Mississippi River Science Forum

USGS hosted the Mississippi River Science Forum on February 15-16, 2023. The presentations below are from the great group of speakers that agreed to address Mississippi River science from their agency’s perspective. For additional information, please contact Richard Rebich or J.C. Nelson.

Day One: February 15

Day One of the Science Forum focused on presentations by a variety of speakers sharing Mississippi River science from their agency's perspective. Videos of the presentations, as well as the presentations themselves, are available below.

To see the presentation, click on the title of the presentation. To watch the video, click on the title in the video column. To see information about the agency, click on the name of the agency.

Presentation Video Presenter
Welcome Video 1 Tanya Trujillo, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the Interior
The Evolving Role of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Mississippi River Video 1 David Applegate, Director, U.S. Geological Survey
Prairie Island Indian Community Video 2 Johnny Johnson, President, Prairie Island Indian Community
Science: A Corps Perspective Video 3 Andy Ashley, Acting Director, Mississippi River Science & Technology Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
UMR Data Needs in Support of Effective Management Video 4 Brian Nerbonne, Chair, Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative Video 5 Hon. Errick Simmons, Hon. Jim Strickland, and Hon. Jorge Prince Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative
Data for Conservation in the Mississippi River Corridor Video 6 Karen Waldrop, Chief Conservation Officer, Ducks Unlimited
Addressing Science and Conservation Gaps in the Mississippi River Basin Video 7 Bryan Piazza, Director of Science, Louisiana and Mississippi River Basin, The Nature Conservancy
Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force Video 8 Katie Flahive, Coordinating Committee Co-Chair, Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force
Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee Video 9 Angeline Rodgers, Coordinator, Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee

Day Two: February 16

Day Two of the Science Forum focused on specific science topics. Several presenters from different agencies discussed an aspect of each science topic. Presentations are available below.

To see the presentation, click on the title of the presentation. To see information about the agency, click on the name of the agency.

Science Topic Presentation Presenter
Water Quality Upper Mississippi River Water Quality Status and Trends Lauren Salvato, Upper Mississippi River Basin Association
Mississippi River Harmful Algal Blooms Jennifer Graham, Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Sediment Transport in the Mississippi River Mead Allison & Barb Kleiss, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Tulane University
Restoring Habitat and Natural Systems Perspectives from Louisiana on the Science and Use of Mississippi River Resources James Pahl, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Understanding and Restoring the Upper Mississippi River System: Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program Jeff Houser, Research Ecologist, Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program
Lessons Learned from the Upper Mississippi River Sara Schmuecker, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Aquatic Invasive Species Aquatic Invasive Species Brad Parsons, Chairman, Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association
Aquatic Invasive Plants in the Mississippi River Gray Turnage, Geosystems Research Institute, Mississippi State University
Aquatic Invasive Species Kim Bogenschutz, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Welcome Back USGS
Improving Navigation Advocating for a Mightier Mississippi River Sean Duffy, Executive Director, Big River Coalition
MS River Science Forum Lynn Muench, Senior Vice President, American Waterways Operators
Local Resilience to Natural Disasters Meteorology & Hydrology Science Steve Buan, Hydrologist in Charge, North Central River Forecast Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Drought Molly Woloszyn, Regional Drought Information Coordinator, NOAA National Integrated Drought Information System
Pathways to Increased Local Resilience: Building Codes and FEMA Building Science Guidance John "Bud" Plisich, Civil Engineer, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Major Influences Mississippi River Major Influences Tributary Perspective Richard Harrison, Executive Director and Chief Engineer, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
Mississippi River Basin Initiative John Bullough, MRBI/NWQI Initiatives Coordnator, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Overview of MS Delta Drainage & Flood Control Bobby Thompson, Assistant Engineer, Mississippi Levee Board
Climate Science Along the Mississippi River Climate Science Across the Greater Mississippi River Basin Renee McPherson, University Director, South Central Climate Adaptation Center
Climate Science Needs on the Mississippi River Eileen Shader, Director, Floodplain Restoration, American Rivers