Who we are

Recognizing the value of inter-league cooperation, the boards of the Dubuque, Jo Daviess County, Cedar Rapids and La Crosse Leagues began meeting to develop and organize an Upper Mississippi River Region ILO to deal with Mississippi River Region issues.  From this work, the UMRR ILO was born, incorporated on October 24, 2015.  For more information, check our "About Us" page here.

Our History  

Some issues are best understood and dealt with on a regional level that transcends political boundaries. That’s especially true for water issues. What goes into the Upper Mississippi River is determined by decisions, actions, and choices made in a very large area​. The UMRR ILO is made up of 58 local Leagues and four state Leagues in the Upper Mississippi River watershed, from the Headwaters in Itasca State Park, Minnesota, to Cairo, Illinois, where the Ohio River enters the Mississippi.  We are a 501(c)3 organization incorporated in Wisconsin.  
The headwaters of the Mississippi River are found in northern Minnesota, in Itasca State Park.  This beautiful park is wondrous in the summer but pretty darned nice all year 'round.  

Our focus

The first focus of the UMRR ILO is working to reduce nutrient pollution - preventing 'too much of a good thing'. How can the UMRR ILO help fix such a problem?
  • By educating ourselves and our fellow citizens in over 75 different communities in 4 states to learn what we can do on an individual, community, regional, and national level to fix the problem
  • By capitalizing on the LWV relationships we have made with the legislators and regulators at every level of government to advocate for the legislation and/or regulations needed to fix the problem
  • By using our 501.c.3 status and pooling time and resources to apply for grants to help support our educational efforts and projects
  • By facilitating dialogue and collaborative efforts with LWVs in other sections of the country and along the Middle and Lower Mississippi River Regions through our mutual connections to the LWV-US.
  • By facilitating discussion, study and action among pairs or groups of LWVs in particular water sheds (as an example, the LWV of Jo Daviess County, IL and the LWV-Dubuque share the Apple Plum Water Shed)
  • By creating opportunities and means to exchange information
  • By capitalizing on our ability to develop regional positions on river resource issues and serve as an advocate of the Upper Mississippi River states’ collective interests before Congress and federal agencies.
  • By facilitating and fostering cooperative planning and coordinated management of the region’s water resources
  • By encouraging our governmental and educational institutions to share data and collaborate 

How is LWV UMRR different as an organization?  What is our niche in the environmental nonprofit world?  Here are thoughts from and LWV UMRR organizer, Bonnie Cox from LWV Jo Daviess County (IL), about what makes us different.
2016_thoughts_on_our_ilos_vision_mission_and_action_bonnie_cox.pdf
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