News Archive November 2023Nov 10, 2023NGRREC Presents New Documentary about the Bird-voiced TreefrogNational Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠), in collaboration with Route 3 Films, announces the premiere of their new documentary, “The Call of the Swamp: Investigating the State-Threatened Bird-voiced Treefrog.”October 2023Oct 23, 2023Submissions Open for NGRREC’s World Water Day Photo Contest Photographers young and old are invited to join the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s (NGRREC℠) World Water Day Photo Contest. Submissions should relate to celebrating the Mississippi River, which can be thought of as a tapestry of nature, heritage and beauty.Oct 23, 2023RiverWatch Seeks Winter Volunteers to Study Road Salt ImpactWinter is quickly approaching, and Illinois RiverWatch is preparing to train community members to monitor chloride levels in local rivers, ponds, streams and wetlands.Oct 12, 2023NGRREC’s October Neighbor Night is All About BatsWelcome in the spooky season by learning all about bats with biologist and bat researcher Brittany Rogness at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s (NGRREC℠) next Neighbor Night event, Oct. 17.September 2023Sep 8, 2023September Neighbor Night: Celebrating 21 years of Water Festival!The upcoming September Neighbor Night at the National Great River Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) will celebrate 21 years of Water Festival. All are welcome. Community members will have the chance to share their memories and learn about all of the incredible programs Water Festival has facilitated over the years.Sep 7, 2023Call for stories and pictures from the Great Flood of 1993The next National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) newsletter will be a special edition featuring a collection of personal accounts and photos of the Great Flood of 1993 from community members.August 2023Aug 24, 2023NGRREC Awarded American Water Charitable Foundation 2023 Water and Environment GrantThe National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) announced this week that it is the recipient of an American Water Charitable Foundation 2023 Water and Environment grant, focused on the expansion of the Water Festival experience to the Chicago and Bellville service areas.Aug 18, 2023Donors Needed for 21st Annual NGRREC, Lewis and Clark Water FestivalLewis and Clark Community College and its National Great Rivers Research and Education Center will host the 21st Annual Water Festival, Sept. 29.Aug 18, 2023Weather Station for Gathering Atmospheric Data Deployed on Field Station RoofVisitors to the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station will notice a new addition atop its iconic green roof.Aug 8, 2023NGRREC Celebrated Female Leadership for Back-to-School Neighbor NightCommunity members, legislators, Girl Scouts and staff from the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) gathered Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the Jerry F. Costello Field Station to celebrate female leadership in policy and science.Aug 3, 2023NGRREC Collecting Back-to-School Donations, Now Through Aug. 10The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) is hosting a Back-to-School supplies drive during an upcoming Local Legislator Neighbor Nights event, Tuesday, Aug. 8.Aug 3, 2023Great River Ecological Observatory Network (GREON) Station Deployed in Mississippi River BasinEarly Monday morning, July 31, NGRREC researchers took to the Mississippi River to deploy one of their GREON stations.July 2023Jul 31, 2023NGRREC and Girl Scout Troop 375 to Host Local Legislator Neighbor NightJoin the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center and Girl Scout Troop 325 at the Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station in East Alton for an evening highlighting female leadership in science and policy.Jul 19, 2023Phillips 66 Awards Funds to Dell Ecology Lab at NGRRECThe Dell Ecology Lab at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) of Lewis and Clark Community College was recently awarded $50,000 by Phillips 66.Jul 7, 2023Environmental Defense Fund Hosts Workshop at NGRRECNationwide participants quantified the downstream benefits of natural infrastructure.Jul 6, 2023NGRREC Interns from Lewis and Clark Present at Statewide Wildlife ConferenceTwo interns from the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, who are also Lewis and Clark Community College alumni, presented their research at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the Wildlife Society (ICTWS) in Champaign, Illinois, this past April. June 2023Jun 14, 2023Exhibitors Wanted for 21st Annual NGRREC, Lewis and Clark Water FestivalGet involved as an exhibitor or by funding a student’s attendanceJun 6, 2023NGRREC Welcomes New Education Specialist, Jolena PangEarlier this spring, Jolena Pang joined the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) education team as an environmental educator.Jun 6, 2023NGRREC River Days of Action: Coffee and CleanupParticipate in a Watershed Cleanup and Learn About Mississippi River Plastic Pollution InitiativeMay 2023May 4, 2023Volunteers Needed for Tree Planting in Alton May 7-8Volunteers are needed to help the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) and the Three Rivers Project plant trees in Alton, Sunday, May 7 and Monday, May 8.March 2023Mar 7, 2023NGRREC Documentaries to Screen at UN World Water Film FestivalRiverwatch Film About Mussels Set to Open FestivalMar 1, 2023RiverWatch Volunteers Monitor Stream Health Across IllinoisIllinois RiverWatch Network will host several training sessions across the state in March and April. The sessions will teach community members how to monitor the health of their local streams.January 2023Jan 10, 2023Illinois RiverWatch Hosting Mussel Film PremiereIllinois RiverWatch will be premiering their film “Biodiversity of Freshwater Mussels: Community Science in Action” along with a short presentation highlighting community science during the next National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s Neighbor Nights event, Jan. 17. November 2022Nov 28, 2022NGRREC Partners with Local CODES ProgramThis year, the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) is partnering with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Community Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES) to solve key issues in the regionNov 9, 2022New Data Portal Showcases Arkansas Water Quality TrendsTracking nutrient loads in Arkansas just got easier. A new data portal was recently launched on the Great Lakes to Gulf (GLTG) Virtual Observatory that showcases Arkansas water quality trends with a focus on nitrogen and phosphorus loads. Nov 9, 2022NGRREC Interns Exhibit Their Projects The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) will highlight the work of its interns and staff during a special November Neighbor Nights event on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.October 2022Oct 28, 2022NGRREC Celebrates 20th AnniversaryArea dignitaries, along with officials from Lewis and Clark Community College and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠), gathered at the Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station, Oct. 27, 2022, to celebrate NGRREC’s 20th anniversary.Oct 19, 2022Volunteers Needed for Fall Tree Planting Events in AltonVolunteers are needed throughout October to help the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) the Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois and the City of Alton plant trees in Alton, Illinois.Oct 13, 2022RiverWatch Seeks Winter Volunteers to Study Road Salt ImpactWinter is quickly approaching, and Illinois RiverWatch is hoping to train community members to monitor for chloride levels in local streams to identify areas where salt use is impacting water quality. Oct 10, 2022Direct Benefits of Fire on Prairie EcosystemsOctober through mid-April marks prescribed burn season for the Habitat Strike Team, part of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC). Oct 5, 2022NGRREC Announces ‘Kids on The River’ Film PremiereJoin the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) for the first screening of “Kids on the River” a film showcasing high school students exploring the Mississippi River watershed. Oct 3, 202220th Anniversary of Water FestivalNine regional fifth-grade classes explored interactive booths focusing on the importance of water during the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) 20th Annual Water Festival, held Friday, Sept. 30, at the Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey campus.September 2022Sep 22, 2022Experts Discuss Exciting Research at Fall Speaker SeriesJoin Illinois RiverWatch, part of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) for their virtual Fall Speaker Series, starting October 4 and running through early November. Sep 12, 2022It's Official: New Educator at NGRREC TeamEnvironmental Educator Erica Doerr has joined the education team at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) and will be responsible for developing earth science curriculum for teachers throughout Illinois, as well as leading community outreach events. She started her new role in early September. Sep 6, 2022New Research Crucial for Dragonfly and Damselfly PopulationsOver the next two years, scientists at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) are investigating dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) throughout Central and Southern Illinois.August 2022Aug 30, 2022Outstanding Biologist Fills a New Role at NGRREC Jenny Mullikin joined the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center staff this month as a new assistant scientist with a focus on wetlands ecology. Aug 24, 2022Learn to Monitor Streams with Illinois RiverWatchIllinois RiverWatch staff are looking for volunteers to help monitor local streams throughout the Metro East region at three events this September. Aug 4, 2022Protect Threatened Mussel Populations, Volunteer TodayFor over a decade, volunteers with the Illinois RiverWatch program, part of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠), has been monitoring mussel populations in the Upper Sangamon River. July 2022Jul 6, 2022Successful Summer Interns Exhibit Their Projects The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center will highlight the work of its interns and staff during a special July Neighbor Nights event on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.June 2022Jun 27, 2022New Amphibian and Reptile Guide Sparks InterestThe National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s Terrestrial Ecologist John Crawford, along with co-authors Christopher Phillips and Andrew Kuhns, recently published a field guide focusing on Illinois amphibians and reptiles.Jun 21, 2022Valuable Research on Protected Frog Populations Found in Illinois EAST ALTON – The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) is currently in its second year of a treefrog research project taking place in southern Illinois’ bald cypress swamps. Jun 13, 2022Accidental Fire Reignites Land Management Plan for PalisadesThe National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) staff and land management partners visited the Palisades Nature Preserve near Grafton recently to gain a better understanding of how the Nov. 19, 2021, wildfire affected the preserves’ rare hill prairies.Jun 7, 2022Discover New Actions You Can Take to Support Healthier RiversMississippi River Network (MRN) Policy Director Maisah Khan will be the featured presenter at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s upcoming hybrid Neighbor Nights event, June 21.Jun 2, 2022Mettler-Cherry Fills New Director Role at NGRRECFormer Southwestern Illinois College Dean of Math and Sciences Paige Mettler-Cherry has joined the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), a division of Lewis and Clark Community College, as the new Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives.May 2022May 16, 2022Possibilities are Blooming in NGRREC’s Education DepartmentSpring brings new possibilities, not only in nature, but also in the education department at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC). May 10, 2022Volunteers Needed for Tree Planting in Alton May 25Volunteers are needed to help the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) and the Three Rivers Project plant trees in Alton on Wednesday, May 25. May 4, 2022Local Students Excel at Spring InternshipBetsy Papin and Jacob Futrell are two local college students currently interning with the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center.May 3, 2022NGRREC Staff Shine at Wildlife Society MeetingThree National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) staff members were among the experts featured during the 2022 annual meeting of the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society (ICTWS).April 2022Apr 28, 2022Volunteers Wanted for Tree Planting in AltonVolunteers are needed to help the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) and the Three Rivers Project plant trees in Alton on Saturday, May 7.Apr 26, 2022Cutting-edge Microplastic ResearchThe National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) team is launching a multi-year microplastics initiative to understand how plastics are affecting our freshwater ecosystems.