Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

In cooperation with the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Biological Information Infrastructure Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

US Department of the Interior US Geological Survey Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

The InfoLINK enhances understanding of the Missouri River through information, partnerships, maps, and science

The Missouri River flows 2,341 miles from the Rocky Mountains through the Great Plains to its confluence with the Mississippi River at St! Louis! CONTENTS Its watershed drains one-sixth of the United States! One-third of the meandering river has been channelized! 2The Big Muddy Another third has been impounded by six dams that 3 Beginnings allow the U!S! Army Corps of Engineers to regulate the water flow through the river system! The Missouri 4 Information River system is managed for multiple uses! 6 Partnerships Decisions related to river management affect the lifestyles of Americans from Montana to Missouri! 10 Maps The Missouri River InfoLINK was created for these 12Science stakeholders who represent diverse river interests and need to make informed decisions about its future 16 Bridging the Gap use and management! It is for people who want to understand how the river functions! The InfoLINK seeks to be a center point for common ground, uniting interests through sharing information that facilitates communication among all of the basin’s citizens! Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

Green areas: Native American Tribes Red lines: dams

THE BIG MUDDY

The highly engineered The Missouri River basin is Plains drought lasted from 1988 to Missouri River system is home to 10 million people from 28 1992 It created such a financial managed by the U S Army Native American tribes, 10 states, crisis for upper river reservoir Corps of Engineers for: and a small part of Canada In the recreation and lower river naviga- past 150 years, people have tion that the U S Army Corps of • fish and wildlife attempted to tame the river by Engineers began a review of its • flood control removing snags; constructing a Master Water Control Manual navigation channel; stabilizing the to determine if there was a better • hydroelectric power banks; and building dams to hold way to manage the water The generation back flood waters, generate wet years began with the Midwest • irrigation hydroelectric power, and provide Flood of 1993 with basin residents irrigation experiencing some of the worst • municipal and industrial These changes to the river flooding in modern times water supplies have generated both benefits and The climatic events and the • navigation problems Problems include a loss Master Manual review have of habitat for native fish and increased people’s awareness • water quality wildlife that has resulted in the of the complex issues behind listing of several species as Missouri River management threatened or endangered and Various forms of information are delta formation in reservoir needed to help stakeholders make headwaters that has caused management decisions The increased flooding and loss of Missouri River InfoLINK was surface water created to provide this information Weather in the past 12 years and facilitate communication and has contributed to additional cooperation problems in the basin The Great 2 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

BEGINNINGS

The Missouri River InfoLINK Funding for LMREI ended in is a project of the U S Geological 1998 and the Environmental Survey’s (USGS) Columbia Protection Agency (EPA)-Region Environmental Research Center 7 joined the USGS to continue the located in Columbia, Missouri It program as the Missouri River began in 1998 as an extension of InfoLINK The National Biological the Lower Missouri River Ecosys- Information Infrastructure and the tem Initiative (LMREI), one of 12 USGS-Biological Resources ecosystem initiatives selected Division Office of Biological through a competitive process in Informatics and Outreach provided 1994 additional funds The initiatives were created in In 1999, EPA-Region 8 and response to a critical need to the U S Fish and Wildlife Service- assess the biological condition of Region 6, joined the InfoLINK important ecosystems The goal partnership All Federal agencies was to provide information, share a similar goal to make oversight, and coordination to scientific information readily promote a scientifically broad available to the public understanding of the biological condition of identified ecosystems

Gates of the Mountains between Helena and Great Falls, Montana 3 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

INFORMATION

InfoLINK Services The InfoLINK enhances The “Science” understanding of the Missouri category includes the River by providing the following Missouri River services to resource managers, Natural Resources policy-makers, and citizens: Bibliography, a 2,200 entry listing of INFORMATION scientific studies InfoLINK maintains an conducted in the past Internet-based information 30 years, as well as clearinghouse information on PARTNERSHIPS endangered species, InfoLINK works with habitat studies, floods, partnerships to facilitate and the proposed communication and Missouri River cooperation Environmental Assessment Program MAPS (page 15) InfoLINK provides access to Missouri River geospatial information maps, interactive and SCIENCE displayed at different InfoLINK packages complex scales, provide a river science into easily visual perspective of understood concepts http://infolinkcrusgsgov/ the basin The maps include views of political boundaries, watersheds The InfoLINK manages an and rivers, ecoregions, dams and Internet-based information clear- reservoirs Local views show inghouse The current page was levees, public land ownership, 1879 initiated in August 1998 and land cover, and 1993 flood extent incorporated information originally The web page was acknowl- found on the Lower Missouri edged by two web reviewers in River Ecosystem Initiative site 1999 The Scout Report for (page 3) Science and Engineering, The InfoLINK web page October 27, 1999 from the Univer- provides information on the river’s sity of Wisconsin called the site history and its current condition by “an outstanding site, rich in infor- linking to sites that explain water mation of varying complexity ” flow, river stages, reservoir water The HMS Beagle, the levels, and snow and rain runoff BioMedNet Magazine, had the quantities The web page has InfoLINK as a pick of the day in current Missouri River events and early November an extensive list of contacts in the public and private sectors 4 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

InfoLINK Presentations

Various presentations were • Missouri River InfoLINK database made in 1998-99 to introduce the Communities Network The InfoLINK maintains InfoLINK web page and demon- Manitou Bluffs Project a comprehensive strate use of the interactive maps: Columbia, MO – March 1999 database of Missouri • Missouri GIS Conference River contacts In 1999, • Environmental Protection Columbia, MO – March 1999 the database was Agency (EPA)-Region 7 expanded to over 3000 • Coordinated Resource Kansas City, MO – names by consolidating Management Program September 1998 the Missouri River Bismarck, ND – April 1999 Natural Resources • EPA-7 and EPA-8, Fish • South Dakota Corridor Conference list with and Wildlife Service- Project Pierre and Yankton, contacts from EPA-8, the Region 3 & 6 Columbia, MO SD – April 1999 South Dakota Missouri – September 1998 River Corridor Program, • EPA-8 Denver, CO – • Missouri River Basin and American Rivers May 1999 Association Kansas City, Missouri River Coalition MO – December 1998 • Missouri River Federal From this directory, a Interagency Roundtable • Missouri River new database is being Great Falls, MT – June 1999 Collaboration Meeting developed to provide an Columbia, MO – January 1999 • USGS Openhouse overview of entities Rolla, MO – August 1999 involved in Missouri • USGS Geology Division River projects and what Conference Denver, CO – • Missouri River those projects entail March 1999 Rediscovery Conference This Matrix will facilitate St Charles, MO – • 3rd Annual Missouri River basinwide coordination October 1999 Natural Resources of activities, groups, and Conference Pierre, SD – • North Dakota Water Users individuals March 1999 Conference Bismarck, ND – December 1999

Fort Randall Dam on Lake Francis Case, South Dakota 5 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

PARTNERSHIPS

The Missouri River Natural Resources Conference is the only annual basinwide conference available to all basin residents It was initiated in 1997 by the USGS and the Missouri River Natural Resources Committee (MRNRC) as an opportunity for people in the basin to learn about the river’s environmental condition and share points of view on river management Papers, field trips, socials, posters, and exhibits offer an opportunity to network and participate in the discussion InfoLINK serves as the central support Missouri River for a steering committee consisting of representatives from the MRNRC, Missouri Management: River Basin Association, U S Fish and Wildlife It’s Everybody’s Service, U S Environmental Protection Agency, and local government agencies and Business nonprofit organizations InfoLINK also contributes to mailing list database manage- May 21-24, 2000 ment, agenda development and promotional materials design and production Bismarck North Dakota NORTH DAKOTA NORTH GAME DAKOTA AND FISH DEPARTMENT

6 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

Four types of InfoLINK partnerships facilitate communication and cooperation among agencies and the public:

u Support u Data Management u Technical Assistance u Community

Support Partnerships Technical Assistance Partnerships USGS – Biological Resources U3S3 Environmental Protection Division (BRD) Agency-Region 7 (EPA-7) Missouri River Basin In 1998, the USGS-BRD EPA-7 provided major funding Association (MRBA) Central Regional Office desig- in 1998 when the original money Created in 1981 by the nated the USGS Columbia available for the Lower Missouri Governors of the basin states, Environmental Research Center River Ecosystem Initiative ended the MRBA coordinates planning (CERC), home of the InfoLINK, It is a goal of EPA through its activities and resolves water as the lead center for Missouri Community-Based Environmental management issues InfoLINK River information dissemination Protection Program to provide the provides technical assistance to A State Partnership grant was best available information to the MRBA by helping with web awarded to create a partnership communities so they can make page design, publications, and between the InfoLINK and the sound resource management meetings Missouri River Communities decisions EPA was particularly Network in Columbia, Missouri, supportive of providing interactive Missouri River Natural for mapping and information maps so the public can get a sense Resources Committee transfer (page 9) and to establish of the “place” where they live (MRNRC) an NBII node at the CERC The MRNRC is a group of U3S3 Environmental Protection state fish and wildife agency National Biological Information Agency-Region 8 (EPA-8) representatives whose mission is Infrastructure (NBII) EPA-8 provided a Regional to implement a systems approach The InfoLINK fulfills the Geographic Initiative grant to to managing Missouri River NBII mission of providing swift, support mapping through a com- natural resources user access to biological data- munity partnership with the InfoLINK works with the bases, information products, Coordinated Resource Manage- MRNRC on the Missouri River directories, and guides maintained ment Program in Bismarck, North Natural Resources Conference, by Federal, State, and local Dakota, and to expand InfoLINK promotion of the Missouri River government agencies, nongovern- local map coverage into the upper Environmental Assessment ment institutions, and private basin (page 9) Program, and various graphics sector organizations products InfoLINK data collection, U3S3 Fish and Wildlife Service consolidation, and documentation (FWS) uses metadata procedures of NBII The FWS-Region 6, provided and the National Spatial Data funding for InfoLINK general Infrastructure to keep it standard- support and to enhance the ized on a national level endangered species sections in the The NBII provided InfoLINK web page funds to develop a map interface for data from the Missouri River Benthic Fishes Study (page 15) 7 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report PARTNERSHIPS (continued)

Bridges crossing the Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota

Data Management Partnerships

InfoLINK Technical InfoLINK Technical Mississippi and Missouri Committee Committee River Watershed Strategy InfoLINK is creating a The USGS Columbia Envi- technical committee to provide ronmental Research Center joined Environmental Protection Agency advice and direction on map forces with the USGS Upper - Region 7, Kansas City, MO and Region 8, Denver, CO development The goal is to reduce Midwest Environmental Science duplication of effort between Center, LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and Missouri Department of Federal, State, and local map the USGS National Wetlands Conservation, Columbia, MO generation and to create maps that Research Center, Lafayette, Missouri Resource Assessment are consistent with each other Louisiana, to collaborate on data Partnership, Columbia, MO Ultimately, individual maps will be collection and documentation combined to provide a spatial view efforts for the entire Mississippi Missouri River Corridor Program, of the entire river River basin Plans are underway Pierre, SD Through its work with the to coordinate standards, databases, North Dakota State Water technical committee and local and tools for use by resource Commission, Bismarck, ND communities, InfoLINK plans to managers, scientists, and decision Planning and Development District produce a template for map makers with a land cover pilot III, Yankton, SD generation so local communities demonstration project can produce maps of their river South Dakota Department of reaches that fit in with other Missouri River Federal Energy and Natural Resources, communities, again contributing to Interagency Roundtable Pierre, SD a complete picture of the river The roundtable is a consor- U+S+ Army Corps of Engineers, system tium of Department of Interior Kansas City, MO agencies, EPA, Corps of Engi- USGS Mid-Continent Mapping Benthic Fishes Study neers, Federal Emergency Man- Center, Rolla, MO InfoLINK is coordinating agement Agency, and Department with the USGS Cooperative Fish of Agriculture It was formed to and Wildlife Research Units and coordinate agency activities on the the USGS Mid-Continent Mapping river and to reduce duplication of Center to spatially display biologi- effort in data and information cal data from the Benthic Fishes generation and dissemination Study (page 15) 8 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

Community Partnerships

Coordinated Resource Management Program The Coordinated Resource Management Program The InfoLINK has estab- (CRMP) is a broad-based coalition of local stakeholders lished partnerships with local from five counties around Bismarck, North Dakota, in communities in Missouri and the Missouri River Garrison Reach between Lake North Dakota to increase the Sakakawea and Lake Oahe The group is dealing with capacity of local citizens to utilize planning issues such as bank stabilization, flood-plain geospatial data for community development, and delta buildup in Lake Oahe planning EPA-8 provided InfoLINK funds to help the CRMP These partnerships are acquire maps needed for local planning efforts and to putting into practice place-based serve the maps on the InfoLINK Another part of this projects that support the goals project is to begin development of a mapping “template” behind the Community/Federal that other communities can follow when doing similar Information Partnership Program, planning activities an initiative of the Federal Geographic Data Committee that: Missouri River Communities Network • promotes informed decision The Missouri River Communities Network (MRCN) making at the community level, Manitou Bluffs Project is a sustainable development planning process in the 50-mile river corridor between • improves land and resource Jefferson City, the state capital, and Boonville in mid- use, Missouri The goal is to create a plan that protects and • fosters a more informed public, enhances the corridor within this rapidly urbanizing • provides a greater opportunity four-county area for public participation in The USGS provided a State Partnership grant for the decision making, and InfoLINK to determine the specific types of information • readily transfers data back and the MRCN needed to profile its river reach, help build its forth between the Federal capacity to use GIS for local decision making, and serve government and communities data on the InfoLINK web page

Missouri River Manitou Bluffs Region north of Jefferson City, Missouri 9 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

MAPS

The InfoLINK web page of base USGS 1-100,000 and Maps provide a provides a visual perspective of 1-24,000 scale maps In 1999, local visual perspective of the Missouri River basin through mapping was done for the lower the Missouri River maps generated in its geographic basin and in 2000, InfoLINK is information systems (GIS) lab in expanding into the upper basin by Columbia and at the Mid-Conti- developing the 1-100,000 scale nent Mapping Center in Rolla, base maps Missouri Data are transformed Whenever possible, links are into maps using ArcView soft- made on maps to other sites already ware These maps are then developed such as the EPA Surf displayed on the Internet using Your Watershed where the viewer ArcView Internet Map Server can find a wealth of information on Maps are available at both a a specific watershed within the basin and local scale For the local Missouri River basin maps, data layers are added on top

Detailed local maps show specific information on a river reach such as river miles (RM), public land ownership, and historical land cover This reach includes Lisbon Bottom (RM 219 to 214) where the USGS River Studies Station is conducting research (page 12) 10 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

Overview maps help people understand their place in the basin

USGS streamflow monitoring stations showing a link to the data associated with one station in South Dakota

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SCIENCE

River Studies Station The InfoLINK serves as the to sustain the natural ecosystem information distribution branch must be increased while maintain- for the USGS Columbia Environ- ing traditional economic and quality mental Research Center’s River of life values such as agriculture, Studies Station by serving scien- water supply, recreation, and tific information on the web page navigation and creating displays that translate To help managers improve the complex data into easily under- ecosystem, scientists study the stood concepts links between river management; The River Studies Station physical changes in the river develops and synthesizes scientific corridor; and responses of river information for management of corridor biological, soil, and large rivers Researchers take a wetland resources Understanding multidisciplinary approach to the connections between water understanding the complex physi- flow, river structures, and riverine cal, biological, and chemical land use provides information processes involved in a highly needed to determine the effective- productive large river flood plain ness of rehabilitation efforts and ecosystem guide future designs These types Initial projects focus on the of “focused investigations”will be Missouri River system Managers a major part of the Missouri River recognize that the river’s capability Environmental Assessment Program (page 15) WASHINGTON WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

After the Midwest Flood of The River Studies Station is conducting the River Corridor Habitat Dynamics 1993, a side-channel chute Project at Lisbon Bottom, a unit of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife formed naturally from river Refuge south of Glasgow, MO The study is designed to improve scientific flows at Lisbon Bottom (river understanding of how habitat is lost and created, to document ecological mile 214-219) responses to rehabilitation projects, and to provide a stronger scientific basis for rehabilitation of the Lower Missouri River 12 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

Data Display

The InfoLINK translates the work of researchers into displays that help the public understand complex scientific data Here the depth and velocity of the Lisbon Bottom chute and channel are displayed in a model generated from data graphs shown below

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Missouri River Collaboration Meetings

As part of its coordination activities with the River Studies Station, InfoLINK conducts collaborative meetings to consoli- date activities of local agencies working on the Missouri River Over 100 people are invited; between 30 and 60 people attend each presentation The Interaction Between Missouri River Stage, Groundwater Level, Wetland Stage, and Soil Saturation in the Lower Missouri River Flood Plain by Brian Kelly, USGS hydrologist, Indepen- dence, MO - November 1998 Mendenhall Lecture on Large Rivers and Their Flood The effectiveness of using gages to define river ecological health, designed by the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Plains as Conveyers and Sciences Center, was tested by Missouri River collaborators Storers of Sediment and in the September workshop Contaminants by Dr Robert H Meade, USGS Water Upper Missouri River Photo Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Resources Division, Denver, Journal by Jeanne Heuser, Mapping with the U S Army CO - January 1999 USGS Columbia Environmen- Corps of Engineers, Kansas Assessment of Geomorphic and tal Research Center Technical City, MO - August 1999 Ecological Change, and Information Specialist, Defining River Ecological Prediction of Future Condi- Columbia, MO - June 1999 Health: Connecting Science tions on the Upper Missis- Autecology of a Rheophilic and the Public by Dr Ken sippi River System: Planime- Cyprinid: Implications for Lubinski, USGS Upper ters and Spreadsheets to GIS Restoration in a Large River Midwest Environmental Models by Chuck Theiling, by Dr Hubert Keckeis, Sciences Center, LaCrosse, Aquatic Ecologist, USGS Institute of Zoology, Depart- WI - September 1999 Upper Midwest Environmental ment of Limnology University Sciences Center, LaCrosse, Integrated Ecological Studies at of Vienna, Austria in coopera- WI - March 1999 Lisbon Bottom: Update and tion with the Missouri Coop- Prospects by Dr Robert B Pollution in Big Spring Creek: A erative Research Unit, School Jacobson, Research Hydrolo- Success Story by Isaac of Natural Resources, Univer- gist, USGS Columbia Environ- Opper, 5th grade student from sity of Missouri, Columbia, mental Research Center - Lewis and Clark Elementary MO - July 1999 Columbia, MO - October 1999 School in Lewistown, MT, and 14 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

Basinwide Monitoring

Benthic Fishes Study The InfoLINK received monitoring and focused investiga- funding from the National Biologi- tions on the Missouri River The cal Information Infrastructure MoREAP will serve as the scien- (NBII) to develop a map interface tific foundation for for viewing summary statistics Missouri River manage- from the Missouri River Benthic ment decisions Fishes Study The study is the first In 1996, the Mis- of its kind to gather biological data souri River Natural over the entire length of a river as Resources Committee large as the Missouri It will also formed a cooperative

be the first time that Missouri partnership of 79 & GAME NEBRASKA COMMISSION PARKS River biological data will be scientists and river presented in a spatial format on managers and the USGS provided Benthic fish are bottom the Internet funding for the partnership meet- dwelling species selected This type of work is being ings to plan and develop the for study because eight species are identified as “at done in preparation for providing proposal It was published in 1998 risk” by State and Federal and now funding is being sought data and information from the agencies and others are Missouri Environmental Assess- from Congress through the 1999 important recreational and ment Program (MoREAP) Missouri River Valley Improve- commercial species MoREAP has been proposed to ment Act proposed by Senator conduct long-term scientific Kerrey of Nebraska

Proposed sampling segments for the Missouri River Environmental Assessment Program (MoREAP)+ 15 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report BRIDGING THE GAP

There is a saying that information is People in Niobrara, Nebraska, face the critical to sound decision making No where continued shrinkage of Lewis and Clark is that more important than on the Missouri Lake as sediment builds-up from the River where the majority of people are just Niobrara River reducing recreational awakening to the complex issues involved in access and increasing floods its use and management The InfoLINK’s People in Omaha, Nebraska, are taking Federal agency partners are dedicated to advantage of their riverfront location to providing information needed by the basin’s create hiking trails and recreational resource managers, policy makers, opportunities and citizens as they discuss the river’s management and make decisions which will People in the Manitou Bluffs Region protect and revitalize their river communities between Boonville and Jefferson City, Every community faces different Missouri, face the protection and challenges depending upon the environmental utilization of thousands of flood plain and economic conditions of its river reach wetlands that returned to public owner- For example: ship after the Midwest Flood of 1993

People north of Fort Benton, Montana, These challenges are interwoven – have the wildest, most natural stretch changes to one area of the river may affect of river and are confronted with the others Yet because of the large increased recreational use that threat- geographic area of the Missouri River basin, ens to degrade the river’s environment it is difficult for people to appreciate this interconnection People in the North Dakota Garrison It is the goal of the Missouri River Reach between Lake Sakakawea InfoLINK to serve as the conduit that and Lake Oahe face problems related facilitates river connection InfoLINK to delta formation in Lake Oahe networks with local communities and headwaters, flood plain development government agencies to share information; and bank stabilization packages complex river science needed by People in Pierre, South Dakota, are decision makers into easily understood part of a Federal Emergency Manage- concepts; provides opportunities for collabo- ment Agency buy-out program because ration through an annual conference and local of sediment build-up from the Bad meetings that help bridge the gap between River entering at the headwaters of river interests In this way, the InfoLINK Lake Sharpe, raising water levels and strives to enhance everyone’s understanding making their homes uninhabitable from of the Missouri River and its complex repeated flooding management challenges of the 21st Century 16 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

Publication produced by Jeanne Heuser, Technical Information Specialist US Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center 4200 New Haven Road, Columbia, MO 65201 573-876-1876 jeanne_heuser@usgsgov http://infolinkcrusgsgov/

Cover photo - Missouri River at Jefferson City, MO Cover Pallid Sturgeon, inside cover Interior Least Tern, page 7 Walleye - Nebraska Game and Parks Commission All other photos, maps, and graphics - USGS (unless labeled)

Published April, 2000 - V1 Missouri River InfoLINK 1999 Report

US Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center 4200 New Haven Road Columbia, Missouri 65201 http://infolinkcrusgsgov/ 573-876-1876