October Project Spotlight: Climate-Driven Connectivity Between Prairie-Pothole and Riparian Wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River Watershed

The Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center's October Project Spotlight is "Climate-Driven Connectivity Between Prairie-Pothole and Riparian Wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River Watershed: Implications for Wildlife Habitat and Water Quality"

Owen McKenna, of the MW CASC and USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, leads?this project?that aims?to quantify the impact of wetlands on reducing nutrient inputs to the Minnesota River and to estimate the impacts that increased precipitation and wetland drainage have on wetland ecosystems.?

In October, researchers hosted an interagency workshop on wetland-stream connectivity and climate change in St. Paul, Minn. This workshop brought Tribal, federal, state, and NGO conservation organizations together with USGS, US EPA, and university scientists to co-develop decision support tools to help incorporate climate change in conservation planning in the Minnesota River Basin.?

Afterward, as part of ongoing Tribal engagement around this project, McKenna gave a presentation on the workshop to the Minnesota Tribal Environmental Council and attended the Tribal Water Workshop hosted by the Prairie Island Indian Community and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

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