By John O. Anfinson, Superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

The Mississippi River today has become an artifact of human construction, because of what humans have done to it over the past 150 years. Navigation improvements, floodplain levees, a refuge and even early biological manipulations have transformed the upper Mississippi River’s physical and ecological character. A key question we face today is: Are we trapped by that history, or can we make changes that will ensure that the river’s ecosystems are healthy and abundant. In his presentation, Dr. John O. Anfinson will try answer these questions and hint at where the upper Mississippi River may be headed.