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Drive anywhere along the Mississippi or most any other river and you’ll see a levee, an earthen wall that parallels the river to keep water in the main channel and out of the adjacent floodplain. In this episode, I talk with Nicholas Pinter about levees and the good and bad that has come with them. We discuss the evolution in responsibility from local jurisdictions to the federal government, how levees have altered the ecology of big rivers, and who pays for them. We talk about how levees provide a false sense of security and the concept of residual risk, which is one way to quantify how much of our property and lives is at risk behind levees. We also talk about options for reversing some of the worst damage from levees and the obstacles to putting them in place. 

Levees didn’t just rise on their own, of course. In the Mississippi Minute, I give a brief history of who built the levees and the deplorable working conditions that were often present in levee camps, especially for Black workers. And in the end, I offer a playlist of songs about levees and levee camps.

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I don’t know if there’s another animal that has been simultaneously reviled and admired like wolves. We have a primal fear of them—their howls can make the bravest among us pick up their pace. But wolves also occupy a unique place in many cultural myths representing family, loyalty, and intelligence. In this episode, I talk with conservation biologist Matt Fox about those contradictions and much more. Fox describes the two species that are native to the Mississippi Valley—red and gray wolves—and how they’re doing today, then we get into their life cycles, myths about their behavior, and how they deeply influence the ecosystems in which they live. We also talk about our conflicting and troubled relationships with wolves and what we may be able to do to turn that around. 

In the Mississippi Minute, I mention two places where you can see and learn about wolves up close and personal, the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, and the Endangered Wolf Center near St. Louis, Missouri.

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In this episode of the podcast, we wade into food traditions in the places along the Mississippi. Chef Regina Charboneau, a 7th generation Natchezian and author of Mississippi Current Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Down America’s Greatest River, is our guide as we talk about food traditions in places as different as Minnesota and Natchez, Mississippi. Chef Regina talks about her path to a stellar culinary career that has included owning a popular restaurant in San Francisco and her role as culinary director for the American Queen Steamboat Company. We talk about the foods that have inspired her and how her love of regional food is helping me reshape the menus on river cruises. We also spend a few minutes getting to the essentials of enjoying catfish.

In the Mississippi Minute, we continue the food theme. I talk with St. Louis’ Andy Fair about gelato, sourcing local food, and his dreams for the restaurant he owns, the Gelateria Coffee Company.

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Coffee shops, bars, diners, churches, bowling alleys—these are all important places in our social lives, so-called third places after home and work. When I’m traveling, I am drawn to them, whether I’m traveling for work or fun. They are not only great places to learn about the community, but I’ve also made new friends at many of them. In this episode, I share a list of some of the places where I’ve had especially good luck meeting people and offer a few tips about being a good guest. This list covers places from northern Minnesota to Mississippi, and includes a mix of businesses, from coffee shops to craft breweries and bars to restaurants. In the Mississippi Minute, I share my love for Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota.

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Welcome back! Last week, I shared the first part of my conversation with General Gerry Galloway, the person chosen by President Clinton to lead a review what happened in 1993 and what could be done to prevent such extensive damage in the future. Because our discussion ran long, I split it into two episodes. Check out the previous episode to hear the first half of our conversation, as well as a summary of the events of the 1993 flood. In this episode, our discussion turns to talking about how we define and count costs and benefits for river projects, and how those analyses have slowly moved beyond simple mathematical formulas. We also talk about the difficulties with trying to assign dollar values to many of the benefits, including environmental benefits. We touch on issues related to who has a voice in determining river management policies, as well as what values our policy choices reflect. We end by talking about the idea of sustainable infrastructure, one of General Galloway’s primary interests. In the Mississippi Minute, I have a few thoughts about how federalizing projects blurs the lines between people who merely have an interest and those who have a stake. 

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In 1993, the Great Mississippi River Flood upended lives throughout the Midwest, although the greatest damage was in the Mississippi River floodplain from the Quad Cities south to around Cairo, Illinois. Thousands of people were forced into temporary shelters, and 52 people. In the aftermath of the flooding, President Clinton established a commission to review the events of the Great Flood and to make recommend policies that could reduce future damages from big floods. He appointed Gen. Gerry Galloway to head the commission, which, after its release, became known as the Galloway report.

In this episode of the Mississippi Valley Traveler podcast, I have a wide-changing conversation with Gen. Galloway to review how we’ve done in the past 30 years to prepare for floods and reduce damages from those inevitable periods of high water. Our conversation went long, so I’m splitting the interview into two parts. In part one, we talk about how flood policy has evolved since 1993 and get into some of the difficult issues were still facing, such as who is ultimately responsible for flood protection and dealing with the risks of high water, who should pay for it, the challenges of coordinating floodplain policies among federal, state, and local governments and how expectations of federal bailouts can complicate those policies; the newer problems we’re facing with intense rainfall events that flood urban areas like the recent flooding in Burlington, Vermont, and the complications and problems with the federal flood insurance program.

In the Mississippi Minute, I share a couple of my memories from the flooding around St. Louis in 1993, but mostly I want to hear from you. What are your stories from the Great Flood of 1993? Share your stories with me at MississippiValleyTraveler.com/contact, and I’ll choose a few to share on the next podcast. 

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Louisiana is known for its swamps, and for good reason. In spite of some of the associations with have with the word swamp, I find them beautiful, mysterious, and magnetic. In this episode, I talk with Jessica Gauley about a section of swamp along the Pearl River known as Honey Island. Jessica grew up with the swamp and today runs Honey Island Kayak Tours, a company that specializes in intimate tours of the swamp. We talk about her childhood in the swamp, the rich plant and animal life at Honey Island, how the swamp changes with the seasons, and the fears inspired by the word swamp. She offers a few tips on visiting and paddling around Louisiana’s swamps. Alligators come up a couple of times in our conversation, so in the Mississippi Minute, I offer a brief peak into the world of alligators.

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Dense forests of white and red pine once ranged across northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Tall, ancient trees that were part of a rich ecosystem well-adapted to the northern climate and one that had evolved to rely on periodic fires to stay healthy. Those trees were also highly desired by logging companies and builders who needed vast amounts of lumber to feed the appetites of growing communities in the middle part of America. In this episode, I describe what those forests were like, then get into stories from the era when those forests were leveled. I talk about the logging camps, the men who worked in them, and life in the communities that grew up around those camps. You’ll hear stories about the daily life for a logger, the speed of frontier justice, and the rapid decline of the industry. People once believed that those tall trees were a virtually infinite resource, yet almost of them were taken down in Minnesota and Wisconsin in just a couple of decades. I finish with a few thoughts on what those forests are like today. In the Mississippi Minute, I talk about a couple places where it’s still possible to walk around old growth pine forests. 

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People in North America have been getting around in canoes for thousands of years. The basic design was so perfectly engineered that we’re still using it today. In this episode, I talk with Mark Neuzil, who co-wrote “Canoes: A Natural History in North America” with Norman Sims. We talk about the basic design, variations in materials used to build them from traditional bark canoes and dugouts to modern composites. We cover the ways canoes were engineered for specific purposes, and the transition from canoes as transportation to canoeing for fun. Mark shares a couple of standout memories from canoe trips he’s taken, and in the Mississippi Minute, I share a couple of my own. Paddles up! We’re all about canoes in this episode!

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It’s summer, which means it’s a great time to get out on or along the Mississippi River, and this year’s version of River Days of Action is a great place to start. In this bonus episode, I talk with Michael Anderson, Director of Outreach and Education for the Mississippi River Network, about what’s happening for River Days of Action this year, why it matters, and how anyone can participate. We also talk about how Michael cultivated his own strong connection with the river and his hopes for the kind of Mississippi River he’d like his children to know. In the Mississippi Minute, I talk about the mental health benefits of spending time along the river and being outside.