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Mississippi River Goals

Two-thirds of the land area of Wisconsin is in the Mississippi River drainage basin. The river corridor itself is a major ecological resource and interstate transportation asset. The Department continues to devote significant attention to Mississippi River issues, including both mainstem and basin-wide activities.

Mainstem activities are implemented primarily by the DNR Mississippi River Basin Team and center around coordinated activities with the Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service and other states of the upper Mississippi sub-basin. Long-standing coordination teams provide the State of Wisconsin with the ability to influence and steer important decisions to accommodate navigation needs in an environmentally sound manner and foster environmental restoration along the river.

Basin-wide activities are concentrated in two areas, the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force which includes implementation of nutrient reduction recommendations, and the formation of the Governor’s Workgroup to highlight and focus state activities on the Mississippi River.

Goal: Assure effective coordination and leadership of interstate and interagency efforts to accommodate navigation needs in an environmentally sound manner and foster environmental restoration along the river.

Performance Measures/Activities:

• Continue active participation and/or leadership of; the River Resources Forum (RRF), the River Resources Coordinating Committee (RRCT), the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA), the Environmental Management Program Coordinating Committee (EMP-CC), the NECC, and associated task forces. [Wisconsin currently chairs the RRF, RRCT and UMRBA]

Goal: Effectively implement established plans and programs, and successfully complete projects.

Performance Measures/Activities:

• Perform Environmental Management Program (EMP) and drawdown projects on individual project schedules negotiated with all involved federal agencies and border states.
• Perform long-term monitoring and focused research projects to identify resource problems, according to individual project schedules.
• Implement Wisconsin regulations for fish, wildlife, and water quality while attempting to reflect adjacent states’ and federal laws.

Goal: Maintain active participation on the Hypoxia Task Force and related committees.

Performance Measures/Activities:

• Participate on Task Force and Coordinating Committee, including attendance at all calls and the scheduled meetings, including August 2005 for the coordinating committee and November 2005 for the full Task force.
• Participate on Upper Mississippi River Sub-basin Hypoxia Nutrient Committee (UMRSHNC) including co-sponsoring the September 2005 nutrient management Symposium.
• Participate in the EPA’s Nutrient Management workshop in October 2005, and documentation of nutrient reduction activities by the state of Wisconsin within the basin by June 2007.
• Participation on Governor’s Workgroup resulting in coordinated input to the redrafting of the Farm Bill, including participation at all conference calls and input to the drafting of the position paper on the farm bill by June 2006.