By Veronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis, MO – Over 100 experts from across the country have converged on St. Louis this week to discuss the future of the Mississippi River watershed.
America's Inner Coast Summit brings together government agencies, large private landowners, non-governmental organizations, industry, and academia. Participation in the summit is by invitation only.
Summit organizer David Vigh of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says this diverse group of what he calls "river partners" will develop broad recommendations for influencing policy and future river basin development projects.
"This our first attempt - our being the river partners - to move a watershed program forward. And it will take many years, but this is the first step."
Vigh says the ultimate goal would be to develop a sustainable watershed program for the Mississippi River basin, like those that exist for the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes.
A report summarizing the outcomes of the summit will be available in a month or two.