Island building aids (Mississippi) river's habitat

Yahoo News ^ | September 15, 2007 | Todd Richmond

[Clintonfatigued]

On the Mississippi River below the verdant bluffs that mark the far southern Minnesota-Wisconsin line, the federal government is waging a multi-million dollar campaign against the elements.

For the last few weeks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has transformed a 3-mile stretch of river into a floating construction zone, restoring and creating new river islands.

The goal: restore wildlife habitat lost to a half-century of erosion and, in turn, bolstering fishing, waterfowl migration and the overall health of the river's northern stretches.

No one has tried a restoration program of this size on such a large river, said Marvin Hubbell, regional manager for the project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

So far it's gotten favorable reviews from the engineering community and river lovers. Officials are considering it as a model for restoration on the Rio Grande as well as the Parana River in Brazil and the Yangtze River in China, Hubbell said.