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Most of the Minneapolis campus of the U of M is located within the boundaries of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service that recognizes the national importance of the Mississippi River to the Nation’s history, cultural heritage, and environmental and economic health. Located near the top of the third largest watershed in the world (the Mississippi River basin is larger than the entire country of France!) the Twin Cities metropolitan area carries a tremendous responsibility not to harm the ecological and economic health of the river for all of the people downstream.
How can you be a part of this? Easy! The campus River Rangers student organization hosts programs that are entertaining and informative, organizes recreational activities and gets together with the Park Service and other organizations for service projects like habitat restoration. Want more? How about a class based on the Mississippi River? There are a few now and more being created all the time. Or you can make a course in nearly any major a “river course” by doing a service learning project, signing up for a community internship, or setting up a term paper on a river subject. The possibilities are endless!
We obviously think the Mississippi River is a pretty big deal, and if it has “gotten in your blood” too, then maybe you want to set out to make a career out of working on the great river. You don’t have to be a scientist or an engineer, (although they are always welcome). The Park Service and its partners have recently hired planners, landscape architects, education specialists, and biologists. In fact there are at least 8 students who have been involved with River Life in the past three years who are now working professionally in river-oriented careers.
Check out the projects on this page, which are student work from a 1000 level class and a 3000 level class. The 3000 level project was a group project involving students from multiple colleges, while the 1000 level class material was developed by individual students and compiled for a later course exercise.
To learn more about how you can be a part of the exciting opportunities send an email to rlp@umn.edu.
