Saving the Mighty Miss

Years of tinkering by the Army Corps of Engineers has inexorably harmed the fragile ecosystem of the Lower Mississippi River. Although the river flows unimpeded by dams along the final 1,000 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, it is hardly the meandering, impetuous stream Mark Twain knew. With levees constricting its overflows and thousands of dikes funneling its water into the narrow navigation channel, the Lower Mississippi has beer retooled to perform two functions: floal barges and expel floods. Here, Charlier discusses how six states have banded together to reverse the damage.