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 basins 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 US 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 peoples 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 Surveys (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 rivers 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 rivers 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 Its Everybodys 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