Trapped by History: The Past and Future of the Upper Mississippi River

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

Anfinson’s talk is part of a series of public events associated with the John E. Sawyer Seminar “Making the Mississippi: Formulating new water narratives for the 21^st century and beyond.” The Sawyer Seminar is funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation.  For information on other public events in the series, send a message to rvrstory@umn.edu.