The Environmental Management Program (EMP) is a federal-state partnership designed to restore, protect, and monitor the natural resources of the Upper Mississippi River System. For 20 years the program has made a positive effort toward understanding and restoring large rivers. Since 1987, more than 40 projects have been completed, restoring more than 75,000 acres. Many more projects have been identified and will be constructed in the future. The EMP also provides decision makers with information about the river system through monitoring the river’s health and researching the river’s ecology.