BALL STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' LOCAL CONNECTION TO MISSISSINEWA WATERSHED RESTORATION PROJECT

The Upper Mississinewa River watershed in East-Central Indiana is plagued with logjams between the cities of Ridgeville and Albany — the result of channel straightening and decades of riparian zone damage in the river headwaters upstream of Ridgeville. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the importance of logjam removal and will focus on the collection and analysis of scientific data and multimedia products and public outreach. The combined information will be incorporated into grant proposals submitted to the Lake And River Enhancement (LARE) program via the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to assist landowners and taxpayers between Ridgeville and Albany, Indiana, by defraying the expenses associated with logjams removal.

The research presented has been compiled collectively by a trans-disciplinary cohort of journalism and science undergraduate students enrolled in a semester-long immersive-learning course dedicated to the collection and analysis of water samples and multimedia products near each logjam site. Students also consulted and interviewed local landowners and experts to learn about the extent of impact the logjams have on personal property. Work on this project has been in collaboration with Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District and Flat Land Resources, community partners for the course and leads on a watershed management planning team for the Upper Mississinewa River funded by Section 205(j) of the Clean Water Act.