The Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
is a busy hub of research activity.
One of the largest and most successful projects
at the La Crosse-based center
is the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program.
Director Mark Gaikowski oversees the work.
- So the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program
is a program that was created by the hard work
of the five upper Mississippi River states
in collaboration with a number of federal agencies
that work together collaboratively
on the upper Mississippi River
to meet the needs
of the states and federal partners and the public
to have a healthy and vibrant ecosystem.
- A goal shared by every scientist here,
including Kathi Jo Jankowski
who runs water quality testing on the river.
- Most of them are designed
to evaluate the condition of the river
in terms of habitat for organisms that live there.
So we do a variety of tests in the field
where we measure things like temperature
and dissolved oxygen, pH, water clarity,
and then we come back.
We collect over 60,000 water samples a year
and we bring them back to this lab
where we test for things like sediment,
so, any sort of soil that's running off the landscape.
We test for how much algae is in the water column
and then we do nutrient testing, too,
to figure out how nutritious
the water is for various organisms.
- With each test comes different results.
Some positive
and some identifying areas that need work.
- We've seen improvements
as a result of things like the Clean Water Act
that have reduced inputs of nutrients
from point sources like wastewater treatment plants.
So we've seen that improve over time.
We've seen reductions in phosphorus and sediment
running off farms into tributaries
because of better improved management actions.
But we still suffer from some high loads of nitrogen
which runs down the river into the Gulf of Mexico.
So I think there's still more work that can be done.
- Work that involves collaboration.
Director Mark Gaikowski believes
that building eco-alliances with like-minded organizations
is the backbone of the work being conducted here.
- I find it very rewarding that we have conservation through
collaboration here on the Upper Mississippi River System.
We work together in partnership to find ways
to implement ecosystem restoration,
to conduct the science and monitoring
that's going to inform how we manage the river
and how our resource is utilized
for the next generations to come.