Who We Are

The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠), a division of Lewis and Clark Community College, is dedicated to the study of great river systems and the communities that use them. The center aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds, and their associated communities. NGRREC℠ was founded in 2002 through a collaborative partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Natural History Survey and Lewis and Clark Community College.

Our Mission

The center's scholars and scientists study the ecology of the big rivers, the workings of the watersheds that feed them, and the ties to the river communities that use them.

Our Goals and Functions

• To conduct research that makes significant contributions to our understanding of big rivers and their watersheds.
• Actively solicit community and other stakeholder input to ensure that our research is truly relevant and responsive to societal needs.
• To promote the use of adaptive management and continuous improvement strategies that regularly apply lessons learned from the river/watershed sites to ongoing sustainable management practices, continuing research, and policy development.
• To develop and implement education and outreach programs that foster a greater understanding and appreciation for the great rivers and extend and apply knowledge gained from the research to protect and sustain the quality of river environments.