Organizations like River Action in Davenport, Iowa, work with governments and businesses to rebuild riverfront communities.
The Mississippi River has come a long way since Huck Finn went
rafting down the banks of the waterway that flows from northern
Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.
In
that time, the Great River has transitioned from steamboat commerce to
broader agricultural and industrial development. But time hasn't been a
friend to the communities that sit on the shores of the second-longest
river in the country: Pollution levels rose steadily and development
destroyed much of the natural wildlife that used to grace its shores.
However,
in recent decades, different riverfront-development organizations have
sprung up along the Mississippi River that have helped boost
communities' economies, promote recreation, and stem the flow of pollution.
One of those groups is River Action—a
small nonprofit outfit based in Davenport, Iowa, one of the cities in
Illinois and Iowa that make up the Quad Cities area along the
Mississippi and Rock Rivers. The area has a long industrial history,
having served as the hub for John Deere, an agriculture machinery
company.
Beyond these programs, River Action has been key to developing more
than 65 miles of riverfront biking and walking trails in the Quad Cities
area. When the organization was founded 30 years ago, there were only
two miles of trails.
"The
city of Davenport doesn't have the time or money to put into a project
like this, but the organization can do that," Bandman said. "We make the
changes happen. We bring everyone together to do it."
When
Father's Day rolls around in June—right about the time that weather
starts to get consistently warm in the Midwest—the group hosts an event
called Ride the River for families to enjoy the trails, along with
picnics, fishing, and games. The event starts in the morning in downtown
Davenport, as hundreds of people ride up to Bettendorf, Iowa, cross the
river on a barge, and finish on the Illinois side. All of the proceeds
for the event go toward future trail development, and the events bring
in sponsorship from local businesses.
Bringing
people to the riverfront, where local shops and restaurants sit, allows
businesses to thrive in these communities along the Mississippi River.
Also, since the community gets much of its water from the river, using
better environmental practices in the area in turn creates cleaner water
and saves tax dollars.
The Mississippi River, however, is still one of the most polluted
waterways in the United States. But River Action is just one of the
many groups trying to improve the environment and the economics of
riverfront towns that Mark Twain once called "pleasing to the eye, and
cheering to the spirit."
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