoMobile Solutions.
Using this software, I mapped where all of the River Citizens and Mississippi River Network members are located by joining our data to a shapefile of United States Zip Codes. Following this, I added a shapefile of the Mississippi River as well as the Mississippi River Basin. On this map each River Citizen is shown through a green dot, unfortunately, only one dot is placed per zip code, this is the same for MRN organizations (shown in blue and red).
As you can see from the map, the most concentrated areas of River Citizens not only are centered around the mighty Mississippi River but around where MRN organizations are located. This information allows the viewer to see that these organizations are committed to recruiting and educating River Citizens on the restoration and protection of the Mississippi River. This project has allowed me to learn the basic concepts of GIS as well as see how dedicated this organization and its members are to protecting the Mississippi. If you have read this, I appreciate your time as well as your dedication to protecting the Mississippi River.
-Lizzy Silber
P.S. Can the River count on you?
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Step 3
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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.