• picture
  • picture
  • picture
  • picture
Public Radio's Environmental News Magazine (follow us on Google News)

The Living on Earth Almanac

Air Date: Week of

Facts about... the Mississippi River.

Transcript

CURWOOD: Four hundred and fifty five years ago, Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto reached the Mississippi River, making him the first European to lay eyes on the Big Muddy. Since then the Mississippi has been a major route of American commerce, and a large part of our cultural heritage. The Mississippi suffered for centuries as the main drain of America's sewage system. Over the decades pollution from cities, industry and agriculture eroded aquatic plants that support migratory birds and other wildlife on the river. Mink is one such species. It used to be abundant on the upper Mississippi until the 1960s when PCB pollution on the river was at its highest. Now the mink is coming back but its population is still less than half what it was just 40 years ago. In addition to pollution threats, the Mississippi and its natural inhabitants are under invasion from a host of alien species, also brought to the Mississippi by humanity. Chief among these are the zebra mussel and the purple loose strife, which have displaced native animal and plant species. Despite all this there have been no documented extinctions on the Mississippi since the 1800s. It seems that despite almost everything we can do to it, it is still the Mighty Mississippi. And for this week that's the Living on Earth Almanac.

 

 

Living on Earth wants to hear from you!

Living on Earth
62 Calef Highway, Suite 212
Lee, NH 03861
Telephone: 617-287-4121
E-mail: comments@loe.org

Newsletter [Click here]

Donate to Living on Earth!
Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice.

Newsletter
Living on Earth offers a weekly delivery of the show's rundown to your mailbox. Sign up for our newsletter today!

Sailors For The Sea: Be the change you want to sea.

Creating positive outcomes for future generations.

Innovating to make the world a better, more sustainable place to live. Listen to the race to 9 billion

The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment: Committed to protecting and improving the health of the global environment.

Contribute to Living on Earth and receive, as our gift to you, an archival print of one of Mark Seth Lender's extraordinary wildlife photographs. Follow the link to see Mark's current collection of photographs.

Buy a signed copy of Mark Seth Lender's book Smeagull the Seagull & support Living on Earth