The Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex was established for the protection of migratory birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds. It is located along the Mississippi Flyway , one of the major routes for migrating waterfowl. Refuge units also provide important habitat for big-river fish and a variety of other native wildlife such as deer, fox, beaver, frogs, turtles, and snakes. Key goals are to conserve and enhance the quality and diversity of fish and wildlife and their habitats, to restore floodplain functions in the river corridor, and to provide wildlife-related recreational experiences for the public.
18-689: Several units within the Complex were established in the 1940s following construction of the lock and dam system . Those units were consolidated into Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge in 1958. Since then, other areas have been added to Mark Twain, which now includes 45,000 acres (180 km) scattered along 345 miles (555 km) of the Mississippi River and short distances up the Illinois and Iowa rivers. In 2000, Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge
36-727: A century the inspections and hearings have been held aboard the M/V Mississippi and its predecessors. There are seven members on the commission. The current President of the Mississippi River Commission is U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Major General Diana M. Holland . The mission is executed through the United States Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division Districts in St. Paul, Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans. The headquarters of
54-625: A small portion continues to seep out of the 200 miles (300 km) of the Delta shoreline. During the American Civil War , Head of Passes was the site of several naval battles. The Anaconda Plan called for a large Union blockade of the Confederacy, and included plans to control the Mississippi River. This began in 1861 with a Union blockade stationed at the Head of Passes. This occupation resulted in
72-511: Is an agency of the Department of the Interior . 40°0′N 91°20′W / 40.000°N 91.333°W / 40.000; -91.333 This article related to a protected area in Illinois is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mississippi Valley Division The United States Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division ( MVD ) is responsible for
90-600: Is directly responsible to the Chief of Engineers . Within the authorities delegated, MVD Commander directs and supervises the individual District Commanders. MVD duties include preparing engineering studies and design, constructing, operating, and maintaining flood control and river and harbor facilities and installations, administering the laws on civil works activities, acquiring, managing, and disposing of real estate, and mobilization support of military, natural disaster, and national emergency operations. The Mississippi River Commission
108-580: Is responsible for the design and construction of the Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) which seeks to provide 100 Year storm protection to the City of New Orleans. The Mississippi Valley Division is made up of six districts, based in St. Paul, Minnesota , Rock Island, Illinois , St. Louis, Missouri , Memphis, Tennessee , Vicksburg, Mississippi , and New Orleans, Louisiana . The Division Commander
126-659: The Battle of the Head of Passes , where the blockading forces were temporarily driven from the area. Ships involved in the ensuing conflict at the location include the CSS ; Manassas , the USS ; Vincennes , and the USS Richmond . Port Eads is located at the southern tip of South Pass. The Head of Passes is the datum from which mileages on the Lower Mississippi River are measured. Algiers Point , for instance,
144-565: The Red River of the South . The division includes all or parts of 13 states: Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. The mission of the division is to serve the Mississippi Valley region by managing the watersheds and developing collaborative engineering solutions that will reduce risks through
162-786: The Corps water resources programs within 370,000-square-miles of the Mississippi River Valley , as well as the watershed portions of the Red River of the North that are within the United States. It encompasses the entire Mississippi River from Lake Itasca , Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico. It excludes the watersheds of the Missouri River and Ohio River , and portions of the Arkansas River and
180-626: The Head—;up to Baton Rouge , the US's farthest inland deep-water port. The Mouth of Passes is the aggregate of the individual mouths of the passes connected to the Head of Passes, including the Southwest, South, North Passes and Pass a Loutre. While the majority of the discharge of the Mississippi River flows through these mouths, a portion of the river flows out of the Atchafalaya River mouth, and
198-519: The Mississippi River Commission. The MR&T project provides for control of floods of the Mississippi River from Head of Passes to vicinity of Cape Girardeau, Missouri , control of floods of the tributaries and outlets of the Mississippi River as they are affected by its backwaters, and improvement for navigation of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge, Louisiana , to Cairo, Illinois . This includes improvements to certain harbors and improvement for navigation of Old and Atchafalaya Rivers from
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#1733093006868216-556: The Mississippi River to Morgan City, Louisiana . It also includes bank stabilization of the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to Cairo, Illinois , preservation, restoration, and enhancement of environmental resources, including but not limited to measures for fish and wildlife, increased water supplies, recreation, cultural resources, and other related water resources development programs, and semi-annual inspection trips to observe river conditions and facilitate coordination with local interests in implementation of projects. For over
234-402: The evolving Mississippi River Delta . 29°09′25″N 89°15′14″W / 29.157°N 89.254°W / 29.157; -89.254 The Head of Passes is considered to be the location of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The US Army Corps of Engineers maintains a 45-foot (13.7 m) shipping channel from the mouth of Southwest Pass—20 miles (32 km) downriver from
252-658: The operation is in Historic Downtown Vicksburg in the Mississippi River Commission Building. Head of Passes Head of Passes is where the main stem of the Mississippi River branches off into three distinct directions at its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico : Southwest Pass (west) , Pass A Loutre (east) and South Pass (centre). They are part of the "Bird's Foot Delta", the youngest lobe of
270-487: The postal service. For nearly a half century, the MRC functioned as an executive body reporting directly to the U.S. Secretary of War. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 changed the mission of the MRC. The consequent Flood Control Act of 1928 created the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project (MR&T). The act assigned responsibility for developing and implementing the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project (MR&T) to
288-480: The reduction of flood damage potential, maintain and enhance navigation, and protect, restore and enhance environmental ecosystems, while being prepared to respond to regional and national emergencies. The MVD operates hydroelectric plants within the system, is a large water and construction regulatory body, and maintains over 1.9 million acres for recreation. The MVD, and specifically the New Orleans District,
306-503: Was established in 1879 to facilitate improvement of the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes near its mouth to its headwaters. The stated mission of the Commission was to develop and implement plans to correct, permanently locate, and deepen the channel of the Mississippi River, improve safety and ease of navigation, prevent destructive floods. and promote and facilitate commerce, trade, and
324-534: Was split into five separate National Wildlife Refuges - Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge , Great River National Wildlife Refuge , Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge , Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge , and Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge . The Refuge Complex administration office, located in Quincy, Illinois , has retained the Mark Twain name. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service
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