Our wetlands and floodplains protection program consists of bringing legal challenges to environmentally detrimental floodplain development and the over-engineering of rivers by means of levees and dams which destroy floodplains and aggravate flooding risk.
Wetlands provide critical habitats to a diverse range of species. One such species is the white egret which can be found in Missouri during both breeding and migration periods.
A primary component of this program consists of monitoring permit applications to dredge and fill wetlands. Great Rivers issues comments on proposals and assists environmental groups and individuals in their legal challenges to protect wetlands. These activities affect all of the people who inhabit and work in the watersheds of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers which drain major portions of the central and northwestern United States.
The vital role Missouri’s wetlands serve in flood management and maintaining water quality is routinely disregarded. These rich ecosystems which covered of 11% of the state have been decimated to a mere 1%.