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.

Goals and Functions

• 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. 

• Build and disseminate a corpus of research and expertise that contributes to sound river management and the continuing sustainability of healthy and productive big river systems. 

• Promote the use of adaptive management and continuous improvement strategies that regularly apply lessons learned from the river/watershed sites to ongoing management practices and continuing research. 

• Develop and implement education and outreach programs that a) foster a greater understanding and appreciation for the great rivers and b) extend and apply knowledge gained from the research to protect and sustain the quality of river   environments.