Created By: Westmer Girl Scout Leader Jamie P.

ALL AGE LEVELS

Daisy Girl Scouts do #9 and 4 other activities of their choice. Brownies do 6 activities including the 4 starred. Juniors do 8 activities including the 4 starred. Cadettes & Seniors do the 10 activities including the 4 starred. (NOTE ~ all age levels may find it interesting to complete ALL activities.)

Most of us live on or near the Mississippi River but how many of us know the River or what wonderful opportunities it has to offer? This patch was designed to help you get more in touch with your “River Rat” roots and discover a whole new world around you. It may even help you to look at the Mighty Mississippi in a whole new light.

Patch Activities:

1. Find out what Shoals, Sandbars, Sloughs and Back Waters are and how the Federal Government removed them in the early 1800’s.

*2. Find out what the Nine-Foot Channel Navigation Project on the Upper Mississippi River is and what the dimensions are for the majority of the damns in this project. Discover why and when it started.

*3. Find out What/Who The US Army Corps of Engineers are where they are located and what they do.

4. Find out what “River Traffic” and “Commercial Traffic” are and how we use and benefit from them. Compare Cargo Capacity of a Barge, Train and Semi Truck.

5. Discover several different uses the river provides for us both commercially and recreationally. How would these things be different for us if we did not live along the River? How have these uses changed in the past 200 years?

6. Find someone who does “Barge Work” on the river. Invite them to attend a Troop/Group meeting and explain what it is like to live and work on the river.

*7. Discover the How & Why of the Locks and Dams. What are they used for? How do they work? How do the locks fill and empty? What does it mean to “Lock Through”. What are Pool Levels? What is a “Water Elevator”? What is the “Stairway of Water” and where is it located?

8. Discover how many Dams there are along the Upper Mississippi River and where they are located. How many miles are there between the lock and the last? Find out where the only “Twin” locks of the system are located. Discover when and where the first Lock and Dam was built and what happened to it.

*9. Locate the Lock and Dams nearest to you and arrange a visit either by land or by water. If taking a boat try to arrange your visit at a time when it is safe for you to “Lock Through”. Share your experience with your Troop/Group if completing this activity individually.

10. If possible try to visit as many of the Locks and Dams along the Mississippi River as you can. Compare the differences and similarities.

11. Research and put together a “River Chronology” from the 1600’s to present time. Be sure to include the names of explorers and any important facts about “your area” that you find.

12. What Wildlife and Recreational Benefits does the Mississippi River Provide? Discover what treasures Mother Nature laid throughout the Upper Mississippi Valley. Make a list of as many of the Public Use areas and Wild Life Preserves and/or Refuges as you can locate. Try to visit at least three of these places that you have never seen before.

13. Spend a day on the river with an adult. Take a boat ride, go fishing, water skiing, the possibilities are endless! Make sure to practice safety measures! Check in your handbooks/patch books and see what it says about water safety.

14. Take a scenic drive with your troop/group or an adult along the river front. Try this on more than one occasion. What are some of the different activities that you notice or differences you notice about the River during the changing of the seasons? What effects does the weather have on the “Barge Traffic”?

District Engineer

St. Paul District

Corps of Engineers

Army Corps of Engineers Center

190 Fifth St East

St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1638

District Engineer

St. Louis District

Corps of Engineers

1222 Spruce Street

St. Louis, Missouri 63103

District Engineer

Rock Island District

Corps of Engineers

Clock Tower Building

Rock Island, Illinois 61204

Manager

Upper Mississippi River

Wildlife & Fish Refuge

122 W. 2nd St.

Winona, Minnesota 55987

Manager

Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge

PO Box 225

Quincy, Illinois 62301

More info can be accessed online.

Check it out and have a WONDERFUL time as you are exploring new things and earning this great outdoor patch!