The weather is warming in our part of the world, which means many of us are working on plans to spend time on or near the Mississippi River. And now we’ve got a couple of excellent ways to kick it off, two events that have quickly become central to celebrating the river and doing our part to help restore the health and beauty of the river: River Days of Action (June 1-15) and National Mississippi River Day (June 2).
In this episode, I talk with Michael Anderson, the Director of Outreach and Education for One Mississippi, and one of the prime forces making them happen. He describes each event’s unique focus, what events are happening to mark them, why these events are important to the present and future of the River, and what he’s learned from his years working so diligently on issues related to the Mississippi River.
After the discussion with Michael, you’ll hear a couple of other people describe why the Mississippi matters to them and the organizations they are affiliated with, and why they believe carving out time to celebrate the Mississippi and give something back to the river are important. You’ll hear from Amanda Wigen from Owámniyomni Okhódayapi and avid kayaker Perry Whitaker who also volunteers with many river-related groups, including the Mississippi River Water Association.
To find out more about these events and to see the full schedule of events and opportunities to help the river, head to mississippiriver.org.
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Michael Anderson (00:00):
But it's a day to give back to the river that
made us, right? One Mississippi,we are on a mission to protect,
strengthen and restore theMississippi River, not just for
today, but as a vital resourcefor future generations. And so
this day is a key day thatraises the profile or raises
awareness of the MississippiRiver. It's a day to acknowledge
(00:22):
some of the serious threats andand issues and problems that we
are experiencing. And so thisday emphasizes the urgent need
for collective action on behalfof the river.
Dean Klinkenberg (00:55):
Welcome to the Mississippi Valley Traveler
Podcast. I'm Dean Klinkenberg,and I've been exploring the deep
history and rich culture of thepeople and places along
America's greatest river, theMississippi, since 2007. Join me
as I go deep into the charactersand places along the river, and
occasionally wander into otherstories from the Midwest and
(01:15):
other rivers. Read the episodeshow notes and get more
information on the Mississippiat
MississippiValleyTraveler.com.
Let's get going.
Welcome to Episode 76 of theMississippi Valley Traveler
podcast. Well, the ice hasfinally melted everywhere, even
up north off of Lake Bemidji andLake Pepin, the river is running
(01:39):
free of ice, finally, after along winter, which means a lot
of us are beginning to dreamabout days and evenings on the
river, enjoying sunsets next tothe river, cookouts on sandbars,
going for a little refreshingswim in the summer heat. Well,
there's no better way to kickoff the summer rivertime season
(02:02):
then with a couple of eventsthat are just around the corner,
River Days of Action andNational Mississippi River Day.
In this episode, we're going totalk about both of those, but
we're going to focus mostly onNational Mississippi River Day.
For those of you who haven'tbeen keeping track, River Days
of Action will run from June 1stto 15th, and National
(02:24):
Mississippi River Day is on June2nd. For both of these there are
events and commemorationshappening all along the length
of the main stem of theMississippi from northern
Minnesota down to Louisiana. Soin this episode, to kick things
off, I talked with MichaelAnderson, my second Michael
(02:45):
Anderson to interview this yearabout why these events matter,
what's going on, and how we canboth celebrate the river while
also taking steps to deal withthreats facing the river's
health and future. And there areplenty of those. You can find
out more about both River Daysof Action and National
Mississippi River Days atMississippiRiver.org and then,
(03:08):
after my discussion withMichael, you'll hear from two
more people who talk about theimportance of the river to them
and to the organizations theywork with. You'll hear first
from Amanda Wigen, fromOwámniyomni Okhódayapi and Perry
Whitaker, an avid kayaker fromSt Louis. But I'll be back with
a quick introduction for the twoof them after we hear from
(03:30):
Michael.
If you want to know more aboutwhat's happening, if you want
other links to what's goingalong on the river, for River
Days of Action, if you want tosee some pretty pictures of the
river, go to the show notes,which are at
MississippiValleyTraveler.com/podcast.
At that same link, you will findlinks to all previous 75
episodes so you can go crazybinging about the Mississippi
(03:54):
River to help celebrate NationalMississippi River Day and River
Days of Action.
Thanks to those of you whocontinue to show me some love
through Patreon. For as littleas $1 a month, you can join the
community. Go topatreon.com/deanklinkenberg. For
that modest contribution, youget early access to each of
(04:15):
those episodes and thesatisfaction of knowing you are
one of the people keeping thispodcast alive. Not into Patreon,
buy me a cup of coffee. You cango to
MississippiValleyTraveler.com/podcastand there you will also find out
how to buy me a cup of coffee.
All right, let's get on with theinterviews.
(04:48):
Michael Anderson is a lifelongstudent of the Mississippi and
16 years ago, the riverliterally saved his life. If you
get a chance, ask him how andsit back for an inspiring story
and finding solace during amental health crisis. Michael's
happy place is out in his canoe,and he's paddled the river from
Minnesota to Louisiana whileremoving over 7000 pounds of
(05:11):
trash along the way. As a riverguide and educator, he's
connected over 10,000 peoplewith the river through work with
outfits including the NationalPark Service and Wilderness
Inquiry. Over the last sevenyears, Michael has served as the
Director of Outreach andEducation for One Mississippi
where he helps lead a communityof 20,000 river citizens and
(05:31):
coordinates the 80 memberMississippi River Network. He's
also the driving force behindRiver Days of Action, happening
June 1 through June 15, and thenewest annual tradition,
National Mississippi River Dayon June 2nd. Michael, welcome
back to the podcast.
Michael Anderson (05:50):
Thank you so much, Dean. It's good to be
back.
Dean Klinkenberg (05:52):
Hard to believe this is your third time
on the podcast. You are now thecurrent record holder for most
appearances. I think so maybewe'll get you a gold star or
something for that.
Michael Anderson (06:03):
Oh, well, that's a fun fact. Thank you so
much, Dean. Just send me a bookin the mail then I can put it on
the shelf and show it to people.
Dean Klinkenberg (06:10):
Yes, certainly people named Michael Anderson
will be the clear cut winner onall these since I just last
week, had a chance to interviewit the other Michael Anderson
and talk about Lake Pepin. Well,let's get right into the purpose
of this today. We are here totalk about, mostly about
National Mississippi River Day,which is coming up on June 2,
(06:31):
because it happens every yearnow on June 2. Tell us why does
the Mississippi need its ownday?
Michael Anderson (06:39):
Yeah, wonderful Dean, well, let me
just zoom out for a second here.
Okay, because the significanceof the Mighty Mississippi is
often it's often not getreceiving the credit it
deserves. Okay? The as you allknow, and I'm sure folks
listening to this podcast wouldwould agree with, the
Mississippi River is not just awaterway. It is a lifeline.
(07:02):
Right? This Mississippi River,it's in the heart of America,
spanning approximately 2350miles, flowing through or
bordering 10 states whiledraining 32 states in its basin,
from the Rocky Mountains in thewest to the Appalachia to
Appalachia in the east theMississippi River provides home
(07:22):
and habitat for hundreds andhundreds of fish, bird and other
wildlife and plant species, and,of course, drinking water for
over 20 million people.
Throughout time, the river hasalso been has had extreme
cultural significance, right?
For 1000s of years, Mississippihas been integral to indigenous
(07:44):
communities through throughproviding sustenance, trade,
connection. However, the riverfaces problems. The river has
its issues. Water quality. Wehave big pollution issues, of
course, namely from agriculturerunoff that creating these
harmful algal blooms,particularly where the
(08:05):
Mississippi River drains intothe Gulf of Mexico, creating a
dead zone. These blooms arethese algal blooms are areas
where no oxygen remains, causingfish and marine life to either
suffocate or have to flee. Weare experiencing extreme
flooding and drought like neverbefore. In fact, we're just a
few years from the 2019 flood,which was the longest flood in
(08:30):
recorded history of theMississippi River, running from
late December of 2018 well intoApril of 2019 and it ended up
having over a billion dollareconomic impact to our
communities up and down, up anddown the Mississippi. But
solutions exist, Dean, as youwell know, solutions exist, and
(08:52):
so the National MississippiRiver Day is one of our newest
ideas, and now has become acemented tradition for the
Mighty Mississippi, and I'mlooking forward to sharing more
about that today.
Dean Klinkenberg (09:06):
Fantastic. So So tell us a little bit about
what to expect from this day.
Then, what are some of thethings that are going on to mark
the the river's special day?
Michael Anderson (09:17):
Yeah, thanks, Dean. So launched in 2025 just
last year, National MississippiRiver Day is celebrated now
annually on June 2. This dayinvites communities to come
together to honor this vitalwaterway and its significance to
our nation, right? It's a day torecognize the river's cultural,
economic and ecologicalimportance. It's a day to foster
(09:41):
community engagement andenvironmental stewardship. In a
few minutes here, I'll shareways that people can get
involved in every and thingsthat people can do on June 2 and
throughout their day to day lifeto make a difference. But it's a
day to give back to the riverthat made us, right? One
Mississippi, we are on a missionto protect, strengthen and
(10:02):
restore the Mississippi River,not just for today, but as a
vital resource for futuregenerations. And so this day is
a key day that raises theprofile or raises awareness of
the Mississippi River. It's aday to acknowledge some of the
serious threats and and issuesand problems that we are
(10:22):
experiencing. I mentioned acouple of them, but as well as
water quality standpoint andimpacts to our communities, and
so this day emphasizes theurgent need for collective
action on behalf of the river,and we have a couple neat
tactics that we've beendeploying as part of, as part of
(10:42):
this new initiative.
Dean Klinkenberg (10:44):
Do tell.
Michael Anderson (10:47):
All right, thanks, Dean. Well, you know, at
a time where division seems tobe ever present in our day to
day lives, this day is aboutfinding common ground or common
water, if you will. Okay. It'sabout protecting clean water.
It's about celebrating the riverthat unites us as individuals
(11:07):
and communities across diversebackgrounds. It's a day to turn
back toward each other andtoward what we have in common
around our shared values. Weall, of course, need clean
water. We know the significancethat this river provides, in
that sense, with over 20 millionpeople getting their drinking
water, and so it's strategicallyplaced on June 2 as well,
(11:31):
because it kicks off two weeksof events and opportunities
called River Days of Action.
This is a program that OneMississippi delivers in
coordination with our 80 plusorganization, Mississippi River
Network members of which, Dean,the Mississippi Valley traveler,
you yourself are very engagedmember, I might add. And so we
(11:53):
work together right this, thisRiver Days of Action framework
provides an opportunity for usto work together, from
headwaters to gulf through aseries of hands on restoration
events, recreation events,educational opportunities,
online captivating webinars, aswell as more in person
(12:15):
opportunities to take action andmake a difference. I will just
add that over the past six yearsthat River Days has been in
effect, we've brought togethermore than 8,000 people at nearly
200 events hosted byapproximately 250 partner
organizations. And so it justshowcases the real need and
appetite that people have towork together to make a
(12:40):
difference. And we couldn't bemore thrilled with this
centerpiece that is now NationalMississippi River Day on June
2nd, which again kicks off thesetwo weeks of River Days of
Action.
Dean Klinkenberg (12:53):
So give us some idea of the different kinds
of activities. I know, like theNational Mississippi River Day
is important in and of toitself, and we'll come back to
that in just a minute. But inthese past few years, the
variety of activities that havehappened during this whole
period of time, these couple ofweeks, is pretty impressive. Can
you just give a sense of some ofthe highlights, maybe a little
(13:15):
bit from previous years, butalso what we know is going to be
happening for this year, forthose first couple of weeks in
June?
Michael Anderson (13:21):
Yeah, absolutely. So things that have
occurred in previous years againas part of these nearly 200
events. I mean, we've hadeverything from farm tours right
taking out in particular electedofficials to farm tours so they
can see the the impact thatsustainable or regenerative
(13:43):
agricultural practices, whatthey look like in the field, how
they are improving waterquality. Because, of course,
let's just remind everyone whathappens on the land is what ends
up in the river, what's whatends up in our waterways. And so
as I mentioned earlier,agricultural runoff, urban
runoff, these, these, thesedifferent types of pollutions
(14:05):
running off the land, goes intoour water, ultimately ends up in
the Mississippi. So having thesefarm tours has been really
instrumental. We've had a lot ofonline webinars that I'll just
uplift for a moment here,because I think they've been
really interesting. Everythingfrom environmental justice
focused panels. We've had folksfrom the upper, middle and lower
(14:28):
river coming together to talkabout environmental justice
specific issues that they'refacing in their communities.
We've talked about legislativesolutions, right? We've had some
great panels, I think of some ofour Gulf Coast members talking
about sort of the lay of theland in Louisiana, and the
different issues and solutionsthat they are really working on
(14:50):
from a legislative standpoint.
We've held a in person town hallfocused on Mississippi River
issues and solutions we haveevery year recreation events,
people taking out canoes andkayaks. Often the National Park
Service gets involved up here inMinnesota, providing accessible
paddling opportunities for folksto get out on the river. We've
(15:13):
had plant walks with DakotaNative American leaders here in
Minnesota and as well as otherparts of the river. Oh, what
else? I could just keep goingand going, pretty much, if there
is an opportunity that's relatedto making a difference for the
people, land, water and wildlifeof the Mississippi River, it can
end up in River Days of Action.
Dean Klinkenberg (15:36):
Absolutely.
And I know, like, off the top ofmy head this, these aren't all
necessarily time for River Daysof Action. But I know in St Paul
the Wakáŋ Tipi Center, the brandnew center, Bruce Vento / Wakáŋ
Tipi Centerwalk, that is abeautiful area restoration in
progress, but they have a brandnew visitor center that's
(15:57):
opening up at the end of May,close to River Days of Action. I
know down here in St Louis, theMississippi River Water Trail is
partnering with the St LouisAquarium to get some people out
for a paddle. Down in NewOrleans at the Hip Hop Caucus
and other there must be someevents in New Orleans going on
as well. So it's amazing to mehow we have gotten to a point
(16:18):
where, for these couple of weeksof time, we can concentrate
activity along the entire lengthof the river. So if you're if
you're living in Memphis or NewOrleans or the Quad Cities or
someplace, where should they goto find out of what events are
happening in their area?
Michael Anderson (16:38):
Yeah, wonderful. Thank you so much,
Dean. Thanks for adding somemore like good examples as well
of where, where this program hasbeen. Go to
MississippiRiver.org. You'llhave a pop up that is River Days
of Action and NationalMississippi River Day. Click
that. It'll bring you right tothe events calendar. We already
(17:00):
have 10 events on there. This iswe're still a couple months out.
The deadline for eventsubmission is coming up here. So
do expect by the time folks arelistening to this episode that
that events calendar will becompletely full. And I'll just
share a quick story, becauseit's getting to the point where
I receive random emails, like,literally, one I just received
last week was from someone thatis planning a road trip from
(17:24):
Minneapolis to St Louis duringthe beginning of June, and
they've heard about river daysof action, and they're like,
Okay, tell me the key eventsthat are happening along the
way. I'm literally going to makemy road trip to coincide and
stop and attend as many eventsas possible, and so.
Dean Klinkenberg (17:42):
Awesome.
Michael Anderson (17:42):
You know, stories like that just really
bring show how this is, this iscoming to life and rooting down
in our communities and havingthe impact that that we all
seek.
Dean Klinkenberg (17:51):
So I guess I probably should emphasize too,
like you don't have to go to aspecific event to do something
for the river or to show yourappreciation for the river.
Folks are certainly welcome doanything on their own as well,
if they just want to stop by andsay hi to the river, pay
tribute, you know, or if theywant to go out on the river for
(18:12):
a paddle on their own or hikesomewhere next to the river, of
course, please feel free to doso. You don't need a group of
people to do that, to celebratethat with you. And so what about
back to the National MississippiRiver Day in particular, you do
have a couple of very specificthings happening for that day,
so tell us about that.
Michael Anderson (18:31):
Yeah, that's right. So one way that we are
continuing to establish and growthe momentum for National
Mississippi River Day is byhaving governing bodies issue
proclamations or resolutionsdeclaring June 2nd as National
Mississippi River Day for theircommunity. And so last year
(18:52):
again was the inaugural year ofNational Mississippi River Day,
and we had a goal. We're like,okay, if we could get one
proclamation passed in like onecity, one town on the river,
then it's that'd be a success.
Well, Dean, as you well know, weended up with 15 in its
inaugural year that includedfour states, Minnesota,
Illinois, Wisconsin andMissouri, your home state, of
(19:16):
course, all did makedeclarations or proclamations
for National Mississippi RiverDay, and we just saw that and
that response of like, okay,this is this is going to catch.
This is really taking, takinghas the opportunity to just take
off like wildfire. So this yearwe're aiming even higher. We are
(19:37):
doubling, not even doubling ourgoal, because it's a huge from
last year of just one. We areaiming for 30 this year, 30
proclamations in cities, townsand states along the Mississippi
River or in its basin, and inparticular this year. We are
(19:58):
focused on passing proclamationsin all 10 of the main stem
states of the Mississippi River.
Pop quiz to your to everyonelistening today. Pause this
episode and in your head say outloud, or just say the 10 states
if you know them. Write themdown, if not, look them up, or
(20:20):
go to MississippiRiver.org tofind out. And so, yeah, we're
really it's ambitious this year.
We think we can move in thatdirection and reach this goal.
And this is only possible ifpeople get on board. Okay,
because communities really needto own this, right? This really
(20:42):
needs to be a thing that werally around and we let grow
from year to year. So, forexample, Earth Day, I believe,
was last year, the year before,celebrated its 50th anniversary
of having having Earth Days.
Well, Dean, what could this?
What could National MississippiRiver day look like in 50 years
(21:02):
from now?
Dean Klinkenberg (21:06):
Right.
Michael Anderson (21:07):
And so let's, let's, we're going to keep
building that year after year.
And yeah, toward the end of ourprogram here today, I'll share
some more ways that folks cancan participate. But the
proclamation piece has beenreally vital of growing this day
and also decentralizing themovement, right? If one
organization, say, OneMississippi, you know, wanted to
declare this, and you know thisNational Mississippi River Day
(21:30):
and make it happen, it's onlygoing to get so far. And the
reality is that this needs to bea decentralized, grassroots
movement to grow this andproclamations are a great way
that municipalities, meaningcities, towns and counties as
well as states, and working withtribal governments and the
federal government as well toissue these proclamations,
(21:52):
because when we when those areissued, it signals that it's a
priority for that governingbody, right? They say the river
is important to our community.
We understand the issues it'sfacing. We reaffirm our
commitments to working togetherto make it make make a
(22:14):
difference.
Dean Klinkenberg (22:14):
As we like to say, It elevates the visibility
of the river. It emphasizes howmuch it matters, rather than
taking it for granted. You tookthe words out of my mouth there,
because one of the things I wasjust thinking as you were
talking, as part of what I likeabout this, this day in
particular, but also all RiverDays of Action, is that there's
not one organization tellingeverybody how to celebrate. It's
(22:37):
up to individual communities todecide what makes most sense for
you to mark this day to you knowwhat, how you want to show your
appreciation, you know, theriver might mean something
different to you down in NewOrleans than it does in
Minneapolis, and that's fine. Sothe celebrations or the events
are going to look different. AndI really like that, that there's
(22:57):
not this puppet master directingthe show, so thanks for that,
and thanks for emphasizing thatdecentralized and people centric
approach to this. I'm kind ofmindful of the time we were kind
of setting a time limit forourselves because we've got
(23:17):
other people we'll be talking toas well for this episode. I'm
just kind of curious now you'vebeen with One Mississippi for
over seven years, and I'mcurious in this time, how has
your relationship with the riverchanged, or your perceptions of
the river changed during thoseseven years of working so
closely on river related issues?
Michael Anderson (23:39):
Whew, yeah, that is a question that
definitely warrants a lot ofjournaling and reflection, but
yeah, Dean, really goodquestion. Thank you. I think
that a key piece is what youjust shared right before, when
talking about the decentralizedapproach and just really how
different all of these differentplaces are, yes, we're connected
(24:04):
by this river, right, thislifeline of the nation, this,
this blue and brown ribbonrunning through the center of
the country, connecting, youknow, the East and the West. But
it would be very silly kind ofto your point, to think that
it's exactly the same in NewOrleans as is in St Louis, as is
Minneapolis, as it is in therural setting, in the urban
(24:27):
setting, like the it's veryimportant. Something I've
learned in this work is thatthese regional differences
matter, and the way thatcommunities and individuals
connect with the river matter,and they are important. And it's
really, I think, just to broadenit way out, just in the field of
conservation, it's really vitalat this moment, and as we move
(24:51):
into the future, to be much morewelcoming in our movement, to
really realize that there aredifferent issues that matter
most to people, and even asenvironmentalists, part of our
job, you know, if someone's moreconcerned with housing, like a
housing crisis, or, you know,lead pipes, or, I don't know,
(25:13):
these different, these differentthings, where does the where
does water, and where does theriver intersect with that?
Because it does, because thesethings aren't in isolation.
Issues that our communities arefacing are issues that the river
is facing, and vice versa. Andso that's something I just
continue to learn about in thiswork, and no doubt we'll have a
(25:33):
lot more to learn. And justthrilled to have the opportunity
to keep keep meeting people andkeep learning and growing.
Dean Klinkenberg (25:42):
Fantastic.
Well, we need a lot more MichaelAnderson's to help keep bending
the curve and in bringing thehealth of the river back up to
where we'd like to we would alllike to see it. So thank you for
all that. Before we wrap up, anylast things you want to say
about the National MississippiRiver Day or River Days of
Action. I will post links in theshow notes to One Mississippi
site for those events so peoplecan look up what's going on
(26:05):
there. But any final thoughts,
Michael Anderson (26:09):
Well, I wouldn't be a good Director of
Outreach if I didn't leaveeveryone with a call to action.
Okay? And so I want to leavefolks with some key ways that
they can get involved with RiverDays of Action, June 1 through
June 15, as well as thecenterpiece that is National
Mississippi River Day on June 2.
And spoiler, a lot of thesethings I'm about to say you can
(26:30):
do year round, okay, but join induring this concerted time
period, because our collectiveour collective action really
makes a difference. So first andforemost, I've already mentioned
this, participate in River Daysof Action events. We have them
online and in person. That theseevents inspire action for the
(26:51):
river, from cleanups toeducational webinars.
MississippiRiver.org, River Daysof Action is going to be your
spot to find those events.
Number two, I talked aboutpassing proclamations. That
opportunity this year is nowavailable to anyone. Okay, so go
to the website, find my contact.
Dean can put in the show notes,email, email me to get involved.
(27:12):
Okay, we have the proclamationsubmission guide we've put
together, as well as a templateproclamation. And I promise you,
it is so much easier than Iwould have ever imagined, and it
just takes a short bit of time,really, to take this action, and
now just a few other ways thatfolks can get involved and make
(27:34):
a difference. On June 2nd, wereally believe in an all angles
approach to conservation inwhich no effort is too small or
too simple. And the first one Iwant to share here is what you
said, Dean, about connectingwith the river, right? We know
that people take action and careabout what, what they what they
(27:55):
know, right? And so if you arebuilding a relationship with the
Mississippi, whether that bethrough visiting it, walking
along it, bird watching, readingDean's, reading Mississippi
Valley Traveler books about it,and the travel guides and the
Frank Dodge, you know, mysteryseries. All of these are
different ways to reallyunderstand the impact that the
Mississippi River has in ourlives and in our culture and in
(28:19):
our society. It's, it's, itcannot be understated the the
role that it plays. So there'sso many ways to connect with the
river, more than you might justthink, more than just like,
let's go down to go down to thebanks and go for a walk. That,
of course, is wonderful, butthere are so many ways to build
that relationship. A coupleother quick ones. We've talked
about water quality today. Somegreat ways that you can help
(28:42):
with that. Is cutting back onlawn and garden fertilizers. I
know if you are going to usethem like this, is not a shame
thing. Do your research aboutapplying the right amount at the
right time. It'll benefitwhatever you're trying to grow,
as well as our water quality.
This goes hand in hand withplanting native species. A lot
(29:03):
of native plants actually havemuch deeper roots, which are
vital for water filtration andpurifying the water and reducing
flooding and droughts, as we'vetalked about. Keep the river
clean by cleaning up trash inyour neighborhood. Yes, go down
to the riverbanks, of course,whether that's the Mississippi
or your local tributary, localstream, whatever it may be, get
(29:27):
out there. Pick up trash. Thisis a great way to help, and I
think I'll leave it there fornow, Dean. Yeah, those are some
great ways that folks can justmake a difference in their day
to day life, as well as specificthings to do on June 2nd,
National Mississippi River Day.
Dean Klinkenberg (29:45):
Thank you very much. Michael, great ideas.
People can have some practical,easy steps they can take for
themselves and their own livesthat will make a difference. I
love those tips. Well, alwaysdelight. Michael, great to see
you. Thanks for coming andsharing the word about what's
coming up this summer forNational Mississippi River Day
(30:06):
and River Days of Action.
Michael Anderson (30:08):
Thank you so much, Dean.
Dean Klinkenberg (30:11):
Hey. Dean Klinkenberg here, interrupting
myself, just wanted to remindyou that if you'd like to know
more about the MississippiRiver, check out my books, I
write the Mississippi ValleyTraveler guide books for people
who want to get to know theMississippi better. I also write
the Frank Dodge mystery seriesthat is set in places along the
Mississippi. My newest book, TheWild Mississippi, goes deep into
(30:35):
the world of Old Man River learnabout the varied and complex
ecosystems supported by theMississippi, the plant and
animal life that depends onthem, and where you can go to
experience it all. Find any ofthese wherever books are sold.
All right, as I said, Now youget to hear from two other
people about NationalMississippi River Day and why it
(30:57):
matters to them. I have clippedout the questions that I ask so
you will hear from these twopeople without me interrupting
them. First up is Amanda Wigen,who leads communications, public
relations and storytellingefforts at Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi, changing thenarrative about Dakota history
and living culture in Minnesotain the process. She brings
(31:19):
extensive experience innonprofit management, strategic
planning, program development,brand building and fundraising.
She's also a board member of theMississippi Park connection, a
nonprofit partner to theNational Park Service.
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi istransforming Minneapolis, most
iconic riverfront location, St.
Anthony Falls from a desecratedindustrial site into a living
(31:41):
monument that says, "This isDakota land". The Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi project will restorenative plantings, uplift Dakota
land management and culturalpractices and rebuild
connections to the water. PerryWhitaker is an avid kayaker who
lives in St Louis and is activein many river themed or river
adjacent organizations,including the Mississippi River
(32:03):
Water Trail Association. Everysummer, he leads a group of
scouts on a paddling trip downthe Mississippi River from St
Louis to Cape Girardeau, wherethey cover a lot of history and
ecology along the way. Like Isaid, you won't hear again from
me. So enjoy hearing these twofolks talk about what the
Mississippi and NationalMississippi River Day means to
them.
Amanda Wigen (32:36):
So I'm Amanda Wigen. I'm communications
director and non native stafffor Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, so I
work quite a bit with ourprogramming team, but also our
project team to be able tocommunicate with our
stakeholders about how theproject is developing, and get
their input and reallyunderstand how people can
connect to the river in adifferent way, and how we can
(32:56):
help make Dakota people moreconnected to the river in
particular. Owámniyomni, thefalls here is the largest
elevation drop on the entirelength of the Mississippi. It's
about 50 feet high, and theoriginal falls would have been
about 1250 feet wide. It's nowabout a third of that size, and
(33:19):
has really been narrowed andengineered through the lock and
dam process, and also some ofthe tunneling and damage that
happened duringindustrialization. The falls was
also is also a living being, andmoved and evolved and changed
through time and over, you know,1000s of years move from what is
(33:41):
now St Paul to its currentlocation in downtown
Minneapolis. The concrete apronthere is holding her in place
now, but she's looking to move.
She's looking to flow where shewants to flow, and that's part
of what we're trying to respectin our design is that some
(34:02):
things can be prescriptive, butreally we need to let the water
speak for itself and go where itwants to go.
Well, we talk about restoring astory disrupted, but really, I
think the vision is to bringback some of the energy and love
that really was into the riverbefore colonization and
(34:24):
industrialization. We are doingenvironmental and cultural
restoration at the site. Sothere's certainly a planting
element, a landscape element,but there's also a real cultural
component about how people carefor and maintain the land and
connect with each other. Andthat's where I think the love
piece comes in. It's it's notnecessarily about the visual
(34:45):
change of the site, but how weare interacting with each other
and our other relatives.
My understanding through oralhistory and connecting through
others is it was really agathering place. For many
tribes, a place of trade, butalso a place of power. The falls
(35:07):
itself just a very powerfulbeing. The water, certainly the
lifeblood for Dakota peoplecoming from the waters here in
Minnesota. And I think what werecognize is colonizers,
industrializers saw that powertoo, but through a very
different lens, andunfortunately, were looking to
(35:29):
extract that power for their ownbenefit. So we think a lot about
the language and what thosewords mean from a Dakota
perspective and from a moretraditional western perspective.
Well, our site in particular islocated next to the upper lock.
This is a lock that is no longerused for commercial navigation,
(35:50):
and so there's quite a bit ofexcess property that's owned by
the federal government. Ingeneral terms, it's a parking
lot, it's a lot of concrete andstone, it's a lot of fencing and
brick. And so part of what we'retrying to do is remove that
layer that's been put on top ofthe land, but to also think
(36:12):
about what was there before. Andin our case, the location of the
lock would have been an island.
And so one of the key changeswe're trying to make is to have
water flow again between theshoreline and that piece of
land, and to a certain extent,recreate the feeling of the
waterfall there. There is apiece of the original
(36:34):
escarpment. And so we're able tokind of reconnect the water and
get a sense of what that wouldhave felt like. It'll be about a
25 foot drop, not a 50 footdrop, but we do expect you'll be
able to hear the water and hearkind of the rumbling, tumbling
sound that that the originalfalls would have had.
(36:57):
Located between here inMinneapolis, what we call Water
Works Park and Mill Ruins Park,but it's really just steps from
the downtown, just near thelocation of the stone arch
bridge. So it's incrediblyhighly trafficked area for the
Twin Cities. It's a big visitorlocation. As a as an out of
towner, you may see it in thepan over when they do sports
(37:19):
scenes and news and those sortsof things. So this is not only a
key site for the City ofMinneapolis, but it's this key
site for Dakota people. And inthat sense, that kind of the
confluence of those two thingsmakes it incredibly visible and
incredibly powerful to connectwith both audiences, native and
(37:41):
non native alike.
We are in our 10th year,celebrating our 10th
Anniversary. But you're right.
It has been a very long timecoming and a lot of evolution.
We were actually founded, thenonprofit, as the Saint Anthony
Falls Lock and Dam Conservancy.
And I like to mention thatbecause I think it shows really
(38:04):
the mindset of the organization.
At the time we were thinkingabout the lock, we were thinking
about how we could repurposethat space, and we are thinking
about the structure itself. Overtime the organization. I'll keep
showing the names, because Ithink it helps. But we
transition to Friends of theLock and Dam, and then Friends
of the Falls, really recognizingour attention needed to be on
(38:25):
the water. What does the riverneed? How can we really nurture
her? And finally, in 2023 ourname changed to Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi, and that was underour new leadership, Shelly Buck.
She's a Prairie Island tribalmember, also a former president
of Prairie Island. Butrecognizing that we need to lead
with Dakota language to Dakotaplace, and it needs to be
(38:47):
recognized as such in our ownvernacular.
It translates to "friends of thefalls." So Owámniyomni is really
a name for the area, notnecessarily the falls itself,
and Okhódaya iis to befriend orbe friendly. And so it's still
(39:11):
very much the spirit of theorganization. But embedded in it
is the fact that organization isDakota lead. Our board is over
50% Dakota representatives. Ourpresident is Dakota, and that
voice really comes first in allthe work that we do.
There are a number of peopleproviding input for the project,
(39:34):
not only community members, butwe also have civic partners who
are involved as well. City ofMinneapolis. Minneapolis Park
and Recreation Board are keyplayers and how we were able to
transition the land from thefederal government to our own
ownership, which will reallycomplete at the end of this
year. But it is, it's it's aproject for everyone. I think
(39:55):
the the thought that we can allhave a better relationship with
the land is something that it'snot solely a Dakota thought. And
one of my colleagues says, "WhenDakota eat, everybody eat." So
it's it's the goal is to broadenthe table and just really bring
the voices that have beensilenced in a race to the fore.
(40:16):
First and foremost, we'reworking with the federal
government. So even the idea ofa land transfer required an act
of Congress. There's years ofwork to really bring all the
stakeholders along at everylevel of government to be able
to do that. Another challengeis, no, I think we and many
(40:40):
others want this to be a landback project. We want this to
represent the Dakota people, theDakota tribes. We presented that
to the four Dakota Nations inMinnesota, and they weren't
ready to accept ownership. Theysaid, it's not our job to
restore stolen land. So weneeded to find a solution that
really gave them the voice andthe power, but where there was
(41:01):
no financial liability, there'sno legal liability, and we still
met all the requirements of theCity and the Army Corps. So
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, thisnonprofit structure, has really
stepped in as a bridge to acceptthat liability, to restore the
land and bring it back to thishealthy place and give the
(41:23):
tribes that choice again. Wouldthey like to own it at that
point? But that in itself, isdeveloping that structure,
developing the trust between allof those parties to be able to
move forward has been achallenge, but also one of the
greatest successes of theproject.
Well, it's interesting. I So, Igrew up on the Mississippi, but
(41:45):
a little further north, I wasborn in Monticello, and there,
you know, the falls are notpresent. The river is very
silent, very quiet, very still,and also very accessible. I
mean, here in the UpperMississippi, you can wade in.
It's very safe to certainextent, I guess, depending where
(42:06):
you are. But we spent a lot oftime in the river, and I take
for granted how how rare that isin our state and throughout the
entire length of the river. Sowhen I think of a special place,
I do tend to think of home morethan downtown, but I think
that's just a lot of years thereand a lot of time spent in the
(42:27):
water.
Looking ahead into the future,one of the main goals is that if
you really interconnected withrelatives, again, both human
relatives, plant relatives,right now, it feels very
isolated, particularly in ourarea, and as you said, cut off
from from access. And so takingthat wall down and making things
(42:49):
more permeable and connected tothe water, I think, is where I
would like to see things. Forour site in particular, maybe
that means the physical lock hasgone away. The dam itself
probably cannot be removed, butthere are things we could do to
make the lock less invasive. Ithink there's also an
understanding that there isn't aset vision of what it will look
(43:14):
like, because there are too manyfactors in between. You know, a
lower lock could be removed.
There's climate change, there'sflooding, there are all these
factors. And so even ourproject, can I tell you what it
will look like in 10 years or 20years or 30 years? No, but as
long as we're developing thatrelationship in tandem, then I
think there's a comfort therethat we're moving in the right
(43:35):
direction.
Correct. We've reallyestablished different tactics
for integrating Dakota voicesand challenging kind of our
bureaucratic Western process,and for community engagement, in
particular, for design, and nowwe're really working on how to
(43:55):
integrate that into ourmaintenance principles. A key
part of that is who's doing thework. So we need to do trash
pickup, we need to do snowremoval, we need to do weeding,
we need to do planting. And someof that makes sense to work with
an outside contractor. But whenwe really want to get our hands
in the dirt, we want to, we say,building a relationship with the
(44:16):
land. It needs to be Dakotapeople touching Dakota land. And
so we're training staff inhouse. We're working with
volunteers. We're hoping tobring in a lot of tribal members
to help do that work. And soit's it's a different structure,
it has different costs. Thereare a lot of different logistics
involved that a normal parksystem or a normal land manager
(44:37):
would approach in a differentway. First and foremost, go see
the water. Go touch the water.
And I think, thank her. That'sthat has really been a change in
perspective since I've beenworking with the Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi under its Dakotaleadership is is giving the
river. Personhood, acknowledgingthat she has a life of her own.
(45:08):
First and foremost, go see thewater. Go touch the water. And I
think, thank her. That's thathas really been a change in
perspective since I've beenworking with the Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi under its Dakotaleadership is is giving the
river personhood, acknowledgingthat she has a life of her own.
So getting out, you know,recreating on the river is one
thing, but really doing ittogether. How, what does the
river get from my experience,and what do I get from the
river's experience? I think is aan important perspective for
people to take on NationalMississippi River Day.
Perry Whitaker (45:27):
I'm Perry Whitaker, and I'm a kayaker.
I've paddled the wholeMississippi, most of it multiple
times. I've through paddled afew other rivers as well. I
serve on a few outdoor relatednonprofit boards, most related
to rivers. And I just love beingout there and introducing other
(45:47):
people to this incredibleresource. I think most people
get started packing on the bigriver by packing on smaller
rivers. I didn't do that. Friendone day. Just said, "Hey, Perry,
do you want to go kayaking?" Isaid, "Yes, sure." And yeah, we
(46:08):
started on the Mississippi, andthen I found out about paddling
on all these other rivers, and Ijust never looked back. It's
just been my favorite ever sinceI started there.
About five or six times a year Itake Scout troops on a multi day
(46:29):
trip down the Mississippi, StLouis to Cape Girardeau, usually
four days, three nights. We havedone it faster than that,
camping out on islands. There'slike 40 islands between St Louis
and Cape, and we just plant ourflag on any of them. Some of
those islands are these big,beautiful sandy beaches that
(46:52):
seem tropical in nature, andothers are mosquito infested
hell holes. And after I've madethe trip a few times, I figured
out which is which and basicallyit's just a few days of of the
kids learning about NativeAmericans and steamboats and
early explorers. And I think alot of times it's the parents
(47:16):
that want to go on this trip.
And then my challenge is makesure the kids enjoy it, whether
they want to or not.
I was doing the trip by myself,and every time I went on that
trip, I would learn something.
And one day, I was just talkingto a scout troop. It was a first
aid class for a scout troop, andI mentioned that I did that, and
(47:37):
one of the parents said, youshould take us and, yeah, it
kind of went downhill fromthere.
A vast majority of the kids willfind Native American artifacts,
projectile points, arrowheadsatlatl points. We'll find
(47:57):
fossils. I found a mastodontooth out there, and when the
river's low, there's steamboatwrecks along the Mississippi,
150 year old, 100, 150 year oldsteamboat wrecks. And it's just
an opportunity for the kids toreally touch history. And one of
(48:24):
the islands we camp out on isHanging Dog Island. And it's
actually where the Cherokees, Idon't want to call it camped.
It's where they were as they'rewaiting to cross the river
during the Trail of Tears. Andso we sit around the campfire
and we tell that story. I thinka lot of times the kids don't
(48:48):
fully appreciate this trip whilewe're doing it, but my thought
is, at some point they'll besitting in a college class and
somebody will mention Trail ofTears, and that light's going to
come on, or they're going totalk about this steamboat era,
and the kids are going toremember that one steamboat they
touched. And that's that's kindof my goal with it, is it's kind
(49:10):
of a slow burn teaching method.
At some points, I'll just getthem to huddle up as we're
floating down the river, andI'll just talk as we float, and
other times we'll pull over anisland and we'll search for
(49:32):
arrowheads, or we'll pull overto a steamboat wreck. When the
river is low, and after I'vedone after I had done the trip a
few times, I knew where allthose places were, so it kind of
put itself together for me.
(49:54):
I've had absolute beginners outthere. If. If they want to be
there, they'll enjoy it. If theydon't want to be there, then I
still try to make them enjoy it.
You know, there's always thatone kid that is kind of
difficult to reach, but noexperience really is necessary.
(50:18):
The river does most of the work.
I mean, it's a long day, but theriver does most of the work, and
we just, they just need tocontrol their kayaks. I see a
lot of light bulbs abovepeople's heads. I mean,
obviously not real light bulbs.
But you know what I mean when wetalk about some of the early
(50:41):
explorers they had to learnabout in school, and we say,
Yeah, well, this is whereMarquette and Jolliet stopped,
and this is where Lewis andClark stopped as they're going
to the Missouri River, and thekids will make that connection a
lot of times. And sometimes whenwe there's like, one steamboat
(51:09):
wreck in particular I like totalk about, and it's this, the
Stonewall. And the kids reallyit seems like they really have a
connection with that particularwreck, because the people who
died on that steamboat wreckwere buried right there by the
(51:31):
river. So we, we have that wholeconversation.
I think a lot of times it's thesame impressions that everybody
get. You know, we we've, we'velost our connection with this
river. If you ask people aboutthe Mississippi River, they're
(51:52):
going to say, well, there's thisbridge and then there's that
bridge, and they won't make theconnection. It's this river is
why St Louis is here, and thatriver is why Memphis is where it
is. They tend to separate thehistorical Mississippi and the
current Mississippi. And as Itake kids or adults down there,
(52:18):
I think a lot of times theystart to make that connection
that this is the Mississippi andit's not two separate entities.
Most of the scouts, andactually, I guess all of the
scouts who go on this trip, theyhave experience with backpacking
or car camping, and so camping,in and of itself, isn't a new
(52:40):
thing for them. And I, campingfrom a kayak or canoe is easier
than backpacking. You know, therivers carrying your weight for
you and and I think it's, it'ssimpler than than backpacking.
Well, earlier I mentionedHanging Dog Island, and for me,
(53:05):
that's like one of my favoriteplaces. It's just because the
history surrounding it, and Ican't find out how the island
got its name, but that was myinitial attraction to it. That's
such a cool name. I want to campout there. But then I learned,
(53:26):
well, yeah, this is where theTrail of Tears, this is where
they camped as they were waitingto cross the river in the winter
after they lost everything. Andjust, it's very humbling, you
know, to to sit there, and as adirect result of me camping
(53:48):
there, I I hiked the northernroute of the Trail of Tears,
from eastern Tennessee down intoOklahoma. It's like 800 miles.
And the prime mover behind thatwas camping out on that island.
And so I like that place a lot.
And then Kaskaskia, where theKaskaskia River runs into the
(54:10):
Mississippi, the first capitalof Illinois, was right there.
It's gone now, but my great,great, great, great grandfather
served in the first IllinoisHouse of Representatives there
in Kaskaskia. I didn't find thatout until after I'd been there a
(54:32):
few times. And you know, the thevillage of Kaskaskia, the fort
there at Kaskaskia, and just alittle bit upstream of their
Fort de Chartres, I'm just, I'mjust blown away about that
history that I'd read about forso long, and it's right here.
(54:54):
I'm just, yeah, I just love it.
So it might be hard for a lot ofpeople to grasp this, but the
river is in so much better shapethan it was just a few decades
ago. It's cleaner now than itwas, and I hope that trajectory
(55:16):
continues. Rivers aren'tcatching on fire like they did
just a few decades ago. Yeah,there's still way too much trash
out there. And I'm river I'm atriver cleanups all the time.
(55:37):
Basically 31 states drain intothe Mississippi River. And what
that means is that if someone inone of those 31 states, if they
throw a plastic bottle into theditch behind their house, that
that bottle floats down thatditch into a creek, into a
(55:58):
bigger creek, into a river, andit ends up in the Mississippi
and then to the Gulf of Mexico.
And if we could just educatesome people about how everyone
lives upstream. I mean,everybody lives downstream, and
it's not a victimless crime tothrow your trash in into a creek
(56:22):
or into a river, because you'reaffecting people downstream. And
I don't think people worry aboutthat too much, until they
realize that that trash they seeout there came from somebody
upstream, from throwing it inthere. My friends and a lot of
the organizations I work with,we pull out tons, literally tons
of trash every year, out of therivers. And it's not tons like
(56:48):
here's a car and here's somemachinery. It's 1000s and 1000s
of plastic bottles. It's tires,and because we can't pull out
the big, heavy stuff, otherwiseit would be 1000s more tons.
(57:09):
Yeah, and sometimes I feel Iworry that we're not even making
a dent in the problem, but atthe same time, I realized that
we are making a dent in it.
Dean Klinkenberg (57:27):
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this
episode, subscribe to the serieson your favorite podcast app so
you don't miss out on futureepisodes. I offer the podcast
for free, but when you supportthe show with a few bucks
through Patreon to help keep theprogram going, just go to
patreon.com/deanklinkenberg. Ifyou want to know more about the
(57:47):
Mississippi River, check out mybooks. I write the Mississippi
Valley Traveler guidebooks forpeople who want to get to know
the Mississippi better. I alsowrite the Frank Dodge mystery
series that's set in placesalong the river. Find them
wherever books are sold. TheMississippi Valley Traveler
podcast is written and producedby me, Dean Klinkenberg.
Original Music by Noah Fence.
See you next time.
But it's a day to give back to the river that
made us, right? One Mississippi,we are on a mission to protect,
strengthen and restore theMississippi River, not just for
today, but as a vital resourcefor future generations. And so
this day is a key day thatraises the profile or raises
awareness of the MississippiRiver. It's a day to acknowledge
(00:22):
some of the serious threats andand issues and problems that we
are experiencing. And so thisday emphasizes the urgent need
for collective action on behalfof the river.
Dean Klinkenberg (00:55):
Welcome to the Mississippi Valley Traveler
Podcast. I'm Dean Klinkenberg,and I've been exploring the deep
history and rich culture of thepeople and places along
America's greatest river, theMississippi, since 2007. Join me
as I go deep into the charactersand places along the river, and
occasionally wander into otherstories from the Midwest and
(01:15):
other rivers. Read the episodeshow notes and get more
information on the Mississippiat
MississippiValleyTraveler.com.
Let's get going.
Welcome to Episode 76 of theMississippi Valley Traveler
podcast. Well, the ice hasfinally melted everywhere, even
up north off of Lake Bemidji andLake Pepin, the river is running
(01:39):
free of ice, finally, after along winter, which means a lot
of us are beginning to dreamabout days and evenings on the
river, enjoying sunsets next tothe river, cookouts on sandbars,
going for a little refreshingswim in the summer heat. Well,
there's no better way to kickoff the summer rivertime season
(02:02):
then with a couple of eventsthat are just around the corner,
River Days of Action andNational Mississippi River Day.
In this episode, we're going totalk about both of those, but
we're going to focus mostly onNational Mississippi River Day.
For those of you who haven'tbeen keeping track, River Days
of Action will run from June 1stto 15th, and National
(02:24):
Mississippi River Day is on June2nd. For both of these there are
events and commemorationshappening all along the length
of the main stem of theMississippi from northern
Minnesota down to Louisiana. Soin this episode, to kick things
off, I talked with MichaelAnderson, my second Michael
(02:45):
Anderson to interview this yearabout why these events matter,
what's going on, and how we canboth celebrate the river while
also taking steps to deal withthreats facing the river's
health and future. And there areplenty of those. You can find
out more about both River Daysof Action and National
Mississippi River Days atMississippiRiver.org and then,
(03:08):
after my discussion withMichael, you'll hear from two
more people who talk about theimportance of the river to them
and to the organizations theywork with. You'll hear first
from Amanda Wigen, fromOwámniyomni Okhódayapi and Perry
Whitaker, an avid kayaker fromSt Louis. But I'll be back with
a quick introduction for the twoof them after we hear from
(03:30):
Michael.
If you want to know more aboutwhat's happening, if you want
other links to what's goingalong on the river, for River
Days of Action, if you want tosee some pretty pictures of the
river, go to the show notes,which are at
MississippiValleyTraveler.com/podcast.
At that same link, you will findlinks to all previous 75
episodes so you can go crazybinging about the Mississippi
(03:54):
River to help celebrate NationalMississippi River Day and River
Days of Action.
Thanks to those of you whocontinue to show me some love
through Patreon. For as littleas $1 a month, you can join the
community. Go topatreon.com/deanklinkenberg. For
that modest contribution, youget early access to each of
(04:15):
those episodes and thesatisfaction of knowing you are
one of the people keeping thispodcast alive. Not into Patreon,
buy me a cup of coffee. You cango to
MississippiValleyTraveler.com/podcastand there you will also find out
how to buy me a cup of coffee.
All right, let's get on with theinterviews.
(04:48):
Michael Anderson is a lifelongstudent of the Mississippi and
16 years ago, the riverliterally saved his life. If you
get a chance, ask him how andsit back for an inspiring story
and finding solace during amental health crisis. Michael's
happy place is out in his canoe,and he's paddled the river from
Minnesota to Louisiana whileremoving over 7000 pounds of
(05:11):
trash along the way. As a riverguide and educator, he's
connected over 10,000 peoplewith the river through work with
outfits including the NationalPark Service and Wilderness
Inquiry. Over the last sevenyears, Michael has served as the
Director of Outreach andEducation for One Mississippi
where he helps lead a communityof 20,000 river citizens and
(05:31):
coordinates the 80 memberMississippi River Network. He's
also the driving force behindRiver Days of Action, happening
June 1 through June 15, and thenewest annual tradition,
National Mississippi River Dayon June 2nd. Michael, welcome
back to the podcast.
Michael Anderson (05:50):
Thank you so much, Dean. It's good to be
back.
Dean Klinkenberg (05:52):
Hard to believe this is your third time
on the podcast. You are now thecurrent record holder for most
appearances. I think so maybewe'll get you a gold star or
something for that.
Michael Anderson (06:03):
Oh, well, that's a fun fact. Thank you so
much, Dean. Just send me a bookin the mail then I can put it on
the shelf and show it to people.
Dean Klinkenberg (06:10):
Yes, certainly people named Michael Anderson
will be the clear cut winner onall these since I just last
week, had a chance to interviewit the other Michael Anderson
and talk about Lake Pepin. Well,let's get right into the purpose
of this today. We are here totalk about, mostly about
National Mississippi River Day,which is coming up on June 2,
(06:31):
because it happens every yearnow on June 2. Tell us why does
the Mississippi need its ownday?
Michael Anderson (06:39):
Yeah, wonderful Dean, well, let me
just zoom out for a second here.
Okay, because the significanceof the Mighty Mississippi is
often it's often not getreceiving the credit it
deserves. Okay? The as you allknow, and I'm sure folks
listening to this podcast wouldwould agree with, the
Mississippi River is not just awaterway. It is a lifeline.
(07:02):
Right? This Mississippi River,it's in the heart of America,
spanning approximately 2350miles, flowing through or
bordering 10 states whiledraining 32 states in its basin,
from the Rocky Mountains in thewest to the Appalachia to
Appalachia in the east theMississippi River provides home
(07:22):
and habitat for hundreds andhundreds of fish, bird and other
wildlife and plant species, and,of course, drinking water for
over 20 million people.
Throughout time, the river hasalso been has had extreme
cultural significance, right?
For 1000s of years, Mississippihas been integral to indigenous
(07:44):
communities through throughproviding sustenance, trade,
connection. However, the riverfaces problems. The river has
its issues. Water quality. Wehave big pollution issues, of
course, namely from agriculturerunoff that creating these
harmful algal blooms,particularly where the
(08:05):
Mississippi River drains intothe Gulf of Mexico, creating a
dead zone. These blooms arethese algal blooms are areas
where no oxygen remains, causingfish and marine life to either
suffocate or have to flee. Weare experiencing extreme
flooding and drought like neverbefore. In fact, we're just a
few years from the 2019 flood,which was the longest flood in
(08:30):
recorded history of theMississippi River, running from
late December of 2018 well intoApril of 2019 and it ended up
having over a billion dollareconomic impact to our
communities up and down, up anddown the Mississippi. But
solutions exist, Dean, as youwell know, solutions exist, and
(08:52):
so the National MississippiRiver Day is one of our newest
ideas, and now has become acemented tradition for the
Mighty Mississippi, and I'mlooking forward to sharing more
about that today.
Dean Klinkenberg (09:06):
Fantastic. So So tell us a little bit about
what to expect from this day.
Then, what are some of thethings that are going on to mark
the the river's special day?
Michael Anderson (09:17):
Yeah, thanks, Dean. So launched in 2025 just
last year, National MississippiRiver Day is celebrated now
annually on June 2. This dayinvites communities to come
together to honor this vitalwaterway and its significance to
our nation, right? It's a day torecognize the river's cultural,
economic and ecologicalimportance. It's a day to foster
(09:41):
community engagement andenvironmental stewardship. In a
few minutes here, I'll shareways that people can get
involved in every and thingsthat people can do on June 2 and
throughout their day to day lifeto make a difference. But it's a
day to give back to the riverthat made us, right? One
Mississippi, we are on a missionto protect, strengthen and
(10:02):
restore the Mississippi River,not just for today, but as a
vital resource for futuregenerations. And so this day is
a key day that raises theprofile or raises awareness of
the Mississippi River. It's aday to acknowledge some of the
serious threats and and issuesand problems that we are
(10:22):
experiencing. I mentioned acouple of them, but as well as
water quality standpoint andimpacts to our communities, and
so this day emphasizes theurgent need for collective
action on behalf of the river,and we have a couple neat
tactics that we've beendeploying as part of, as part of
(10:42):
this new initiative.
Dean Klinkenberg (10:44):
Do tell.
Michael Anderson (10:47):
All right, thanks, Dean. Well, you know, at
a time where division seems tobe ever present in our day to
day lives, this day is aboutfinding common ground or common
water, if you will. Okay. It'sabout protecting clean water.
It's about celebrating the riverthat unites us as individuals
(11:07):
and communities across diversebackgrounds. It's a day to turn
back toward each other andtoward what we have in common
around our shared values. Weall, of course, need clean
water. We know the significancethat this river provides, in
that sense, with over 20 millionpeople getting their drinking
water, and so it's strategicallyplaced on June 2 as well,
(11:31):
because it kicks off two weeksof events and opportunities
called River Days of Action.
This is a program that OneMississippi delivers in
coordination with our 80 plusorganization, Mississippi River
Network members of which, Dean,the Mississippi Valley traveler,
you yourself are very engagedmember, I might add. And so we
(11:53):
work together right this, thisRiver Days of Action framework
provides an opportunity for usto work together, from
headwaters to gulf through aseries of hands on restoration
events, recreation events,educational opportunities,
online captivating webinars, aswell as more in person
(12:15):
opportunities to take action andmake a difference. I will just
add that over the past six yearsthat River Days has been in
effect, we've brought togethermore than 8,000 people at nearly
200 events hosted byapproximately 250 partner
organizations. And so it justshowcases the real need and
appetite that people have towork together to make a
(12:40):
difference. And we couldn't bemore thrilled with this
centerpiece that is now NationalMississippi River Day on June
2nd, which again kicks off thesetwo weeks of River Days of
Action.
Dean Klinkenberg (12:53):
So give us some idea of the different kinds
of activities. I know, like theNational Mississippi River Day
is important in and of toitself, and we'll come back to
that in just a minute. But inthese past few years, the
variety of activities that havehappened during this whole
period of time, these couple ofweeks, is pretty impressive. Can
you just give a sense of some ofthe highlights, maybe a little
(13:15):
bit from previous years, butalso what we know is going to be
happening for this year, forthose first couple of weeks in
June?
Michael Anderson (13:21):
Yeah, absolutely. So things that have
occurred in previous years againas part of these nearly 200
events. I mean, we've hadeverything from farm tours right
taking out in particular electedofficials to farm tours so they
can see the the impact thatsustainable or regenerative
(13:43):
agricultural practices, whatthey look like in the field, how
they are improving waterquality. Because, of course,
let's just remind everyone whathappens on the land is what ends
up in the river, what's whatends up in our waterways. And so
as I mentioned earlier,agricultural runoff, urban
runoff, these, these, thesedifferent types of pollutions
(14:05):
running off the land, goes intoour water, ultimately ends up in
the Mississippi. So having thesefarm tours has been really
instrumental. We've had a lot ofonline webinars that I'll just
uplift for a moment here,because I think they've been
really interesting. Everythingfrom environmental justice
focused panels. We've had folksfrom the upper, middle and lower
(14:28):
river coming together to talkabout environmental justice
specific issues that they'refacing in their communities.
We've talked about legislativesolutions, right? We've had some
great panels, I think of some ofour Gulf Coast members talking
about sort of the lay of theland in Louisiana, and the
different issues and solutionsthat they are really working on
(14:50):
from a legislative standpoint.
We've held a in person town hallfocused on Mississippi River
issues and solutions we haveevery year recreation events,
people taking out canoes andkayaks. Often the National Park
Service gets involved up here inMinnesota, providing accessible
paddling opportunities for folksto get out on the river. We've
(15:13):
had plant walks with DakotaNative American leaders here in
Minnesota and as well as otherparts of the river. Oh, what
else? I could just keep goingand going, pretty much, if there
is an opportunity that's relatedto making a difference for the
people, land, water and wildlifeof the Mississippi River, it can
end up in River Days of Action.
Dean Klinkenberg (15:36):
Absolutely.
And I know, like, off the top ofmy head this, these aren't all
necessarily time for River Daysof Action. But I know in St Paul
the Wakáŋ Tipi Center, the brandnew center, Bruce Vento / Wakáŋ
Tipi Centerwalk, that is abeautiful area restoration in
progress, but they have a brandnew visitor center that's
(15:57):
opening up at the end of May,close to River Days of Action. I
know down here in St Louis, theMississippi River Water Trail is
partnering with the St LouisAquarium to get some people out
for a paddle. Down in NewOrleans at the Hip Hop Caucus
and other there must be someevents in New Orleans going on
as well. So it's amazing to mehow we have gotten to a point
(16:18):
where, for these couple of weeksof time, we can concentrate
activity along the entire lengthof the river. So if you're if
you're living in Memphis or NewOrleans or the Quad Cities or
someplace, where should they goto find out of what events are
happening in their area?
Michael Anderson (16:38):
Yeah, wonderful. Thank you so much,
Dean. Thanks for adding somemore like good examples as well
of where, where this program hasbeen. Go to
MississippiRiver.org. You'llhave a pop up that is River Days
of Action and NationalMississippi River Day. Click
that. It'll bring you right tothe events calendar. We already
(17:00):
have 10 events on there. This iswe're still a couple months out.
The deadline for eventsubmission is coming up here. So
do expect by the time folks arelistening to this episode that
that events calendar will becompletely full. And I'll just
share a quick story, becauseit's getting to the point where
I receive random emails, like,literally, one I just received
last week was from someone thatis planning a road trip from
(17:24):
Minneapolis to St Louis duringthe beginning of June, and
they've heard about river daysof action, and they're like,
Okay, tell me the key eventsthat are happening along the
way. I'm literally going to makemy road trip to coincide and
stop and attend as many eventsas possible, and so.
Dean Klinkenberg (17:42):
Awesome.
Michael Anderson (17:42):
You know, stories like that just really
bring show how this is, this iscoming to life and rooting down
in our communities and havingthe impact that that we all
seek.
Dean Klinkenberg (17:51):
So I guess I probably should emphasize too,
like you don't have to go to aspecific event to do something
for the river or to show yourappreciation for the river.
Folks are certainly welcome doanything on their own as well,
if they just want to stop by andsay hi to the river, pay
tribute, you know, or if theywant to go out on the river for
(18:12):
a paddle on their own or hikesomewhere next to the river, of
course, please feel free to doso. You don't need a group of
people to do that, to celebratethat with you. And so what about
back to the National MississippiRiver Day in particular, you do
have a couple of very specificthings happening for that day,
so tell us about that.
Michael Anderson (18:31):
Yeah, that's right. So one way that we are
continuing to establish and growthe momentum for National
Mississippi River Day is byhaving governing bodies issue
proclamations or resolutionsdeclaring June 2nd as National
Mississippi River Day for theircommunity. And so last year
(18:52):
again was the inaugural year ofNational Mississippi River Day,
and we had a goal. We're like,okay, if we could get one
proclamation passed in like onecity, one town on the river,
then it's that'd be a success.
Well, Dean, as you well know, weended up with 15 in its
inaugural year that includedfour states, Minnesota,
Illinois, Wisconsin andMissouri, your home state, of
(19:16):
course, all did makedeclarations or proclamations
for National Mississippi RiverDay, and we just saw that and
that response of like, okay,this is this is going to catch.
This is really taking, takinghas the opportunity to just take
off like wildfire. So this yearwe're aiming even higher. We are
(19:37):
doubling, not even doubling ourgoal, because it's a huge from
last year of just one. We areaiming for 30 this year, 30
proclamations in cities, townsand states along the Mississippi
River or in its basin, and inparticular this year. We are
(19:58):
focused on passing proclamationsin all 10 of the main stem
states of the Mississippi River.
Pop quiz to your to everyonelistening today. Pause this
episode and in your head say outloud, or just say the 10 states
if you know them. Write themdown, if not, look them up, or
(20:20):
go to MississippiRiver.org tofind out. And so, yeah, we're
really it's ambitious this year.
We think we can move in thatdirection and reach this goal.
And this is only possible ifpeople get on board. Okay,
because communities really needto own this, right? This really
(20:42):
needs to be a thing that werally around and we let grow
from year to year. So, forexample, Earth Day, I believe,
was last year, the year before,celebrated its 50th anniversary
of having having Earth Days.
Well, Dean, what could this?
What could National MississippiRiver day look like in 50 years
(21:02):
from now?
Dean Klinkenberg (21:06):
Right.
Michael Anderson (21:07):
And so let's, let's, we're going to keep
building that year after year.
And yeah, toward the end of ourprogram here today, I'll share
some more ways that folks cancan participate. But the
proclamation piece has beenreally vital of growing this day
and also decentralizing themovement, right? If one
organization, say, OneMississippi, you know, wanted to
declare this, and you know thisNational Mississippi River Day
(21:30):
and make it happen, it's onlygoing to get so far. And the
reality is that this needs to bea decentralized, grassroots
movement to grow this andproclamations are a great way
that municipalities, meaningcities, towns and counties as
well as states, and working withtribal governments and the
federal government as well toissue these proclamations,
(21:52):
because when we when those areissued, it signals that it's a
priority for that governingbody, right? They say the river
is important to our community.
We understand the issues it'sfacing. We reaffirm our
commitments to working togetherto make it make make a
(22:14):
difference.
Dean Klinkenberg (22:14):
As we like to say, It elevates the visibility
of the river. It emphasizes howmuch it matters, rather than
taking it for granted. You tookthe words out of my mouth there,
because one of the things I wasjust thinking as you were
talking, as part of what I likeabout this, this day in
particular, but also all RiverDays of Action, is that there's
not one organization tellingeverybody how to celebrate. It's
(22:37):
up to individual communities todecide what makes most sense for
you to mark this day to you knowwhat, how you want to show your
appreciation, you know, theriver might mean something
different to you down in NewOrleans than it does in
Minneapolis, and that's fine. Sothe celebrations or the events
are going to look different. AndI really like that, that there's
(22:57):
not this puppet master directingthe show, so thanks for that,
and thanks for emphasizing thatdecentralized and people centric
approach to this. I'm kind ofmindful of the time we were kind
of setting a time limit forourselves because we've got
(23:17):
other people we'll be talking toas well for this episode. I'm
just kind of curious now you'vebeen with One Mississippi for
over seven years, and I'mcurious in this time, how has
your relationship with the riverchanged, or your perceptions of
the river changed during thoseseven years of working so
closely on river related issues?
Michael Anderson (23:39):
Whew, yeah, that is a question that
definitely warrants a lot ofjournaling and reflection, but
yeah, Dean, really goodquestion. Thank you. I think
that a key piece is what youjust shared right before, when
talking about the decentralizedapproach and just really how
different all of these differentplaces are, yes, we're connected
(24:04):
by this river, right, thislifeline of the nation, this,
this blue and brown ribbonrunning through the center of
the country, connecting, youknow, the East and the West. But
it would be very silly kind ofto your point, to think that
it's exactly the same in NewOrleans as is in St Louis, as is
Minneapolis, as it is in therural setting, in the urban
(24:27):
setting, like the it's veryimportant. Something I've
learned in this work is thatthese regional differences
matter, and the way thatcommunities and individuals
connect with the river matter,and they are important. And it's
really, I think, just to broadenit way out, just in the field of
conservation, it's really vitalat this moment, and as we move
(24:51):
into the future, to be much morewelcoming in our movement, to
really realize that there aredifferent issues that matter
most to people, and even asenvironmentalists, part of our
job, you know, if someone's moreconcerned with housing, like a
housing crisis, or, you know,lead pipes, or, I don't know,
(25:13):
these different, these differentthings, where does the where
does water, and where does theriver intersect with that?
Because it does, because thesethings aren't in isolation.
Issues that our communities arefacing are issues that the river
is facing, and vice versa. Andso that's something I just
continue to learn about in thiswork, and no doubt we'll have a
(25:33):
lot more to learn. And justthrilled to have the opportunity
to keep keep meeting people andkeep learning and growing.
Dean Klinkenberg (25:42):
Fantastic.
Well, we need a lot more MichaelAnderson's to help keep bending
the curve and in bringing thehealth of the river back up to
where we'd like to we would alllike to see it. So thank you for
all that. Before we wrap up, anylast things you want to say
about the National MississippiRiver Day or River Days of
Action. I will post links in theshow notes to One Mississippi
site for those events so peoplecan look up what's going on
(26:05):
there. But any final thoughts,
Michael Anderson (26:09):
Well, I wouldn't be a good Director of
Outreach if I didn't leaveeveryone with a call to action.
Okay? And so I want to leavefolks with some key ways that
they can get involved with RiverDays of Action, June 1 through
June 15, as well as thecenterpiece that is National
Mississippi River Day on June 2.
And spoiler, a lot of thesethings I'm about to say you can
(26:30):
do year round, okay, but join induring this concerted time
period, because our collectiveour collective action really
makes a difference. So first andforemost, I've already mentioned
this, participate in River Daysof Action events. We have them
online and in person. That theseevents inspire action for the
(26:51):
river, from cleanups toeducational webinars.
MississippiRiver.org, River Daysof Action is going to be your
spot to find those events.
Number two, I talked aboutpassing proclamations. That
opportunity this year is nowavailable to anyone. Okay, so go
to the website, find my contact.
Dean can put in the show notes,email, email me to get involved.
(27:12):
Okay, we have the proclamationsubmission guide we've put
together, as well as a templateproclamation. And I promise you,
it is so much easier than Iwould have ever imagined, and it
just takes a short bit of time,really, to take this action, and
now just a few other ways thatfolks can get involved and make
(27:34):
a difference. On June 2nd, wereally believe in an all angles
approach to conservation inwhich no effort is too small or
too simple. And the first one Iwant to share here is what you
said, Dean, about connectingwith the river, right? We know
that people take action and careabout what, what they what they
(27:55):
know, right? And so if you arebuilding a relationship with the
Mississippi, whether that bethrough visiting it, walking
along it, bird watching, readingDean's, reading Mississippi
Valley Traveler books about it,and the travel guides and the
Frank Dodge, you know, mysteryseries. All of these are
different ways to reallyunderstand the impact that the
Mississippi River has in ourlives and in our culture and in
(28:19):
our society. It's, it's, itcannot be understated the the
role that it plays. So there'sso many ways to connect with the
river, more than you might justthink, more than just like,
let's go down to go down to thebanks and go for a walk. That,
of course, is wonderful, butthere are so many ways to build
that relationship. A coupleother quick ones. We've talked
about water quality today. Somegreat ways that you can help
(28:42):
with that. Is cutting back onlawn and garden fertilizers. I
know if you are going to usethem like this, is not a shame
thing. Do your research aboutapplying the right amount at the
right time. It'll benefitwhatever you're trying to grow,
as well as our water quality.
This goes hand in hand withplanting native species. A lot
(29:03):
of native plants actually havemuch deeper roots, which are
vital for water filtration andpurifying the water and reducing
flooding and droughts, as we'vetalked about. Keep the river
clean by cleaning up trash inyour neighborhood. Yes, go down
to the riverbanks, of course,whether that's the Mississippi
or your local tributary, localstream, whatever it may be, get
(29:27):
out there. Pick up trash. Thisis a great way to help, and I
think I'll leave it there fornow, Dean. Yeah, those are some
great ways that folks can justmake a difference in their day
to day life, as well as specificthings to do on June 2nd,
National Mississippi River Day.
Dean Klinkenberg (29:45):
Thank you very much. Michael, great ideas.
People can have some practical,easy steps they can take for
themselves and their own livesthat will make a difference. I
love those tips. Well, alwaysdelight. Michael, great to see
you. Thanks for coming andsharing the word about what's
coming up this summer forNational Mississippi River Day
(30:06):
and River Days of Action.
Michael Anderson (30:08):
Thank you so much, Dean.
Dean Klinkenberg (30:11):
Hey. Dean Klinkenberg here, interrupting
myself, just wanted to remindyou that if you'd like to know
more about the MississippiRiver, check out my books, I
write the Mississippi ValleyTraveler guide books for people
who want to get to know theMississippi better. I also write
the Frank Dodge mystery seriesthat is set in places along the
Mississippi. My newest book, TheWild Mississippi, goes deep into
(30:35):
the world of Old Man River learnabout the varied and complex
ecosystems supported by theMississippi, the plant and
animal life that depends onthem, and where you can go to
experience it all. Find any ofthese wherever books are sold.
All right, as I said, Now youget to hear from two other
people about NationalMississippi River Day and why it
(30:57):
matters to them. I have clippedout the questions that I ask so
you will hear from these twopeople without me interrupting
them. First up is Amanda Wigen,who leads communications, public
relations and storytellingefforts at Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi, changing thenarrative about Dakota history
and living culture in Minnesotain the process. She brings
(31:19):
extensive experience innonprofit management, strategic
planning, program development,brand building and fundraising.
She's also a board member of theMississippi Park connection, a
nonprofit partner to theNational Park Service.
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi istransforming Minneapolis, most
iconic riverfront location, St.
Anthony Falls from a desecratedindustrial site into a living
(31:41):
monument that says, "This isDakota land". The Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi project will restorenative plantings, uplift Dakota
land management and culturalpractices and rebuild
connections to the water. PerryWhitaker is an avid kayaker who
lives in St Louis and is activein many river themed or river
adjacent organizations,including the Mississippi River
(32:03):
Water Trail Association. Everysummer, he leads a group of
scouts on a paddling trip downthe Mississippi River from St
Louis to Cape Girardeau, wherethey cover a lot of history and
ecology along the way. Like Isaid, you won't hear again from
me. So enjoy hearing these twofolks talk about what the
Mississippi and NationalMississippi River Day means to
them.
Amanda Wigen (32:36):
So I'm Amanda Wigen. I'm communications
director and non native stafffor Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, so I
work quite a bit with ourprogramming team, but also our
project team to be able tocommunicate with our
stakeholders about how theproject is developing, and get
their input and reallyunderstand how people can
connect to the river in adifferent way, and how we can
(32:56):
help make Dakota people moreconnected to the river in
particular. Owámniyomni, thefalls here is the largest
elevation drop on the entirelength of the Mississippi. It's
about 50 feet high, and theoriginal falls would have been
about 1250 feet wide. It's nowabout a third of that size, and
(33:19):
has really been narrowed andengineered through the lock and
dam process, and also some ofthe tunneling and damage that
happened duringindustrialization. The falls was
also is also a living being, andmoved and evolved and changed
through time and over, you know,1000s of years move from what is
(33:41):
now St Paul to its currentlocation in downtown
Minneapolis. The concrete apronthere is holding her in place
now, but she's looking to move.
She's looking to flow where shewants to flow, and that's part
of what we're trying to respectin our design is that some
(34:02):
things can be prescriptive, butreally we need to let the water
speak for itself and go where itwants to go.
Well, we talk about restoring astory disrupted, but really, I
think the vision is to bringback some of the energy and love
that really was into the riverbefore colonization and
(34:24):
industrialization. We are doingenvironmental and cultural
restoration at the site. Sothere's certainly a planting
element, a landscape element,but there's also a real cultural
component about how people carefor and maintain the land and
connect with each other. Andthat's where I think the love
piece comes in. It's it's notnecessarily about the visual
(34:45):
change of the site, but how weare interacting with each other
and our other relatives.
My understanding through oralhistory and connecting through
others is it was really agathering place. For many
tribes, a place of trade, butalso a place of power. The falls
(35:07):
itself just a very powerfulbeing. The water, certainly the
lifeblood for Dakota peoplecoming from the waters here in
Minnesota. And I think what werecognize is colonizers,
industrializers saw that powertoo, but through a very
different lens, andunfortunately, were looking to
(35:29):
extract that power for their ownbenefit. So we think a lot about
the language and what thosewords mean from a Dakota
perspective and from a moretraditional western perspective.
Well, our site in particular islocated next to the upper lock.
This is a lock that is no longerused for commercial navigation,
(35:50):
and so there's quite a bit ofexcess property that's owned by
the federal government. Ingeneral terms, it's a parking
lot, it's a lot of concrete andstone, it's a lot of fencing and
brick. And so part of what we'retrying to do is remove that
layer that's been put on top ofthe land, but to also think
(36:12):
about what was there before. Andin our case, the location of the
lock would have been an island.
And so one of the key changeswe're trying to make is to have
water flow again between theshoreline and that piece of
land, and to a certain extent,recreate the feeling of the
waterfall there. There is apiece of the original
(36:34):
escarpment. And so we're able tokind of reconnect the water and
get a sense of what that wouldhave felt like. It'll be about a
25 foot drop, not a 50 footdrop, but we do expect you'll be
able to hear the water and hearkind of the rumbling, tumbling
sound that that the originalfalls would have had.
(36:57):
Located between here inMinneapolis, what we call Water
Works Park and Mill Ruins Park,but it's really just steps from
the downtown, just near thelocation of the stone arch
bridge. So it's incrediblyhighly trafficked area for the
Twin Cities. It's a big visitorlocation. As a as an out of
towner, you may see it in thepan over when they do sports
(37:19):
scenes and news and those sortsof things. So this is not only a
key site for the City ofMinneapolis, but it's this key
site for Dakota people. And inthat sense, that kind of the
confluence of those two thingsmakes it incredibly visible and
incredibly powerful to connectwith both audiences, native and
(37:41):
non native alike.
We are in our 10th year,celebrating our 10th
Anniversary. But you're right.
It has been a very long timecoming and a lot of evolution.
We were actually founded, thenonprofit, as the Saint Anthony
Falls Lock and Dam Conservancy.
And I like to mention thatbecause I think it shows really
(38:04):
the mindset of the organization.
At the time we were thinkingabout the lock, we were thinking
about how we could repurposethat space, and we are thinking
about the structure itself. Overtime the organization. I'll keep
showing the names, because Ithink it helps. But we
transition to Friends of theLock and Dam, and then Friends
of the Falls, really recognizingour attention needed to be on
(38:25):
the water. What does the riverneed? How can we really nurture
her? And finally, in 2023 ourname changed to Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi, and that was underour new leadership, Shelly Buck.
She's a Prairie Island tribalmember, also a former president
of Prairie Island. Butrecognizing that we need to lead
with Dakota language to Dakotaplace, and it needs to be
(38:47):
recognized as such in our ownvernacular.
It translates to "friends of thefalls." So Owámniyomni is really
a name for the area, notnecessarily the falls itself,
and Okhódaya iis to befriend orbe friendly. And so it's still
(39:11):
very much the spirit of theorganization. But embedded in it
is the fact that organization isDakota lead. Our board is over
50% Dakota representatives. Ourpresident is Dakota, and that
voice really comes first in allthe work that we do.
There are a number of peopleproviding input for the project,
(39:34):
not only community members, butwe also have civic partners who
are involved as well. City ofMinneapolis. Minneapolis Park
and Recreation Board are keyplayers and how we were able to
transition the land from thefederal government to our own
ownership, which will reallycomplete at the end of this
year. But it is, it's it's aproject for everyone. I think
(39:55):
the the thought that we can allhave a better relationship with
the land is something that it'snot solely a Dakota thought. And
one of my colleagues says, "WhenDakota eat, everybody eat." So
it's it's the goal is to broadenthe table and just really bring
the voices that have beensilenced in a race to the fore.
(40:16):
First and foremost, we'reworking with the federal
government. So even the idea ofa land transfer required an act
of Congress. There's years ofwork to really bring all the
stakeholders along at everylevel of government to be able
to do that. Another challengeis, no, I think we and many
(40:40):
others want this to be a landback project. We want this to
represent the Dakota people, theDakota tribes. We presented that
to the four Dakota Nations inMinnesota, and they weren't
ready to accept ownership. Theysaid, it's not our job to
restore stolen land. So weneeded to find a solution that
really gave them the voice andthe power, but where there was
(41:01):
no financial liability, there'sno legal liability, and we still
met all the requirements of theCity and the Army Corps. So
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, thisnonprofit structure, has really
stepped in as a bridge to acceptthat liability, to restore the
land and bring it back to thishealthy place and give the
(41:23):
tribes that choice again. Wouldthey like to own it at that
point? But that in itself, isdeveloping that structure,
developing the trust between allof those parties to be able to
move forward has been achallenge, but also one of the
greatest successes of theproject.
Well, it's interesting. I So, Igrew up on the Mississippi, but
(41:45):
a little further north, I wasborn in Monticello, and there,
you know, the falls are notpresent. The river is very
silent, very quiet, very still,and also very accessible. I
mean, here in the UpperMississippi, you can wade in.
It's very safe to certainextent, I guess, depending where
(42:06):
you are. But we spent a lot oftime in the river, and I take
for granted how how rare that isin our state and throughout the
entire length of the river. Sowhen I think of a special place,
I do tend to think of home morethan downtown, but I think
that's just a lot of years thereand a lot of time spent in the
(42:27):
water.
Looking ahead into the future,one of the main goals is that if
you really interconnected withrelatives, again, both human
relatives, plant relatives,right now, it feels very
isolated, particularly in ourarea, and as you said, cut off
from from access. And so takingthat wall down and making things
(42:49):
more permeable and connected tothe water, I think, is where I
would like to see things. Forour site in particular, maybe
that means the physical lock hasgone away. The dam itself
probably cannot be removed, butthere are things we could do to
make the lock less invasive. Ithink there's also an
understanding that there isn't aset vision of what it will look
(43:14):
like, because there are too manyfactors in between. You know, a
lower lock could be removed.
There's climate change, there'sflooding, there are all these
factors. And so even ourproject, can I tell you what it
will look like in 10 years or 20years or 30 years? No, but as
long as we're developing thatrelationship in tandem, then I
think there's a comfort therethat we're moving in the right
(43:35):
direction.
Correct. We've reallyestablished different tactics
for integrating Dakota voicesand challenging kind of our
bureaucratic Western process,and for community engagement, in
particular, for design, and nowwe're really working on how to
(43:55):
integrate that into ourmaintenance principles. A key
part of that is who's doing thework. So we need to do trash
pickup, we need to do snowremoval, we need to do weeding,
we need to do planting. And someof that makes sense to work with
an outside contractor. But whenwe really want to get our hands
in the dirt, we want to, we say,building a relationship with the
(44:16):
land. It needs to be Dakotapeople touching Dakota land. And
so we're training staff inhouse. We're working with
volunteers. We're hoping tobring in a lot of tribal members
to help do that work. And soit's it's a different structure,
it has different costs. Thereare a lot of different logistics
involved that a normal parksystem or a normal land manager
(44:37):
would approach in a differentway. First and foremost, go see
the water. Go touch the water.
And I think, thank her. That'sthat has really been a change in
perspective since I've beenworking with the Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi under its Dakotaleadership is is giving the
river. Personhood, acknowledgingthat she has a life of her own.
(45:08):
First and foremost, go see thewater. Go touch the water. And I
think, thank her. That's thathas really been a change in
perspective since I've beenworking with the Owámniyomni
Okhódayapi under its Dakotaleadership is is giving the
river personhood, acknowledgingthat she has a life of her own.
So getting out, you know,recreating on the river is one
thing, but really doing ittogether. How, what does the
river get from my experience,and what do I get from the
river's experience? I think is aan important perspective for
people to take on NationalMississippi River Day.
Perry Whitaker (45:27):
I'm Perry Whitaker, and I'm a kayaker.
I've paddled the wholeMississippi, most of it multiple
times. I've through paddled afew other rivers as well. I
serve on a few outdoor relatednonprofit boards, most related
to rivers. And I just love beingout there and introducing other
(45:47):
people to this incredibleresource. I think most people
get started packing on the bigriver by packing on smaller
rivers. I didn't do that. Friendone day. Just said, "Hey, Perry,
do you want to go kayaking?" Isaid, "Yes, sure." And yeah, we
(46:08):
started on the Mississippi, andthen I found out about paddling
on all these other rivers, and Ijust never looked back. It's
just been my favorite ever sinceI started there.
About five or six times a year Itake Scout troops on a multi day
(46:29):
trip down the Mississippi, StLouis to Cape Girardeau, usually
four days, three nights. We havedone it faster than that,
camping out on islands. There'slike 40 islands between St Louis
and Cape, and we just plant ourflag on any of them. Some of
those islands are these big,beautiful sandy beaches that
(46:52):
seem tropical in nature, andothers are mosquito infested
hell holes. And after I've madethe trip a few times, I figured
out which is which and basicallyit's just a few days of of the
kids learning about NativeAmericans and steamboats and
early explorers. And I think alot of times it's the parents
(47:16):
that want to go on this trip.
And then my challenge is makesure the kids enjoy it, whether
they want to or not.
I was doing the trip by myself,and every time I went on that
trip, I would learn something.
And one day, I was just talkingto a scout troop. It was a first
aid class for a scout troop, andI mentioned that I did that, and
(47:37):
one of the parents said, youshould take us and, yeah, it
kind of went downhill fromthere.
A vast majority of the kids willfind Native American artifacts,
projectile points, arrowheadsatlatl points. We'll find
(47:57):
fossils. I found a mastodontooth out there, and when the
river's low, there's steamboatwrecks along the Mississippi,
150 year old, 100, 150 year oldsteamboat wrecks. And it's just
an opportunity for the kids toreally touch history. And one of
(48:24):
the islands we camp out on isHanging Dog Island. And it's
actually where the Cherokees, Idon't want to call it camped.
It's where they were as they'rewaiting to cross the river
during the Trail of Tears. Andso we sit around the campfire
and we tell that story. I thinka lot of times the kids don't
(48:48):
fully appreciate this trip whilewe're doing it, but my thought
is, at some point they'll besitting in a college class and
somebody will mention Trail ofTears, and that light's going to
come on, or they're going totalk about this steamboat era,
and the kids are going toremember that one steamboat they
touched. And that's that's kindof my goal with it, is it's kind
(49:10):
of a slow burn teaching method.
At some points, I'll just getthem to huddle up as we're
floating down the river, andI'll just talk as we float, and
other times we'll pull over anisland and we'll search for
(49:32):
arrowheads, or we'll pull overto a steamboat wreck. When the
river is low, and after I'vedone after I had done the trip a
few times, I knew where allthose places were, so it kind of
put itself together for me.
(49:54):
I've had absolute beginners outthere. If. If they want to be
there, they'll enjoy it. If theydon't want to be there, then I
still try to make them enjoy it.
You know, there's always thatone kid that is kind of
difficult to reach, but noexperience really is necessary.
(50:18):
The river does most of the work.
I mean, it's a long day, but theriver does most of the work, and
we just, they just need tocontrol their kayaks. I see a
lot of light bulbs abovepeople's heads. I mean,
obviously not real light bulbs.
But you know what I mean when wetalk about some of the early
(50:41):
explorers they had to learnabout in school, and we say,
Yeah, well, this is whereMarquette and Jolliet stopped,
and this is where Lewis andClark stopped as they're going
to the Missouri River, and thekids will make that connection a
lot of times. And sometimes whenwe there's like, one steamboat
(51:09):
wreck in particular I like totalk about, and it's this, the
Stonewall. And the kids reallyit seems like they really have a
connection with that particularwreck, because the people who
died on that steamboat wreckwere buried right there by the
(51:31):
river. So we, we have that wholeconversation.
I think a lot of times it's thesame impressions that everybody
get. You know, we we've, we'velost our connection with this
river. If you ask people aboutthe Mississippi River, they're
(51:52):
going to say, well, there's thisbridge and then there's that
bridge, and they won't make theconnection. It's this river is
why St Louis is here, and thatriver is why Memphis is where it
is. They tend to separate thehistorical Mississippi and the
current Mississippi. And as Itake kids or adults down there,
(52:18):
I think a lot of times theystart to make that connection
that this is the Mississippi andit's not two separate entities.
Most of the scouts, andactually, I guess all of the
scouts who go on this trip, theyhave experience with backpacking
or car camping, and so camping,in and of itself, isn't a new
(52:40):
thing for them. And I, campingfrom a kayak or canoe is easier
than backpacking. You know, therivers carrying your weight for
you and and I think it's, it'ssimpler than than backpacking.
Well, earlier I mentionedHanging Dog Island, and for me,
(53:05):
that's like one of my favoriteplaces. It's just because the
history surrounding it, and Ican't find out how the island
got its name, but that was myinitial attraction to it. That's
such a cool name. I want to campout there. But then I learned,
(53:26):
well, yeah, this is where theTrail of Tears, this is where
they camped as they were waitingto cross the river in the winter
after they lost everything. Andjust, it's very humbling, you
know, to to sit there, and as adirect result of me camping
(53:48):
there, I I hiked the northernroute of the Trail of Tears,
from eastern Tennessee down intoOklahoma. It's like 800 miles.
And the prime mover behind thatwas camping out on that island.
And so I like that place a lot.
And then Kaskaskia, where theKaskaskia River runs into the
(54:10):
Mississippi, the first capitalof Illinois, was right there.
It's gone now, but my great,great, great, great grandfather
served in the first IllinoisHouse of Representatives there
in Kaskaskia. I didn't find thatout until after I'd been there a
(54:32):
few times. And you know, the thevillage of Kaskaskia, the fort
there at Kaskaskia, and just alittle bit upstream of their
Fort de Chartres, I'm just, I'mjust blown away about that
history that I'd read about forso long, and it's right here.
(54:54):
I'm just, yeah, I just love it.
So it might be hard for a lot ofpeople to grasp this, but the
river is in so much better shapethan it was just a few decades
ago. It's cleaner now than itwas, and I hope that trajectory
(55:16):
continues. Rivers aren'tcatching on fire like they did
just a few decades ago. Yeah,there's still way too much trash
out there. And I'm river I'm atriver cleanups all the time.
(55:37):
Basically 31 states drain intothe Mississippi River. And what
that means is that if someone inone of those 31 states, if they
throw a plastic bottle into theditch behind their house, that
that bottle floats down thatditch into a creek, into a
(55:58):
bigger creek, into a river, andit ends up in the Mississippi
and then to the Gulf of Mexico.
And if we could just educatesome people about how everyone
lives upstream. I mean,everybody lives downstream, and
it's not a victimless crime tothrow your trash in into a creek
(56:22):
or into a river, because you'reaffecting people downstream. And
I don't think people worry aboutthat too much, until they
realize that that trash they seeout there came from somebody
upstream, from throwing it inthere. My friends and a lot of
the organizations I work with,we pull out tons, literally tons
of trash every year, out of therivers. And it's not tons like
(56:48):
here's a car and here's somemachinery. It's 1000s and 1000s
of plastic bottles. It's tires,and because we can't pull out
the big, heavy stuff, otherwiseit would be 1000s more tons.
(57:09):
Yeah, and sometimes I feel Iworry that we're not even making
a dent in the problem, but atthe same time, I realized that
we are making a dent in it.
Dean Klinkenberg (57:27):
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this
episode, subscribe to the serieson your favorite podcast app so
you don't miss out on futureepisodes. I offer the podcast
for free, but when you supportthe show with a few bucks
through Patreon to help keep theprogram going, just go to
patreon.com/deanklinkenberg. Ifyou want to know more about the
(57:47):
Mississippi River, check out mybooks. I write the Mississippi
Valley Traveler guidebooks forpeople who want to get to know
the Mississippi better. I alsowrite the Frank Dodge mystery
series that's set in placesalong the river. Find them
wherever books are sold. TheMississippi Valley Traveler
podcast is written and producedby me, Dean Klinkenberg.
Original Music by Noah Fence.
See you next time.
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