Missouri River Information Packets
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The Missouri River is home to fascinating creatures, as well as many issues. That is why Missouri River Relief, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River felt it was necessary to develop information packets about the Missouri River. Designed for high school students, these packets introduce and discuss a broad range of information; from the giants who dwell in the depths, to the consequences of the interaction between cities and the Missouri River. Each topic is accompanied by a summary description of what it is, why it is, and why it is important to the Missouri River.
Volume 1 of the Missouri River Information Packets covers three areas:
[Collection created September 12, 2018]
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Item Piping plover : endangered species(Missouri River Relief, 2018) Missouri River Relief"The Piping Plover's largest vulnerability comes from its nesting habits. Large, open sandy areas are the first places cities look when developing beaches. Unfortunately, Piping Plovers are also looking for this exact habitat to lay their eggs. They are a skittish species and will abandon their nests if they sense too much disturbance. The development of U.S. shorelines around the Great Lakes and the Missouri River has drastically diminished the choice of suitably secluded locations for breeding pairs and has led to a huge reduction in the amount of young that are hatched. ... Along with shoreline land development, Piping Plovers have also been affected by other human activities, like dams that regulate Missouri River flows. Before dams regulated the flow of the Missouri River, frequent flooding would clear sandbars of vegetation and create new habitats for Piping Plovers to build their nests. Now that there is less flooding, many sandbars along the Missouri River are overcome with vegetation, thus diminishing the available habitat for the Piping Plover. Agricultural land-use practices that stabilize river banks also reduce shallow water and sand shorelines critical for Piping Plover nesting. While Piping Plovers struggle in their Missouri River habitat, they are in the most danger in the Great Lakes region. A 2009 review of the Piping Plover population by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that the Atlantic Coast and Northern Great Plains (Missouri River) populations should maintain their threatened status and the Great Lakes population should maintain its endangered status."--Page 1-2.Item Pallid sturgeon : endangered species(Missouri River Relief, 2018) Missouri River Relief"Pallid Sturgeon were commercially harvested from the mid-1800s until they were listed as endangered in 1990. They were harvested primarily for their valuable eggs to make caviar. However, by far the largest threat to this species is thought to be habitat alteration associated with dams and channelization. The dams have impeded spawning migrations, potentially disrupted river flow spawning cues, and fragmented the Missouri River so larvae now drift into reservoir habitats where they cannot survive. Channelization and bank stabilization have reduced the variety of the Lower Missouri River and Mississippi River so there is not as much slow, shallow water. Because of this, there has been a huge reduction in the amount of habitat available for spawning and rearing, as well as reduced populations of the smaller native fishes the Pallid Sturgeon feeds upon. Pallid Sturgeon also have another unexpected disadvantage: their longevity. Although they can live 40 years or more, and females may not reach maturity until they are 7 to 15 years old, while males may take 5 to 7 years to become reproductively ready. This longevity, coupled with the time to reach maturity, makes them less adaptable to change and slow to respond to management actions designed to restore populations."--Page 2.Item Interior least tern : endangered species(Missouri River Relief, 2018) Missouri River Relief"Facing threats of habitat loss or degradation, Interior Least Terns have struggled to maintain their population throughout the United States. Man-made dams placed throughout the Missouri River reduce the occurance of natural flooding. Natural flooding is beneficial for the Interior Least Tern because it creates new sandbar habitat and scours vegetation from existing sandbars. Because their primary breeding nesting habitat is located on river sandbars and along lake and reservoir shorelines, they are vulnerable to increasing river discharge flooding their nests. Hydro-electric dams on the Missouri River discharge water during the the energy generation process, so water levels will fluctuate based off of the activity of the dam that divides the water body. ... Due to habitat protection and enhancement, Interior Least Tern numbers have increased substantially since they were listed, especially along the Lower Mississippi River. A 2013 status review recommended they be delisted, contingent on sustained monitoring to ensure population trends are sustainable over time and on development of agreements with federal river-management agencies to continue current conservation measures to support their recovery."--Page 1-2.Item Zebra mussel : invasive species(Missouri River Relief, 2018) Missouri River Relief"Reasons for Invasive Status: Originally from the seas of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, this species was accidentally brought over by cargo ships coming into the Great Lakes from the Black Sea. Zebra Mussels can spread so quickly because not only do they reproduce in huge numbers, but they can also survive multiple days out of water, allowing them to be transported on boats and other equipment. It is unclear how to stop Zebra Mussels from speading once they arrive in an ecosystem. Zebra Mussels were found in Missouri in 1991 in the Mississippi River. By 1999 they spread to the Missouri River near Sioux City, Iowa. They have also been found in the lower Meramec River and the Osage River. They are spreading throughout lakes in Missouri too, and have been reported in the Lake of the Ozarks and Bull Shoals Lake. They cause problems for ecosystems primarily by eating the same food that native fish need to grow, making fish population growth more difficult. Zebra Mussels also cause problems for humans by damaging boat parts and clogging pipes used for water supply. Their sharp shells can litter swimming areas, cutting the feet of beach-goers."--Page 1-2.Item Silver carp : invasive species(Missouri River Relief, 2018) Missouri River Relief"Reasons for Invasive Status: Silver Carp are native to eastern Asia, but were imported to the United States in 1973, primarily as a biological water quality control mechanism in fish hatcheries to clean up excess plankton in the water. The fish were also stocked in various other locations, such as sewage treatment facilities, for the same reasons. The fish escaped these impoundments during flood events, and were introduced into the free-flowing rivers, such as the Missouri River, where they flourished and spread. These fish are so successful because they eat a lot of plankton, competing directly with native planktivores, such as Paddlefish and Gizzard Shad. Since plankton form the base of any aquatic food chain, they can also affect an entire ecosystem, therefore food can run out or be reduced for all animals and the whole ecosystem suffers as a result. Their presence is often linked to the decline of native species with similar feeding habits and with fish with early life stages that compete with adult Silver Carp. In addition, the sounds of boat motors or paddles slapping water can disturb Silver Carp and cause them to leap from the water as high as ten feet into the air."--Page 1-2.