Three Events With Team Launching To Break Guinness World Record

The four-person Mississippi Speed Record team is gearing up to break the Guinness World Record of fastest time canoeing the entire ~2,300 miles of the Mississippi River: 18 days, 4 hours, and 51 minutes. Tune in for this event series and learn about the River and the Record, logistics, and preparation. Registration (below) required for the free zoom events. The events will also be live-streamed on 1 Mississippi's Facebook page.

Let's Give Our River What It Deserves

600+ Postcards Sent From River Citizens

And now, a moment to celebrate! River Citizens from across the Mississippi River watershed showed up yet again for our River – this time by writing and sending over 600 postcards! Through the covid-safe Postcards for the River campaign, River Citizens shared why they care about the River and reminded local, state, and federal decision-makers that the wellbeing of the land, water, wildlife, and people of the Mississippi River is a top priority. 

Mississippi River Network Outreach Manager, Michael, recaps the campaign in his recent blog here. We are so grateful to all who participated in the Postcards for the River campaign: from River Citizens who wrote the postcards, to Mississippi River Network member organizations who helped promote, and to all attendees and guest presenters of the campaign's event, An Evening for the River (click to watch recorded event on YouTube).

To be involved in future advocacy opportunities like this please make sure you are a River Citizen and subscribed to receive Advocacy Action Alerts from 1 Mississipi (existing River Citizens can manage email subscriptions here).

#BeatPlasticPollution This Spring!

We are impacting the River with our actions. Items that we use every day – like disposable coffee cups, masks, and plastic bags – can end up in the environment, making their way to our rivers. Be a part of the solution to combat plastic pollution along the Mississippi River by helping to collect data on litter. A primary intention of the initiative is to collect data through a ‘citizen science’ approach to create a plastic pollution map. The map will help understand the state of plastic pollution along the River and help scientists, policy-makers, businesses, and citizens take action. 

1 Mississippi is proud to partner with the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative and the leadership provided by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative, the National Geographic Society, and the University of Georgia. Stay tuned for more info!

River Citizen Anti-Racism Monthly Resources

Environmental work and racial justice are inexorably linked and in fact, are all part of the same movement; to truly protect water, you need to protect communities and we know that Black and Brown communities face disproportionate environmental risks and impacts. To support our River Citizen community in being actively anti-racist and creating an inclusive, safe, and equitable Mississippi River for all, we are sharing educational resources. 

The Mississippi River Network staff watched this webinar as a team this month and found it very profound. We hope you do to: Chicago Wilderness Event with Dr. Carolyn Finney (Feb 17, 2021) 

• "Watch a conversation with Dr. Carolyn Finney, cultural geographer and author of Black Faces, White Faces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors as she helps Chicago Wilderness define a new vision of conservation that can carry us into the future and involve the participation of all people."

Upcoming River Events

River News

• National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (February 2021) - Black History Month Legislator Spotlights
• Healthy Gulf (2/9/2021) - We Need a Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative
• The Washington Post (3/3/2021) - Mississippi River cities join project to map plastic litter
• Terrain Magazine (March/April 2021) - Waters of Change by Dean Klinkenberg
• Mississippi River Network - Webinar on 30 x 30 Conservation Goal