Mississippi River Citizen Commission (MRCC)

About the organization
The Mississippi River Citizen Commission provides open, impartial forums for public involvement in Mississippi River management and promotes sound, balanced river policy and practice.

Respondent: Robin Grawe, secretary

How important to you is the river or stream nearest your home, and why?
The closest river, the Mississippi, is vital for quality of life, recreation, health, agriculture, economic strength, and a sense of place.

How can citizens find out about the condition of the river nearest their homes or communities?
For the Mississippi River, people can start by calling us, the MRCC, and we can direct them to the Minnesota DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Corps in LaCrescent or St. Paul, St. Mary's University, Winona State, UW-LaCrosse, the Environmental Management Program in Onalaska or Lake City, and a host of non-governmental organizations.

What can homeowners do to make their land and property more river friendly? What can farmers do? Business owners?
Minimizing soil and nutrient runoff is crucial for us all, including those involved in construction. Recreational boat owners should try to minimize plowing, since boat wakes from plowing contribute heavily to bank erosion.

What are the most important actions citizens can take to help clean up Minnesota's rivers?
The Mississippi is much cleaner than it was decades ago, because of reponsible citizen and state actions taken to prevent chemical pollution and to treat waste. Sediment remains the most threatening pollutant.

What are policymakers doing to enhance the current and future health of Minnesota's rivers? What should they be doing?
Washington should support the declaration of the Upper Mississippi as a nationally significant navigation system and a nationally significant ecosystem with appropriate program funding.

River policymakers must address diverse and often competing elements such as the environment, commerce, flood control, recreation, and land use—but from your point of view, what overarching values should guide how we use, treat, and manage rivers?
The overarching values should be democracy and broad-based sustainability in support of multi-purpose rivers.

How can we manage the conflict of private land use and the best management practices for our rivers?
Agriculturally, it would help immensely if we did not subsidize row crops but not hay and alfalfa.

How important is the development of a land-use plan in the watersheds that feed our rivers? Do you have a land-use plan?
Land use plans are best done locally, and they depend on enforcement and compliance. Land trusts and government easements are successfully providing an additional method of land conservation which respects individual property rights and avoids problems of regulation.

What programs are available—and are more needed—to educate and inform citizens, river users, river property owners, and policymakers about river issues?
The Boundary Area Commission used to be an official channel for public education and input. The MRCC was formed to fill the gap. Currently recreational use is one of the toughest areas, since recreational boating is largely unregulated. MPR could help in this area.