River Citizens Newsletter-December 2009
River Citizens are People the Mississippi River Can Count On.
Whether in armchairs or wading boots, River Citizens protect the River by speaking up and taking simple actions that make a big difference.
Mississippi River in the News
Road Salt Damages River
Winter brings many joys—the magic of the first snowfall, hot chocolate on a cold day and neighborhood-wide snowball fights. But it can also bring trouble for the Mississippi River.
During big rains and snow melts, water rushes into storm drains and brings along any contaminants in its path, including de-icing salts, pet waste and garbage. This polluted stormwater flows into our communities’ streams and eventually reaches the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that this kind of urban runoff is one of the largest sources of water contamination nationwide.
Small amounts of pollutants from our cars, sidewalks and driveways can add up to big problems for the Mississippi River. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 40% of U.S. streams in and around northern cities have damaging concentrations of chloride—a component of salt—most likely from de-icing roads in the winter. Streams in urban areas had an incredible 88 tons of chloride per square mile of watershed land. Forested watershed land had only 6 tons. But, because the de-icers are considered non-point source pollution, they aren’t regulated by the EPA.
Road salt and de-icers are harmful to plants, animals and people. As excess salt enters rivers, it also gets into our drinking water, which can add excess dietary sodium that is associated with hypertension. Around 18 million Americans get their drinking water from the Mississippi River.
As you prepare for the ice and snow this winter, remember that we can maintain safe roads and sidewalks and protect the Mississippi with these water-friendly tips:
- If you use rock salt or other common de-icers, be sure to follow the instructions and don’t use too much. Adding more than the recommended amount does not make the snow melt any faster.
- The greenest way to deal with ice is to physically remove as much snow as possible.
- De-icers are not formulated to melt through ice build-up or compacted snow. The less ice there is, the less salt you will need to use.
- Apply any ice-melting products at the beginning of a snow or ice storm. This prevents ice from bonding to the pavement and will ensure that less salt is needed.
- Once the temperature dips below 15° F, salt is unable to penetrate the ice to start the dissolving process. When the air is bitter cold, regular playground sand can be used to increase traction Be sure to clean sand up properly during thaws, however, since it can easily clog drains and sewers.
- There are many eco-friendlier alternatives to salt available at hardware stores, but some are greener than others. Most include a combination of salt combined with other common materials. A de-icer that includes salt mixed with calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) or potassium acetate (KA) is better than salt by itself.
Get to Know Your River:
Mississippi River Events
The more we know about the River, the better we can help protect it
Hartford, IL
12/12/09 10AM-4PM
Celebrate the arrival of Lewis and Clark at Camp River Dubois. This annual event commemorates December 12, the day William Clark and the men of the detachment arrived at the confluence of the Riviere a Dubois, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The event includes members of the detachment portraying military life, re-enactors recreating the civilian population and demonstrators.
This event is Free!
Audubon Louisiana Nature Center Restoration
New Orleans East, LA
12/14/09 9AM-3PM
The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Entergy Corporation invite you to participate in a forested wetland restoration project at Audubon Louisiana Nature Center. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center was named one of the top five urban nature centers in the United States. The Nature Center suffered considerable damage from Hurricane Katrina which devastated its interpretive center, exhibits and an estimated 75 percent of the forest was destroyed.
Volunteers will plant over 1,000 pots of various species of wetland trees, including bald cypress, red maple and pecan.
More Upcoming River Events and Volunteer Opportunities
Friends of the Mississippi River is currently seeking a Jan/Feb-May Mississippi River Challenge Communications and Marketing Assistant/Intern. The Challenge is an annual event wherein hundreds of paddlers canoe and kayak over 40 miles of the Mississippi through the metro area to raise awareness of the importance of the river. This is an excellent opportunity for students to add an interesting and meaningful experience to your resume and polish your skills in a supportive, encouraging and professional environment.
Your stories, Your River
The 1 Mississippi campaign has recently launched a brand new website for River Citizens, designed specifically for you, the user! Within the new website, there are several features tthat will help us raise awareness, communicate with each other and better protect the Mississippi River.
The extensive scale of the River sometimes makes it difficult to see how one person’s actions can preserve such a great natural resource. With our new action tracking feature, you can record all of the actions you take, as well as see the great efforts being made by other citizens. Our new interactive map shows where all registered River Citizens live so you can find other people in your community. This map will illustrate the geographical diversity among River Citizens and provides a way for citizens to communicate with each other.
You can also add a more personal touch to the site by uploading pictures and recounting stories and experiences that highlight your connection with the River. Anecdotes can be posted in the River Citizen’s forum, which also acts as a discussion board between members. We hope you will share thoughts, post concerns, promote local events and update any relative information concerning the River in the forum.
You should have received an email from the 1 Mississippi campaign this week with login information. We hope you will use this site to connect with other people as we all work to protect our precious River. We live in many different states, but we are, without a doubt, one nation and 1 Mississippi.
© 2009 1Mississippi.net
1 Mississippi is a program of:
Biodiversity Project - 4507 N. Ravenswood Ave #106 - Chicago, IL 60640
773-496-4020 -
project@biodiverse.org
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