Rock Island District
Location:
Pool 13, Upper Mississippi River Miles 548.5 and 546.0, Jackson County, Iowa. Congressional district: Iowa - 1
Partners:
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Description:
The Green Island Project area is a 4,000-acre wetland complex that includes shallow lakes, emergent vegetation and managed moist soil areas, and braided channels surrounded by degrading riparian timber. The project boundaries lie within the Green Island Wildlife Management Area which is managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
History:
The existing forest is degrading at an alarming rate with numerous stressed and dying trees. The ox-bow lakes have lost much of their depth due to sedimentation and provide little fish refuge in the summer and winter. The pump system is old, inefficient and expensive to operate. The old drainage ditches are sediment filled to the point that a drawdown cannot be completed to regenerate high quality moist soil or emergent and aquatic vegetation. Elevated water tables on the Mississippi River proper are also adversely affecting floodplain forest composition and regeneration.