Environmental Education

Research findings help guide the Center's education programs . . .

	Research and Education Research findings from NGRREC staff and others help guide the Center’s education programs to increase public understanding of big rivers, their watersheds and floodplains, and the interaction between the rivers and their human, plant, and animal communities. The results are also presented at workshops and symposia on topics including river health, river communities, and ecological restoration.
	Public Outreach NGRREC offers workshops, symposia and professional development courses for researchers, educators, practicing ecologists and others working in the environmental sciences and related fields. Lewis and Clark’s Office of Sustainability offers both credit and non-credit courses and workshops on topics such as composting, rainwater harvesting, rain gardening, and landscaping with prairie plants. NGRREC periodically hosts public symposia on issues related to the ecology and management of our great rivers. Recent conferences have focused on restoring the Cache River in southern Illinois, the long-term sustainability of the Mississippi River, and bottomland ecosystem restoration in the Mississippi River system.
	The Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station The NGRREC field station is located in East Alton, Illinois, near the National Great Rivers Museum along Illinois Route 143 and adjacent to the Melvin Price Locks and Dam. The Center is a model of green construction, with minimal environmental impact, integrated renewable energy systems, and internal recycling systems. The Center includes features such as bioswales, a vegetative roof, experimental permeable pavement, a solar thermal hot-water system, and skylight tubes. Rainwater from the green roof and gray water from wash basins and drains are collected and recycled for non-potable uses, including irrigation and cleaning of vehicles. For more information, visit www.ngrrec.org
	Maple Island Maple Island, containing approximately 350 acres of floodplain forest habitat, is located directly across the Mississippi River from the Confluence Field Station. NGRREC has a license from the US Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District to utilize Maple Island for a variety of environmental research studies, including the impact of flooding on vegetation diversity, migratory and nesting bird habitats, ecological succession, the influence of river island habitats on species diversity, and the role of disturbance on ecological functions and processes in large river floodplains.