It’s summer, which means it’s a great time to get out on or along the Mississippi River, and this year’s version of River Days of Action is a great place to start. In this episode, I talk with Michael Anderson, Director of Outreach and Education for the Mississippi River Network (MRN), about what’s happening for River Days of Action this year, why it matters, and how anyone can participate. We also talk about how Michael cultivated his own strong connection with the river and his hopes for the kind of Mississippi River he’d like his children to know. In the Mississippi Minute, I talk about the mental health benefits of spending time along the river and being outside.
Show Notes
1Mississippi/Become a River Citizen
Take this action for the Mississippi River
Stories about what the Mississippi River Means to Us
Meet Michael Anderson:
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Transcript
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
river, mississippi river, mississippi, events, dean, paddling, twin cities, network, people, community, great, part, farm bill, talked, focused, folks, canoe, waterways, mrn, place
SPEAKERS
Dean Klinkenberg, Michael Anderson
Michael Anderson 00:00
There is no cookie cutter template of how people connect with the Mississippi River. And I just feel so humbled to have witnessed you know, these kids in the canoe, people along the banks, you name it, and the various ways that folks have found a relationship with, with the river0
Dean Klinkenberg 00:44
Welcome to the Mississippi Valley Traveler Podcast. I’m Dean Klinkenberg, and I’ve been exploring the deep history and rich culture of the people and places along America’s greatest river, the Mississippi, since 2007. Join me as I go deep into the characters and places along the river and occasionally wander into other stories from the Midwest and other rivers. Read the episode show notes and get more information on the Mississippi at MississippiValleyTraveler.com. Let’s get going.
Dean Klinkenberg 01:17
Welcome to Episode 21 of the Mississippi Valley Traveler podcast. I have a bonus episode for you this week. In this episode, I talked with Michael Anderson, the Director of Outreach and Education for the Mississippi River Network. Michael’s a thoughtful, caring person with a deep connection to the Mississippi River and very energetic in the work that he brings to the network. We arranged this interview to time it with the opening of the Mississippi River Network’s River Days of Action, but we go far beyond that topic as we get going. Sure, yeah, we talked about what MRN does and what it’s, what’s going on for River Days, which does begin tomorrow as this episode drops (I’m recording this on June 7 2023). Our conversation though, goes well beyond MRN and River Days. Michael, as I mentioned, has a strong connection with the Mississippi and we talk about how that began. He gets into a little bit about how time along the river helped to lift him out of a depression cycle, the time he spent working as a guide for a couple of different organizations, and an ambitious paddling trip that began as a way to collect trash, but grew into a solo paddle and continued down river for a few hundred miles. We finished with Michael offering a few thoughts about what kind of Mississippi River he’d like to pass along to his children. If you live near the Mississippi, I hope you’ll find a way to participate in River Days of Action. As we talked about during the interview, there are events all along the main stem of the river, just go to 1mississippi.org/riverdays to find an event near you and to participate in the universal action for this year. I’ll post links to both of those in the show notes as well. Once again, thanks to all of you who have shown support through Patreon. If you want to be part of that crowd, go to patreon.com/deanKlinkenberg. And from there you can decide how much you would like to contribute to help keep this podcast going. If Patreon is not your thing, you can buy me a coffee. And if you want to know how to do that, go to MississippiValleyTraveler.com/podcast. And there’s a link in there where you can just contribute to my caffeine habit, which I would greatly appreciate. And now let’s get on to the interview. Here’s Michael Anderson.
Dean Klinkenberg 03:49
Michael Anderson is an avid paddler and outdoor enthusiast. He paddled solo on the Mississippi River for several weeks in 2017 and has also worked as a river guide on the Upper Mississippi. He’s currently the Director of Outreach and Education for the Mississippi River Network. And he’s a good friend. Welcome to the podcast, Michael.
Michael Anderson 04:09
Thanks, Dean. Pleasure to be on.
Dean Klinkenberg 04:12
You know, I thought where we would start is you, why don’t you just tell us a little bit about your own background with the Mississippi and why this river is important to you.
Michael Anderson 04:21
I’d love to Dean, thank you so much. Well, I grew up in a first ring suburb of Minneapolis called St. Louis Park. And I do remember driving over the river a few times. There’s a number of bridges in the Twin Cities and never thought anything of it, right? Wasn’t until I was a freshman at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus which is right on the banks of the river that I actually started noticing this incredible thing was right here. And so it kind of is a story of the river saving my life is what really got me connected to the Mississippi. And the cliffnotes, or the summarized version is I was deeply depressed, right, deeply, deeply depressed. Kind of not seeing a way forward as a freshman there, and I was an ecology major. And at that point, all the messaging around environmentalism and all that was kind of depressing. It was like the world is being destroyed by the hand of human endeavor. And with undiagnosed seasonal affective disorder at that time, I really spun out. So anyways, I learned these different techniques through a mindfulness based stress reduction class, they called it, and I ended up just going down to the river, Dean, and practicing these techniques. So I would, I would walk along the Mississippi, follow my breath, notice what was happening in the environment around me and within. And, you know, after that winter’s depression, spring returned, the icicles that were clinging on the bluffs, the banks here in the Twin Cities, melted. And I did as well. And I have never looked back from being next to the river and taking care of the river.
Dean Klinkenberg 06:18
It’s interesting, that kind of like a mindfulness exercise you could really do anywhere. You can do in your living room. You could do it in the basement of a library or whatever. But you did it next to the Mississippi and outdoors. So what was it about that space that you think that drew you to it?
Michael Anderson 06:35
That is such a great question. The first thing that comes to mind is, is it’s fresh air. And I remember vividly being along, being along, you know, the banks and seeing its icy surface, the river, and just feeling this cold, crisp air flow, you know, through, through my lungs. And then I think really just the steady practice of being in that place, which can be true at home, wherever. But being in a particular place, and noticing the day to day changes, was really something that captivated me.
Dean Klinkenberg 07:12
So, so I guess from that beginning, then then you started spending more time on that river and other rivers. Were you paddling much before then?
Michael Anderson 07:23
You know what Dean, paddling, camping really wasn’t too much of my story growing up, and which is, you know, no one would believe that nowadays, but it really wasn’t. And so after graduating from the University of Minnesota there, I jumped on to this outfit called Wilderness Inquiry, which is all about getting people outdoors and people of all backgrounds, abilities, and experiences. And so that really plunged me into the world of an outdoor educator, and river guide. And so I just kept running with that for a few years, including jumping over to the National Park Service. I was a park ranger, and just had the great privilege and delight of taking out mostly Twin Cities youth out onto the Mississippi River in these giant Voyager canoes, 24 foot. They fit 10 kids at a time, and I just could sit in the back and just keep everyone safe and talk about the area and learn from them. Most of these kids, this was their first time for many of them even even doing like an outdoor activity. And for the most first time, you know, canoeing, being being actually on the water. And so, you know, after a few years of doing that, and like I said, taken out over 10,000 people, I really got to experience that. There is no cookie cutter template of how people connect with the Mississippi River. And I just feel so humbled to have witnessed, you know, these kids in the canoe, people along the banks, you name it, and the various ways that folks, yeah, found a relationship with, with the river.
Dean Klinkenberg 09:11
Oh, fantastic. That’s a, that’s an amazing experience to be able to take that many, to basically introduce that many people to the river and especially at an age when maybe people are more open to new experience.
Michael Anderson 09:24
Yeah, very humbling. Yeah.
Dean Klinkenberg 09:27
So then you had a year where you spent a lot of time on the river, on rivers paddling. So tell me a little bit about how that came about and where you went.
Michael Anderson 09:37
Yeah, that’s right, Dean. Well, you know, being, being in my mid 20s, and just having a lot of, you know, well privilege and just ability to be very financially independent move around, I kept, you know, paddling that river and just decided, what if, what if I paddle more of it, right? I was very familiar with the Twin Cities. And you know where the Minnesota River comes in. And some friends reached out and they wanted to paddle three rivers in Minnesota: the St. Croix, the Minnesota, and the Mississippi, and with the mission of cleaning up trash, and so we did that. So in 2017, a friend and I, we had handmade skin on frame canoes that we took down the Namekagon-St. Croix waterway, the length of the Minnesota, and then the Mississippi in Minnesota, cleaning up trash. So we removed over 8300 pounds of trash. And this just further double down on what I was sharing earlier about witnessing and experiencing all the different ways in which people connect with the river, right? And when I say the river, I’m absolutely talking about the main stem of the Mississippi. I’m talking about its tributaries, I’m talking about the land, even between these waterways. I’m talking about culture, edges, you know, all of these different things that would that can encompass the river. And so, you know, from from that, that six months of living on, living on the river, canoeing, cleaning up trash, talking with people, I just learned and experienced all these different ways, like I said, when people connect, and so the long story short there with the Mississippi Dean, is that the plan was to stop at the Iowa border. Right? So this is now about four months of cleaning and paddling with with my friend Paul Tweed. And I looked over at him as we approached the Twin Cities. I’m like, Paul, look, we have the boats. It’s mid fall. The weather’s starting to turn. Why don’t we just keep paddling downstream? And Paul looked at me after you know, yeah, all these months of his hard work. He’s like, nah, I’m done. I’m done. So anyways, we made it to the Iowa border together as we had set out to do. And then as you mentioned earlier, Dean, I continued solo, down the Mississippi from there.
Michael Anderson 10:31
And it was when you continued further south, was that the first time you’d seen that part of the Mississippi?
Michael Anderson 12:08
yeah, you’re absolutely right. That was the first time.
Dean Klinkenberg 12:12
That must have been quite an experience for yourself. Talk about like, you know, eye opening new experiences.
Michael Anderson 12:19
That’s, that’s exactly it. You know, and I think part of what that trip in 2017, you know, all the way down to Louisiana helped me see is that, you know, our relationship with water, with the river, it varies so much, depending on where you’re standing, depending on what shoes you’re wearing, depending on your family, your cultural background. And this, this holds so true along the Mississippi River, right? And yeah, getting down to the middle river and south and just hearing, you know, people’s different stories, and a lot was very different than what I had experienced in Twin Cities.
Dean Klinkenberg 13:01
We can get into this more at a later time, too, but I’m just kind of curious, like, what were one or two things that stood out to you as being so different from what you knew from the river around the Twin Cities?
Michael Anderson 13:12
Yeah, great question. So there’s been a movement in the Twin Cities, I would say where people, organizations, businesses, local governments, turning back toward the river, right? As we know, like, especially here in the Twin Cities, this has been a cultural hotspot, you know, for thousands and thousands of years, right? People have been living here, it keeps going through different iterations of of how humans are connecting with with the place. But the point is, the rivers are the original highways. Right, the rivers are what, how people traveled and still traveled, still travel today. And so yeah, I think there was there’s much more of a movement for turning toward the river in a reinvigorated way of what that means, you know, in this lifetime, right? And so I don’t know if I quite experienced, I think what I witnessed is that it is different depending on where you are as you move downstream. So for example, Osceola, Arkansas, is one that comes to mind, one random random memory is popping up right now, where I couldn’t, I could barely find the town. I needed to resupply water when I was paddling down, and I ended up pulling into a barge terminal asking for help and just trying to figure out where I could get some water, where the town was. I was really hungry that morning. Just looking to, know, patronize a local spot, some barbecue, and it took a mile, it was over a mile walk to get to where there was like homes and a little you know, little urban center. And I was talking with some folks there and you know, just like hey, what’s, what’s the area like? What do you like about it? You know, here what, what don’t you like about it here, all of those kinds of questions and just learning. And they were, they did not miss a beat, they said, you’re seeing the best part, right, paddling down, you know, on this Mississippi River, that you’re seeing the best part of the area. And it just was really fast, and then in that same conversation, right, they were saying how much fear there is toward the river as well. And so like I said, very, very different depending on where you’re standing.
Dean Klinkenberg 15:28
Absolutely. Wow. Well, I couldn’t imagine a better education to prepare you for the for the role you have now. So now you’re Director of Outreach and Education for the Mississippi River Network. So why don’t we start, just tell us, you know, what the Mississippi River Network is? And full disclosure, I am a business partner of the Network, so I kind of know the answer to this, but you know, maybe people listening might want to know what it is, too.
Michael Anderson 15:54
Yeah, Dean, thank you, I’d love to share it for for your listeners. And so the Mississippi River Network, we’re a diverse coalition of 70 nonprofit organizations and businesses that are working together to protect the land, people, people land, water, and wildlife of the United States, this greatest river, right, our Mighty Mississippi. So the network was founded in 2005. And it’s grown into a powerful collaboration of people in organizations from the river’s headwaters in Minnesota, to where it drains into the Gulf of Mexico.
Dean Klinkenberg 16:30
That sounds like a big, a big job like keeping keeping all those folks talking, managing those very different priorities, very different issues folks deal with from, say, Bemidji down to, you know, Venice, Louisiana. So how, how does the network, keep all those folks talking and sharing and trying to do some things together?
Michael Anderson 16:54
Yeah, great observation. And, you know, I think I’ll, I’ll start my response with, it’s all about people, right? And so, as I’ve, as I said, right, a coalition of 70 nonprofit organizations and businesses behind all of those are people, right, and we have a number more of local community partners that we work with, again, the people, the people, the people, and so something I’ve learned from the river and take into my role with with, with MRN, as we call it, the Mississippi River Network is just, is humility, right? And something we learned from the Mississippi is that it doesn’t turn away a tributary, right? The Mighty Mississippi becomes what it is, because of all of these tributaries, right, draining 40% of the US, covering 32 states and two Canadian provinces, part of two Canadian provinces. That’s a lot. That’s a lot to mix into one body of water. And I think it’s a similar thing for the Mississippi River Network. And so coming with, you know, humility, of and a willingness to be receptive to learning, and just really understanding that there are regional differences. There are different priorities within the network. And remember organizations, and at the end of the day, how do we come together as 1 Mississippi, right, just like the river does? Because together, we become something so much greater.
Dean Klinkenberg 18:32
Well, you kind of hinted at this, too. So 1 Mississippi is part of, one of the programs that the Mississippi River Network managers. Can you tell us a little bit about what 1 Mississippi is?
Michael Anderson 18:44
I’d love to Dean. Yeah, so 1 Mississippi is really one of the bulk programs of, if you will, of my time, like with with the network. And so 1 Mississippi, it’s a national public program, designed to educate, engage and inspire people to take action to protect the Mississippi River, right? We’ve, we’ve grown a community, today we call them river citizens, which are everyday people that show their commitment to the river and agree to take action on its behalf. And so anyone can become a river citizen, anyone can be a part of this, this 1 Mississippi community. And we’ve inspired since 2009, the program has built a community of over 20,000 of these river citizens and inspired thousands of actions. So 1 Mississippi really is the public face, if you will, of the Mississippi River Network. And it really, it really is that bridge between all of that. You could call it grass tops expertise or just general expertise that these Mississippi River Network member organizations have, bridging that with, you know, our River Citizen community, everyday people that want to make a difference. 1 Mississippi really is that bridge.
Dean Klinkenberg 20:03
And how many river citizens? Are we at right now?
Michael Anderson 20:05
Yeah, we’re at over 20,000…
Dean Klinkenberg 20:08
That’s a lot of people.
Michael Anderson 20:09
It is!
Dean Klinkenberg 20:10
It’s a lot of people that we can engage for, you know, action on behalf of the Mississippi. Do you have a sense of like, when you engage river citizens, what folks tend to respond to the most?
Michael Anderson 20:23
Yeah, that’s, that’s a great question. You know, again, some, something I’ve learned in this role, kind of a common thread is arising in this this podcast episode. And that is every one is unique. And there are common values and ways that we can find common ground, right? And so in our River Citizen community, it’s a very diverse group, right, like, in terms of, of, of individual, you know, identities and demographics, as well as you know, interests. And, you know, we have folks that are paddlers, right? We have people that are birders. We have people that are policy wonks, right? We have people that are elected, like staff of elected officials we have. We have historians, we have authors, like it just, it’s a very, very diverse group, which I think exemplifies, again, this idea of, of 1 Mississippi. It’s the mixing, right of all these tributaries coming together. And that’s very resembling as well, in our, our River Citizen community. And so, yeah, in terms of people responding to things, you know, one thing we know, one thing we see often is that we really focus on this wheel of engagement, right? And so that is, that is centered around these pillars of community building of education, of engagement and advocacy, right? And so we really strive with the 1 Mississippi program to move folks through this wheel, while just continuing to deepen, deepen our community. And so we know, like, for example, if we are working toward 3000 people speaking up for a particular, you know, legislative priority, we know that we want to provide different education points, different engagement opportunities, and just different ways for people to, you know, connect with these issues in a values based way to make it real to them. And part of our job, right is constantly being receptive to meeting people where they are.
Dean Klinkenberg 22:44
Fantastic. Yeah, and I know like, a big chunk of your time these days is spent pulling together this week-ish long series of events that we call River Days of Action. Part of what makes this so fantastic, I think, is a lot of the work that all of us do along the Mississippi, we tend to be in our own little world for most of the year. We’re focusing on our community, our immediate area, and we don’t always have the luxury of thinking much beyond that space. And one of the benefits of River Days of Action is we get to think more broadly about the entire river. So can you can you tell me a little bit about what what the heck is River Days of Action anyway? What is this thing?
Michael Anderson 23:25
Yeah, yeah, I’d love to right. So river days of action is an initiative of the Mississippi River Network, right? And so we really are focused on uniting from headwaters to Gulf, with the Mississippi River Network, and the before mentioned River Citizen community, and the general public, anyone can attend these, this event and action series, which is River Days of Action. So from cleanup and habitat restoration events, to justice focused opportunities, there really is something for everyone at River Days of Action. This is our third year with the initiative. And we’re so happy to share today that we have over 30 events happening from June 8 through 18th this year, that are, that these events are occurring in all in the 10 mainstem Mississippi River states in which the river flows through as well as online.
Dean Klinkenberg 24:24
So give me an example of a couple of things that are going on, like I’ll put you on the spot a little bit like tell me about something that one event going on in the Twin Cities.
Michael Anderson 24:34
Yeah, I love it. I, you know, Dean, I’d love to share one in the Twin Cities and I was hoping you as you would ask this question because I did pull a few events. I would love to share with your listeners today because it really, I think, by hearing a variety of these different events that are being offered, it gives you a sense of how we are working together as, as 1 Mississippi with the River Days of Action, and also meeting people where they are in different ways. So, a couple of, a couple of local happenings in the Twin Cities include some hands-on stewardship events with Friends of the Mississippi River, like a garlic mustard pull. Additionally, from Friends of the Mississippi River, there’s a walk and learn of the Twin, the future of the Twin Cities’ locks and dams, that one’s happening on Thursday, June 15. And let me just pause here and I’ll, I’ll finish with this again, at the end. www.1mississippi.org/riverdays, we have a full interactive calendar and map where you can find all of these events, and dates and time info and how to sign up and register. So I’m just going to focus on naming a few event titles.
Dean Klinkenberg 25:48
And I’ll post a link to that in the show notes. But also the number One and Mississippi, right?
Michael Anderson 25:54
Correct. That’s right. Thank you so much. Yep. Number one, the number. Yeah.
Dean Klinkenberg 26:01
So I want to throw in there, about the garlic mustard pull. So garlic mustard is a non native species that’s problematic in a lot of the ecosystems along the Mississippi. So some of the events are directed at trying to get non native species under control or eradicated…
Michael Anderson 26:16
Yeah, exactly. So I like to think of those events as, these more like stewardship and in some ways, maybe are more like classic conservation events. So other ones that fit the bill and align with that, you know, not not far from you, Dean, the, in Alton and Godfrey, Illinois, the Sierra Club, the Three Rivers project there, Piasa Palisades group, they’re doing storm drain stenciling, right? So really putting the stencils on storm drains that show you know what happens on the land drains to the, to the river. Other sorts of stewardship events–bike with your boots with River des Peres watershed coalition, which is a fun water quality monitoring, cleanup and community building event. They’re also doing some storm drain stenciling there, you know. And then other events that I’d like to just highlight that maybe are not your classic sort of stewardship or conservation events. In, down in New Orleans, one of our members, Louisiana Bucket Brigade is putting on down by the river bike ride, they call it. This one’s really focused on environmental justice, and is organized by some different community organizers. There’s another Sierra Club chapter in New Orleans, the delta chapter. They’re hosting a storytelling on the river event. So there’s just a lot of fun and different kinds of events up here in Minnesota, we have what’s called the Mississippi River paddle weekend happening, organized by Two Paddles, which brings together hundreds of people for different canoe and kayak races, and then a big post paddle party. So there’s a whole variety of different kinds of River Days of actual events. I’ve named a lot of the in person ones. And what I also want to mention is there are online events, right? So for folks that, you know, either don’t want to attend an in person event, or maybe there’s not one happening near you, there are so many ways to connect with River Days of Action, including at our online events. And so we have a series of we called Lunch and Learns happening the week of June 13, including a rescreening of a webinar that focuses on understanding the history of conservation, in particular along the Mississippi River to help build a build toward a more equitable future. We have with American Rivers, climate change and the Mississippi River, right, how flooding is really, how the climate crisis is impacting the Mississippi River. And then, you know, we have a Farm Bill Webinar. There’s a lot going on online. And the last one I’ll share. And this is our our kind of marketing as our closing River Days of Action event. That is a guided online mindfulness experience with a friend of the network who is certified as a certified Nature and Forest therapy guide. And so that’ll be just a really wonderful event to wind down River Days. So I hope you’re, everyone listening is getting a sense that there’s so many different kinds of events, which makes sense, right? Everything we’ve talked about in this podcast has been of that theme. There’s a lot of different things going on. And still, we can be united as one Mississippi.
Dean Klinkenberg 29:47
Right and all of them. I can’t speak to all the local events, but they probably all of these events are free. Certainly the online events are free.
Michael Anderson 29:57
Yeah, the majority for sure. The majority of events are free. I, again, encourage everyone to check out the different events on the website, 1mississippi.org/riverdays. Dean is going to share the link, which is awesome. For just, yes, specific information on them.
Dean Klinkenberg 30:15
So I know another key part of this is you have a universal action that you’re hoping people will take, regardless of whether they participate in an event along the river during that week. What is the universal action? What are we doing this year?
Michael Anderson 30:32
Exactly. So right, in addition to these different events that are happening with River Days, we’re really focused on collective impact, right? So harnessing the voices and energy of of our River Citizen community, anyone can speak up by taking our river days universal action, right? And so this year, we’re really focused on our Farm Bill conservation programs, right? So what we do on land impacts are one, fertilizers, other harmful chemicals, soil from ag runoff can harm our streams, rivers, and eventually the ocean. Thankfully, solutions do exist. And to keep our cherished Mississippi River and other American waterways healthy, we must support people, practices and policies that protect clean water and our communities. And so with this River Days of Action Universal Action, we’re calling on Congress to increase protection and funding for farm bill conservation programs. These vital conservation programs offer smart solutions that support the local economy, and protect people land, water, and wildlife. But the, these funds need to be protected and increased to actually meet the current demand. And so in less than a minute, all of your listeners today can take an action by sending an email to Congress. And we’ll follow up with that link in the notes as well.
Dean Klinkenberg 32:08
Sounds good. So can you I don’t want to spend a lot of time we could do probably multiple episodes talking about farm bills and conservation practices and all that and how agriculture affects us. Can you just give me an idea of like one or two solutions that the network is behind for reducing ag runoff or fertilizer runoff?
Michael Anderson 32:28
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I’ll start with a broad one. And that is the importance of protecting and restoring wetlands. So wetlands, essentially are giant sponges on the land that can help absorb harmful chemicals, ag, you know, fertilizer runoff, all of these things before they get into our waterways. And so how, you know, these tie to like things like Farm Bill conservation programs, and different, you know, these these smart solutions would be like end edge of field buffer strips. Another big one with the Farm Bill conservation program is they call them prairie strips, right? And so there’s, there’s these integrated, very diverse prairie strips that are woven into agricultural fields, which provide vital habitat, as well as some of those water quality enhancing features, right, so all of these different land based practices actually have a huge impact on on the health of all of our waterways, including the Mississippi River.
Dean Klinkenberg 33:36
Absolutely. So these are really these are just common sense approaches that are tried and true. We know these things work. But the problem is that sometimes the incentives for doing these are a little out of whack. And so the MRN with our universal action, part of what we’re doing is saying we need to change this incentive structure a little bit so that farmers can more readily adopt some of these common sense practices.
Michael Anderson 34:02
Yeah, I think that’s that’s a fair summary, Dean and I, you know, a big piece that we’re advocating for in particular this year. It’s a reauthorizing year for the Farm Bill, right. So there’s there’s a lot, a lot of attempt, which happens every five years, there’s a lot of attention on the farm bill. And these these conservation programs, which make up 7% of the Farm Bill, total budget, and I I have the actual figure in front of me, this is not a small chunk of change, right? This equates to about $30 billion of of conservation, assistance, technical assistance, in, you know, funding for these practices to be implemented. And the kicker is, that level of funding does not meet the current demand that our farmers are asking for, right? Farmers, farmers are the solution, right? You know, farmers, like they know what needs to happen. And they want to make a difference. And they’re often on razor thin margins as it is. And so this is a volunteer program that can sign up for these these various conservation programs. And so it’s like, if folks are asking to be a part of the solution, then we absolutely need to adjust our social structures or government spending to enable that, right? And so that’s really at the heart of what we’re advocating for, with this, this to protect in increased funding for those conservation programs in the form.
Dean Klinkenberg 35:40
Fantastic. And yeah, so I know, we spend a lot of time I think, in the conservation world talking about threats, and you know, all the things that we need to worry about. And obviously, like, this particular universal action is aimed at one of the threats that we know is a significant one for the Mississippi and a lot of other rivers. And that’s runoff, fertilizer runoff from row crop farming for the most part, and it contributes, or it causes the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. But it also can lead to algal blooms that are dangerous in our waterways. There are other things we need to be concerned about high concentrations and drinking water can be harmful to our health. So these are the these are some of the you know, that’s the main reason I guess this one is focused this year. What are like a couple of other threats to the Mississippi that MRN is focused on right now?
Michael Anderson 36:32
Yea. Well, by the way, Dean, that was a great summary and connection right to all of these different issues like like the Gulf deadzone, these these harmful algal blooms, in which you know, these Farm Bill conservation programs and other things that the network advocates for our priorities, which include, as I mentioned earlier, protecting and restoring wetlands. We’re really big proponents of reconnecting floodplain, and unrestricted habitat. As we’re seeing more and more, you know, it’s almost every other year we’re seeing a record breaking flood, right? And this is leading to serious, serious implications for many people and communities along the Mississippi River and its, and its tributaries. And so, some of the ways in which we’ve designed, you know, sort of engineered the river is not in alignment with what we’re experiencing on the ground with things like the the changing climate, these increased floods, loss of habitat, right? The Mississippi River itself is a is a flyway corridor. I don’t have the blinking on the number of bird species, but it’s like 60%, or something like that of migratory birds use the river as its flyway, right? There’s a lot of great maps going around right now, because we’re in migration time. All of these birds, you can see the heat, the density, are all coming up that river. So when we reconnect floodplains, when we restore habitat, we are creating opportunities that not only are of benefit to the people, right, by reducing some of these these flooding impacts, we’re also helping of course, our, our, our treasured wildlife, right.
Dean Klinkenberg 38:26
Hey. Dean Klinkenberg here, interrupting myself. Just wanted to remind you that if you’d like to know more about the Mississippi River, check out my books. I write the Mississippi Valley Traveler guide books for people who want to get to know the river better. I also write the Frank Dodge mystery series set and set in places along the Mississippi. Read those books to find out how many different ways my protagonist Frank Dodge can get into trouble. My newest book, Mississippi River Mayhem details some of the disasters and tragedies that happened along Old Man River. Find any of them wherever books are sold.
Dean Klinkenberg 39:01
Yeah, very good. And, you know, those are big, you know, those are important issues. And you know, I think sometimes like, somebody might look at that and think, well, you know, that’s a policy issue that’s far beyond my ability to do anything about but but y’all do have a handful of recommendations for things that like I could do today, that would have an impact, even if it’s a small impact on improving the health of the Mississippi River. Can you give me an idea of maybe like, two or three things that I could go out and do today to make a difference?
Michael Anderson 39:35
Yeah, Dean, you know, and I just before I list off a few, I want to just pause and uplift what you just said. It’s anyone listening, you’re not alone. If you sometimes feel like things are out of control, and you may not be able to have a positive impact. You can. You really can and if you feel like you can’t in that moment, well maybe you know, take a breath, maybe connect with the river. We’ll talk about different ways to do that. But it will pass and I just really encourage everyone. This is hopefully not something you have not seen. This is hopefully not something new to you, but I’ll just really encourage everyone that you can make a difference, right? The actions you take, the choices you make, the way you live your life, and just doing the best that you can, with your with the hand that you have, right, you’re not comparing yourself with others too much, right? Because we’re all unique. We’re all different. We’re all experiencing the world differently, you know? And so, just wanted to start there, Dean, that, you know, with a note of encouragement, that you matter. You can make a difference, even on these, even on things as big as scale as the as the issues and opportunities facing the Mississippi River, right? So a few, a few examples of this. And we have this actually on our website. We call it our 10 actions you can take right now. Maybe we can get the link included in the notes, Dean here? But, you know, a couple, a couple that stand out is, you know, I mentioned this, about connecting with the river. You know, earlier I talked about the river is, it can be defined much more broadly than that, you know, waterbody flowing between the banks, it’s a much bigger thing. And so finding ways to connect with, right, you know, whether that is from actually engaging with that water body flowing through the banks, like a canoe trip, visiting a nature center center, attending a riverside festival, to things like reading books that the Mississippi Valley Traveler himself puts out, right? Whether they’re guidebooks or some of some of your mystery novels, right, because all of these are different ways to connect with something like the Mississippi River, okay. And I just want to make that really clear that, you know, we all have different, like, mobility abilities. And so there’s, there’s, there’s not one way that you can connect with the river. Okay. And so anyways, we have more listed on our website of connecting, volunteer for the river, you know, like I said, we have 70 MRN member organizations and businesses that make up the Mississippi River Network. They’re all listed on our website, and we have an interactive map there as well. I highly encourage everyone listening today to check that map out, find some of your local organizations, and see what volunteer opportunities that they have, right? This is usually a low commitment way to not only find inspiration and make a difference, but also build community and really, you know, more than ever, right with, with everything that’s been going on with the pandemic and whatnot, we need each other. We need each other. We need community. And so volunteering or getting out, there is a great way to work on that, you know? Raise your hand if you have a dog and maybe some our listeners do, right? Pretty commonplace. A really simple way you can make a difference is to pick up your pet waste, right? As Dean shared earlier, you know, all of our garbage or pet waste, these things, these things, these things run off into the river. And so you know, this is not at the same scale that we’re seeing with like an industrial agricultural runoff and the impacts that’s having in polluting the river, but you can make a difference. You know, by keeping these these harmful substances out out of the river, and you know, poop, just to name it, is very nutrient rich, rich, rich nitrogen phosphorus, which is what leads to these harmful algal blooms. Okay. And, again, it’s another way to beautify your community, right, picking up trash, things like this is to help you install a sense of pride in your surroundings. Just a couple more. Choosing native plants for yards is a great one. Contact Congress through our 1 Mississippi Action Center. We frequently just have different opportunities there. We talked about nitrogen and phosphorus so reducing the use of lawn and garden fertilizers containing these, you know, super. like fertilizer, like phosphorus, phosphorus and nitrogen rich are ways to do it, you know? Support sustainable agricultural practices and people in policies who promote soil health is a great way. Just scrolling through our list here. Speaking up when actions present itself. Vote, be heard, are just just a few of the 10 actions that you know, are a few of the ways in which people can can make a difference in their day to day life.
Dean Klinkenberg 44:59
Awesome. And you know, I think part of our job with all this too is we, as we’ve talked about many times, it’s just been reminding people that a thing called the Mississippi River actually exists. Like all of these are our little ways to remind ourselves that this river is right here next to us, it’s important to us for a variety of reasons. We sometimes, where we often take for granted, you know, it’s interesting. I’m rolling out these profiles of people I had a chance to interview last year, where they described their connection to the Mississippi and what the Mississippi means to them. And I had a chance to talk with a woman who is a co-owner of an outfitter here in St. Louis, where they take people on the river in canoes, and she’s traveled around the world. She’s done guiding around the world. And, you know, we talked about how people travel, you know, far and wide to take a river cruise on the Danube or to go down to the Amazon when we have this amazing river right here in our backyard that we would almost never go see or we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about. And it’s definitely in that same league as those other rivers around the world. So we have to figure out ways to help, you know, combat that human nature to take, take for granted what’s in our backyard, maybe. But we’re lucky, you know? The Mississippi is our Rocky Mountains here in the Midwest, right? This is this is our defining geographic feature. So thinking about that, like you have a couple of young children now. What, what kind of Mississippi would you like your children to inherit?
Michael Anderson 46:38
Oh, Dean, and that is, that that pulls on the heartstrings. Yeah, I I’ve recently become I’ve entered into parenthood. We have two under two. And yeah, coffee is definitely my, definitely a good friend. Having some right now. But um, you know, it’s really it’s interesting, Dean, because, as I described some of my, you know, backgound, some of my history and my personal connection to the river and kind of what got me to where we are today. It was very individual focused, right? Sure. I was out as a guide and helping connect people and all of that. But like, as your listeners may have heard, like, it’s centered all about me, right? This is what I did. This is my connection, this is how I did it. And I tell you what, nothing has shifted my worldview more than having kids. And just how I think about things that they use to your question: what are we leaving them? How are we making a difference today for for what, yeah, the world that they will be living in, and already are living in. And so when I when I think about, you know, what I would like the Mississippi River to be like, you know, for, for my children is, is really a place that we turn toward it, right? And just remembering that, you know, this river throughout our, our throughout humans living along it has been a source of inspiration, a source of of establishment for our communities, our waterways, you know, for travel, remembering a spiritual, a place of spiritual significance and importance, right. Like, there’s so many different stories and ways that highlight the importance of it. And I think, going through a sort of revitalization in the years ahead of the Mississippi River, as something that maybe has rights, the Mississippi River as something that is alive, the Mississippi River as something that we don’t see as separate from ourselves, right? I live in Minneapolis. My drinking water comes from the river, right, along with 20 million other folks in our current day. So I am literally a walking Mississippi River, right? My body is literally sustained by this waterway. And so finding the opportunities to not see ourselves as separate from the river is what I hope for our kids in our future generations. Because I think from there, it’s, we don’t even think about taking care of it. We don’t even think about you know the impact of what we do on land because we won’t do those things because it’s going to harm our water. It’s going to harm our river. And I see these kids. I see these generations coming up and they know that they are ready, are feeling that and that that is something that you know, it’s just going to keep continuing. You know, another thing with the river that I really hope is that we can continue and someday reach a, reach a point where the river truly is for all and I’m talking about being out on the water as a paddler or weekend recreationists. Whatever a fishing person, I’m talking about hanging out at the parks along it. Whatever it may be that the Mississippi River is a place that is safe for all people, and the Mississippi River is a place where everyone belongs and feels welcomed. And we have a lot of work to go. And part of that is really looking at, you know, different practices that have excluded people from the Mississippi River from public places. And some of the just, you know, quite frankly, horrific history that has occurred on land and on water, in a cultural sense, environmental sense with our river. So we have a long ways to go. There are so many incredible groups, you know, working on creating a more inclusive and safe for all Mississippi River, whether this be for like racial identities, like there’s a lot of great bipoc, Black indigenous people of color, groups that have like, like community specific events on the river, that is helping build, you know, the bipoc community’s sense of place with the Mississippi River. We have folks and this is one of your your river profiles like Cory Maria Dack, who just canoed the length of the Mississippi River, and really was focused on bridging some of our equity gaps around women and people of color in the outdoors in Cory’s case, in particular. And so there are these incredible stars out there that are helping create a safe, inclusive river for all, and we need to follow them. Right. I’m a white male, you know, in my mid 30s. And, and I, yeah, exactly, have that, you know, group that has the opportunity, as well as all of us to follow these rising leaders, especially those that come from marginalized identities. And, you know, the LGBTQI plus community as well, there’s so many more. There’s so many more events, especially with pride coming up in June here that are focused on like, that sort of Venn Diagram of of pride and the river, right, like events happening in the Twin Cities here that I haven’t seen before. And so I hope that all of that is just, you know, these, these equity issues that we’re focused on, are not an issue for for my kids and for the generations to come. And everyone feels safe and welcomed.
Dean Klinkenberg 52:43
Well, that’s a very inspiring vision for the future. Let’s make it happen.
Michael Anderson 52:49
That’s right. That’s right.
Dean Klinkenberg 52:52
So where can people follow what’s going on with MRN? We’ve got a couple of different things that we’ve talked about. Where’s, where are the best places to keep up with MRN in general, and then with what’s going on for River Days of Action? Remind us again.
Michael Anderson 53:09
I love it. Thanks, Dean. So a couple of different places to plug in. You know, and I think you yourself, Dean is a great example of someone who wears multiple hats within our Mississippi River Network sphere, right? You are a business partner; you’re an MRN member; you’ve taken leadership roles in the network, like you’re our Chair of our engagement committee. You’re also you know, Dean Klinkenberg, River Citizen, right, someone that that is part of that community. And so I encourage everyone, number one, the short link is bitly/rivercitizen, which we will provide in the follow up, but join the River Citizen community. You will receive, you know, periodic monthly emails from us with different events, activities, opportunities, things going on. And then, you know, if you want to take it further from there, and you maybe, you’re part of an organization, or you’re a part of a business that would like to be part of this Mississippi River Network. We’re kind of an unusual group, right? Like, we have a lot of different interests, you know? You got your big enviros; you got your like canoe and kayak guiding shops; you got, you know, more stewardship. It’s a big variety of folks, and there’s a place for you, right and your organization, if you’re interested in engaging right and building community together. So those are two ways to really plug in with our river citizen or 1 Mississippi community. And you know, the Mississippi River Network with River Days of Action. Yes, please, please, please get connected. We’ll share the link 1mississippi.org/RiverDays. There are over 30 events on this calendar and interactive map and then on that page is where you will find that universal action, question that we talked about earlier in this episode. Literally in less than a minute, you can speak up and make a difference for the people land, water, and wildlife of our Mississippi River. And you’ll you’ll, you’ll probably enjoy the rest of your day a little bit more knowing that you made a difference, right?
Dean Klinkenberg 55:17
Right. Absolutely. So River Days: June 8 to 18th. All up and down the Mississippi. Go to 1mississippi.org/riverdays to see the full listing of events or find something near you. 1 Mississippi has a social media presence, also. Do you want to give that a quick mention?
Michael Anderson 55:33
Yeah, we do. Thanks, Dean. We are active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for now. And our handle is 1 Mississippi again, the number one. Please find us there. We also have a YouTube channel, same handle 1 Mississippi. And that’s actually a great spot where we upload various webinars for Mississippi River Network members and different events. That’s a good sort of education portal as well.
Dean Klinkenberg 56:02
Fantastic. Michael, thank you so much for taking the time to share your background with the Mississippi, why the river matters to you, and the important work that you’re doing with 1 Mississippi and the Mississippi River Network. Thanks so much for your time.
Michael Anderson 56:17
Thanks, Dean.
Dean Klinkenberg 56:28
And now it’s time for the Mississippi Minute. River Days of Action is fundamentally about connecting with the Mississippi and doing something or taking some action to improve the river’s health, but time along the river can also benefit our own health. In the interview you just heard, Michael Anderson talked about how walking along the Mississippi was part of the solution he found to a rather serious bout of depression that he was experiencing at one point in his life. I recently ran a series of interviews with people about their relationship with the Mississippi about what time along the river means to them. And for two of those folks, both military veterans, time on the Mississippi was calming and it helped, it helped to reduce anxieties they felt after leaving the military, and it also gave them a spiritual connection. That spiritual connection was also a big theme for one of the other people I interviewed. In my own life, spending time along the river or hiking the bluffs near the river, calmed my own anxieties and helped me clear my head when I was out and about. I felt part of something bigger than myself something eternal when I was along the river. These aren’t just anecdotes either. We have pretty good research now that has shown the very real mental health benefits of spending time outside. Given all that we’ve been through in the last few years and the anxieties many people have about the future, is there a better time than now to get outside to boost our spirits and feel part of something bigger? We talked about some opportunities during River Days of Action, which is a great place to start. But the river exists all year and those benefits of being outside are waiting for you whenever you need them. Why not start now. And if you have your own story about how time along the Mississippi helped you with any mental health issues, please let me know. You can share them with me at MississippiValleyTraveler.com/contact.
Dean Klinkenberg 58:28
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the series on your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss out on future episodes. I offer the podcast for free but when you support the show with a few bucks through Patreon, you help keep the program going. Just go to patreon.com/DeanKlinkenberg. If you want to know more about the Mississippi River, check out my books. I write the Mississippi Valley Traveler guide books for people who want to get to know the Mississippi better. I also write the Frank Dodge mystery series set in places along the river. Find them wherever books are sold. The Mississippi Valley Traveler podcast is written and produced by me Dean Klinkenberg. Original Music by Noah Fence. See you next time.
