River Watch Project Mission Statement

"Whether we recognize it or not, each of us, regardless of position or perception, has a role in the decision making process about how the river is ultimately treated, for our land uses and activities around the river contribute to what goes into the wate r." Mark Mitchell and William Stapp North America's longest river percolates out of a mixed hardwood and conifer forest as it begins its 3,000 mile descent to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a humble stream fed by underground springs, the moist climate and countless lakes, marshes, bogs. The Miss issippi River at its source bears little resemblance to the mighty river it becomes, but it is nonetheless the defining feature of the landscape of northern Minnesota. The Mississippi River is protected from its headwaters at Lake Itasca in Clearwater County, to the southern boundary of Morrison County, near Little Falls. That means 466 miles of protection, making it the longest stretch of protected river in the United States. Visitors to the region are drawn by its unique natural resources: the pristine water quality, the mix of southern and northern vegetation of the forest and the dazzling variety of wildlife which inhabit the river and its shores. Protection of the Mississippi River has been adopted by local government in this region. The basic tool for protection is an ordinance that limits land use in the river corridor. This ordinance is administered by the Mississippi Headwaters Board (MHB), a joint powers board of Clearwater, Hubbard, Beltrami, Cass, Itasca, Aitkin, C row Wing and Morrison counties. Controlling development controls human disturbances of the river bank and its watershed that can increase erosion, disturb animal habitat and consequently, impair water quality. It is an effective tool. However, it is a limited tool. Maintaining the healt h of the river and its ecosystem is the ultimate goal of the MHB's river protection program. MHB members recognized the need for a means of measuring the health of the river system. A comprehensive river monitoring program provides a measurement over time of the quality of the water of the Mississippi Headwaters. Water quality fluctuates throughout the year, as the seasons change, and as use of the water body changes. Measurement of water quality must be conducted regularly, to record the normal fluctuatio ns and to develop a baseline from which trends can be assumed. In 1989, the Mississippi Headwaters Board proposed establishment of the Mississippi Headwaters River Watch, a community based river monitoring and protection program. Mississippi Headwaters River Watch is an ambient surface water quality monitoring and pr otection program, assessing the health of the Mississippi headwaters through nine indicators of chemical and physical tests and surveys of biological indicators of river health. This information will then be used by citizens and government to improve and protect water quality. This program is modeled on concepts developed by River Watch Network, Montpelier, Vermont, which have been used successfully on a dozen rivers, from the Ottaquechee in Vermont to the Rio Grande in Texas. Other sources of inspiration for the Mississippi Headwaters River Watch are the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Citizens Lake Monitoring Program, the Izaak Walton League's Save Our Streams program, and citizen-based river protection programs in Massachusetts and North Carolina. Establishment of the Mississippi Headwaters River Watch project is made possible with the generous support of the Charles K. Blandin Foundation, Grand Rapids. The foundation's support is its first major environmental affairs program. Blandin Foundation Pr esident Paul Olson described Mississippi Headwaters River Watch as "the first link on what we hope will be a far-reaching chain of programs to adopt the Mississippi River from its Headwaters to the Gulf." The Mississippi Headwaters River Watch project produces credible water quality background information, acceptable for use by state and federal agencies. This information then can be used to establish a data base of water quality for the region. This data base can be used to identify water quality problems and to set water quality management goals. Sampling stations will be established on the Mississippi River and its tributaries near the communities of Bagley, Bemidji, Blackduck, Deer River, Grand Rapids, Remer, McGregor, Aitkin, Crosby, Brainerd and Little Falls. Sampling will be conducted by volu nteers from those areas, students at middle and high schools, or volunteers from community groups. Sampling will be organized and conducted by trained personnel provided by the Mississippi Headwaters Board. Equipment and supplies will be provided by the Mississippi Headwaters Board. All lab and field methods will follow U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other standard procedures and a quality control program will be followed. This monitoring plan provides the guidelines for the volunteer sampling program, including sampling site selection and descriptions, field and laboratory equipment requirement, sampling procedures, field and laboratory analysis methodology, reporting meth ods and quality assurance/quality control program (QA/QC). The inclusion of the QA/QC will assure the reliability and usability of the reported data. This report was compiled by Steve Dittman, Resource Specialist, Mississippi Headwaters Board. Dittman is the Coordinator of the Mississippi Headwaters River Watch Project. He has developed the sampling sites and will coordinate training and monitoring activities, from equipment to field and lab, with participating schools and vol unteers.