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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Ranger Jessica introduces you to river stewardship!
I WONDER...
I WONDER...
- What are ways we can take care of the river today?
- How did the development of Saint Anthony Falls have unintended consequences?
- How can we make the Saint Anthony Falls area and Mississippi River a more livable home for both animals and people?
VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY
Click the drop-down list to know your RIVER STEWARDSHIP words!
Click the drop-down list to know your RIVER STEWARDSHIP words!
Stewardship - protecting and being responsible for something (like your school yard or the Mississippi River)
Watershed - an area of land where all of the water that is under it, or drains off of it collects into the same place.
Pollutant - a substance introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or affects the usefulness of a resource
Lock & Dam - a system that makes it possible for a boat to move from a body of water at one level to another body of water at another level.
Restoration - to return the environment to its original, healthy condition.
Recycling - changing waste into new materials and objects.
Regeneration - to make something over in a better condition
Conservation - to use or manage our natural resources wisely so they don’t disappear
Sewage - waste matter such as feces or dirty water from homes and factories (for example waste from your toilet)
Agricultural run-off - water contaminated with pesticides and/or fertilizers from farm fields due to irrigation, rain, or melted snow that flows into the river
Fertilizer - a substance (such as manure or a chemical mixture) used to make soil better for growing things.
Invasive species - any non-native species that disturbs the ecosystem in which it has been introduced.
LEARN IT
LEARN IT
Understanding stewardship and caring for the river!
SLIDE DECK - The Story of Mississippi River Stewardship
Learn how the health of the Mississippi has changed over time and how you can help make a big difference for the river today!
Learn how the health of the Mississippi has changed over time and how you can help make a big difference for the river today!
READ - Splash
Learn how clean water from your tap gets to you from nature!
Learn how clean water from your tap gets to you from nature!
Click on picture
Click on picture
Teachers - see Resources section for Teacher Guide
READ - Rich in Beauty
A Minnesota businessman from Winona loved nature so much that he bought some—and gave it to the people!
A Minnesota businessman from Winona loved nature so much that he bought some—and gave it to the people!
Click on picture
Click on picture
Teachers - see Resources section for Teacher Guide and Study Questions
VIDEO - St. Anthony Falls: The Waterfall that Built a City
Learn about the challenges and rewards of taking care of the Mississippi River and its only waterfall!
Learn about the challenges and rewards of taking care of the Mississippi River and its only waterfall!
VIDEO - No Litter Generation
Learn how you can help people, wildlife, and nature with the simple act of litter cleanup!
Learn how you can help people, wildlife, and nature with the simple act of litter cleanup!
DO IT
DO IT
River Stewardship in action!
SLIDE DECK: Environmental Stewardship in Parks
A walk-through slide-deck lesson plan for teachers to help students engage with stewardship!
KNOW IT
KNOW IT
Show what you know about river stewardship with this quick self-assessment!
Try to answer each question, then click its drop-down menu to see the correct answer.
Try to answer each question, then click its drop-down menu to see the correct answer.
Multiple Choice: What are three things you can do in your schoolyard or neighborhood to be a river steward?
A. Pick up litter
B. Adopt- a-Drain in your neighborhood
C. Tell adults to use less salt on sidewalks and roads in the winter
D. All of the above
Answer: D
There are so many ways to be a river steward! There are tons of choices you can make and actions you can take to be a good river steward. Something as simple as turning the water off when you brush your teeth or something as big as planting a rain garden at your school, are all important to river stewardship.
True or False: The rain that hits your street and flows into the storm drain will drain directly into the Mississippi River.
A. True
B. False
Answer: A
All the rain water that lands within the Mississippi River watershed will eventually make its way into the Mississippi River. The storm drains in the Twin Cities all lead directly to the Mississippi River.
Multiple Choice: Overall, what was Mississippi River stewardship like during the time of lumber and flour milling?
A. Excellent
B. Very poor, could be improved a lot
C. Overall good, but could be improved
Answer: B
During the late 1800s/early 1900s, the river was treated as a dumping ground. Sawdust from lumber mills, untreated wastewater from flour mills, and human and animal waste were all dumped into the river eventually creating a lifeless river.
Multiple Choice: Who were the original stewards of the Mississippi River? Think about why the river important to them.
A. Father Louis Hennepin
B. Indigenous nations (Dakota)
C. Fur Traders
D. None of the above
Answer: B
Indigenous nations including the Dakota, Anishinaabe, Ho-chunk, and many others. The river was important as source for water, food, transportation, and spiritual connection.
Multiple Choice: Which activity did not have negative impacts on the river?
A. Flour Milling
B. Logging
C. Water Treatment Plants
D. Farming
Answer: C
Water treatment plants provide clean and safe drinking water for millions of people along the river.
Multiple Choice: What is a watershed?
A. An area where there is no water
B. An area in your backyard to store extra water
C. An area of land that contains all the rivers and streams of a country
D. An area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet
Answer: D
An area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet like the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River watershed is the 4th largest watershed in the world and drains 40% of the water in the country!
Multiple Choice: What was one unintended (unplanned), but positive impact of the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock and dam?
A. Acted as a barrier to prevent the spread of asian carp upstream
B. Acted as a barrier to prevent the spread of zebra mussels upstream
C. The rerouted water improved the flow of the river and benefitted the ecosystem
D. Fish learned to adapt to the lock & dam by learning to climb
Answer: A
The lock and dam had many negative, unintended consequences such as blocking fish migration routes, preventing some species of native mussels from being able to reproduce, and changing the flow of water so much that it harmed many different plants and animals. But this barrier now prevents the invasive Asian Carp from spreading up river and further damaging the river ecosystem.
Multiple Choice: What is a common animal that is thriving, or making a comeback, in and around the Mississippi River today?
A. Freshwater mussels
B. Bald Eagles
C. River Otters
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Although mussels, eagles, and otters all disappeared from the Mississippi River ecosystem in the Twin Cities at some point in the history of the river, all these species have recovered and are common to find in the river today.
Multiple Choice: Which of these threats to the river still exist? Hint: there are multiple correct answers!
A. Invasive eagles and sharks
B. Dog poop and grass clippings
C. Plastic pollution and road salt
D. Fertilizer and soil run off
Answers: B, C, D
Chemical and physical pollutants all still negatively impact our river today.
True or False: Many people in the Twin Cities area get their drinking water from the Mississippi River.
A. True
B. False
Answer: True
When you turn on a faucet or a hose, chances are that water came from the river! Over 18 million people who live along the Mississippi get their drinking water from the river. That is one of the reasons that good river stewardship is so important.
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