A Season of Connection: People, Place, and the River

By Anne Conway

A view of paddlers on the Mississippi River taking part in the River Queens Paddling Series hosted by Will Dilg Chapter President Anne Conway at Winona’s Prairie Island Campground. Photo courtesy of Anne Conway.

Labor Day Weekend is coming up, youth are headed back to school, and the songbirds are already beginning their migration! Summer has been full of opportunities to get outside, learn together, and care for the watershed we love. We've paddled the river each week with young and wise alike, spent 10 weeks with Young Ike's through Adventure Club and Youth Crew, and gathered data through weekly observations of phenology, water quality, and pollinators. Saturday morning and evening family activities brought people together along the river, while art and conversation filled the Campfire Concert Series. And in the midst of it all, we made time to connect with the League of Women Voters around our shared passion for community-engaged stewardship of the Upper Mississippi River watershed.

We've taken a break from our monthly meetings this summer to tend to these many opportunities to engage our community with the rivers, streams, bluffs, prairies, and backwaters that make this place special. Now, as we turn toward fall, our attention shifts from summer exploration to deeper stewardship: taking a closer look at stream health, getting our hands dirty with habitat enhancement projects, continuing to gather and share community science, and learning more about the changes we are seeing across the watershed.

I look forward to getting back together with everyone this fall—to continue learning, growing alongside one another, and finding meaningful ways to advocate for the River and the lands and waters that sustain it.

Now is also a time to make our voices heard. What are we seeing? What are we learning? What do we hope for the future of the River and its watershed? And where should we be directing our state and local resources to protect and restore these places? I look forward to hearing from each of you about what matters most and how the Will Dilg Chapter can help bring those voices, observations, and hopes into the conversation and action.