Governor Presents NGRREC with $16.3 Million for Field Station
Published: Sep. 29, 2009
The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) has received a $16.3 million grant from the State of Illinois for the construction of the Center's Confluence Field Station. Governor Pat Quinn announced the funding in conjunction with the state-wide "It's Our River Day" on September 20.
The new building will be located near the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers, and will boast numerous sustainable design elements, including a vegetative roof, solar tube lighting, innovative waste water technology, and on-site wind and hydro power. The Center will also feature sophisticated mesocosms--large concrete channels containing flowing water and plankton pumped directly from the river. In these artificial environments, researchers will conduct controlled experiments by changing the water velocity or other environmental conditions. The results of these experiments will be used to predict effects on aquatic communities in the river and to develop conservation strategies.
"The stresses on our natural resources grow along with the needs of our expanding population," said Dr. Steve Sonka, Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement at the University of Illinois. "This new research and education facility is an important outgrowth of the collaborative efforts of Lewis and Clark, the University of Illinois and the Illinois Natural History Survey; along with many partners and collaborators."
Dr Robert Hauser, University of Illinois' Interim Dean of Agriculture, Consumer and Natural Resources,said, "NGRREC partners have long recognized the importance of sustaining our fresh water and river resources. The programs at this facility will advance our understanding of sustainable management of our working river systems throughout the region, nation and world."
Completion of the field station will allow NGRREC to increase the number of Ph.D.-level scientists working as NGRREC affiliates. Each scientist typically acquires an average of $200,000 to $300,000 of research funding from federal, state, and private sources each year.
The field station staff and interns will continue to conduct research and education programs to increase understanding of big rivers, their watersheds and floodplains, and the interaction between the rivers and their human, plant and animal communities. Examples of research already taking place include: invasive species, mussel monitoring, long-term monitoring of the river, floodplain forest ecology and habitat restoration research.
"This research is crucial for developing sound watershed and river management strategies that can have global implications as we all strive to protect and sustain river systems amid exploding populations and increasing scarcity of fresh water resources," Gary Rolfe, U of I professor emeritus and director of NGRREC, said.
NGRREC is the product of a unique educational partnership between the University of Illinois, the Illinois Natural History Survey, and Lewis and Clark Community College. NGRREC was founded in 2001, with a mission to promote better understanding and sustainable use of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois Rivers, their watersheds, and the communities that utilize and depend on them.