Program to focus on Mo. River
endangered species, ecosystem recovery

     (April 18, 2008) – Certain fish and bird populations have dramatically declined along the Missouri River due to loss of habitats. A program about the causes of the decline and prospects for recovery will be presented at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 27 at the Betty Strong Encounter Center. Admission will be free.

     The event is part of an Encounter Center series designed to stir interest in the Missouri River as a unique setting for a rich diversity of life.

     The pallid sturgeon, interior least tern and piping plover are all on the federal government’s threatened and endangered species list. Galen Jons, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers biologist, will discuss sandbar projects which provide nesting habitat for the least tern and piping plover.

     Gerald Mestl, a fisheries research biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, will focus on pallid sturgeon spawning in the middle Missouri River. Mark Drobish, Army Corps biologist, will talk about basin-wide efforts for pallid recovery.

     The new Missouri River Ecosystem Recovery Plan will be discussed by Wayne Nelson-Stastny, coordinator of the Missouri River Natural Resources Committee for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

      The endangered species program is presented by the Center in cooperation with the Izaak Walton League of America, one of the nation's oldest conservation organizations. Izaak Walton has almost 300 chapters dedicated to caring for the country’s natural heritage and improving outdoor recreational opportunities.

     The Betty Strong Encounter Center is a private, non-profit institution connected to the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center on the Missouri Riverfront, exit 149 off I-29. It was built and is sustained by Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD). For more information, visit www.siouxcitylcic.comm or call 712-224-5242

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