Enduring and Defining....

The Mississippi River is an enduring and defining feature of North America. We invite all who are interested in the restoration and revitalization of this valuable natural resource to join us in this important work! All are welcome to attend our board meetings and our educational programs, just register when you see the invitation. As always, we very much appreciate the continued support of the local Leagues in our Upper Mississippi River Region. Our work is made possible by your dues and donations.  

Read about the work of LWV UMRR in this Annual Report by our dedicated Chair, Mary Ellen Miller!  

This Annual Report covers the period from the 2023 to 2024 Annual Meetings, so June 2023 to May 2024. 

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The LWV UMRR Board has openings for Board members to represent Illinois and Wisconsin, and our Nominations Committee is gearing up now.  If you are interested, reach out to Mary Ellen Miller at [email protected] and she'll pass your name on.  

The Board meetings are virtual  and happen on the first Monday of even numbered months, taking place in the late afternoon at 4:30pm.  Our annual meeting is in May, which is also virtual and will be held on a weekend or in the evening.   The only in-person event for Board members is the annual retreat, which will be in Alton, Illinois August 8-10.  We do have stipends available to help offset travel costs.   Our goal is to make the Board accommodating of work schedules and to avoid financial burdens.  

Our bi-monthly educational events are recorded and links to the videos and supporting info are posted on the LWV UMRR website on the "Past Program Videos" page.   Our annual meeting program was not recorded, please refer to Steven Marking's website for more information on seeing the video or booking a live performance.  ​

Committees:
Communication Committee - we are looking for people to join the Communications Committee.  Here, we are responsible for LWV UMRR's monthly newsletter and managing the LWV UMRR website.  We also do the annual communications with our member Leagues around the Annual Meeting.   Committee members will develop skills in using MailChimp for newsletters and Weebly for websites, both free software that gives a more professional look to communications.  We are also looking for someone to give us more of a presence in social media.

Action Committee - Action Committee meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month, at 4:30 via Zoom.  Kay Slama is Chair of the Action Committee and she is very effective at running efficient meetings and providing the tools needed for the work.  You can read her 2024 annual report on our website at this link.  

Here's a message from Chair Mary Ellen Miller:  JOIN our LWV UMRR Action Committee!
The LWV Upper Mississippi River Region Action Committee is seeking more participants from any dues-paying local League members within our five-state region.  The Action Committee’s focus is to advocate for both state and federal legislation and regulation that supports our mission to protect the Upper MS River region from pollution degrading our drinking water supply, destroying wildlife habitat and contributing to the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.

New Members Welcome!  The Committee meets monthly via ZOOM (currently third Tuesday at 4:30 pm).   Kay Slama is Chair of the Action Committee and she is very effective at running efficient meetings and providing the tools needed for the work.  You can read her 2024 annual report on our website at this link.  The major topics we are following include: CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations), Farm Bill (conservation programs) reauthorization, corporate capture of state/federal agencies, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), CO2 pipelines, coal ash storage, MS River Compact, Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI).

If any of these topics are of interest to you or you have expertise to share we invite you to sign up for our Action Committee meeting notices (insert link here).  Come and sit in on a few meetings then let us know you want to join the Committee.  There are no term limits, you can drop off at any time.  This is a great way to expand your knowledge about water quality issues in our region and learn how to be an effective advocate for the river. 

We love LWV members cross-pollinating with like-minded environmental organizations.  Action Committee members also serve as liaison to like-minded organizations:  state Environmental Councils, Sierra Club, Isaak Walton League, Upper MS River Basin Association, National Wildlife Association, Clean Water for All, One Mississippi (formerly MS River Network), LWV US Climate Interest Group (CIG), American Farmland Trust, Prairie Rivers Network, LWV Lake Michigan ILO, and 100 Grannies.  
If you are interested in joining a committee, contact Mary Ellen at  [email protected] and she'll get you hooked up!  ​

LWV UMRR Board at the 2024 Board Retreat, Quad Cities Iowa. Left to right, Catherine Franczyk (IL), EJ Gallagher (IA), Paula Ekstrom (IL), Lee Ekstrom (IL), Gretchen Sabel (MN), Mary Ellen Miller (IA), Nancy Porter (IA), Mickey Croyle (MO), Kay Slama (MN) and Tam Prenosil (IA). On computer via Zoom - Sheryl Eufinger (MO), Megan Benage (MN) and Colleen Werdien (MN)