Columbia FRO introduced local reporters and press agents to the Missouri River by taking a group of invited guests, including a State Representative, on a tour of the new habitat rehabilitation projects created in recent years.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sought to spread their message on the usefulness of the Mitigation Chute Projects currently being constructed throughout the Lower Missouri River. As collaborative partners in conducting the fish monitoring on some of these projects, CMFRO provided a boat to chaperone groups of television and newspaper reporters to various habitat projects along 40 miles of the River.

The “hot topic” for the trip was disposal of dirt from the mitigation projects, which the Corps addressed through their policy coordinator and engineers. However, Tracy Hill and Wyatt Doyle were able to use crews already working on the River engaged in push trawling and trot-lining to talk about the plight of the endangered pallid sturgeon and their office’s work related to their recovery.

A few jumping carp provided an in-road to discussing aquatic invasives in the River and a pledge by reporters to return to the River to do a story on the other intriguing “fish tales” surrounding the Nations longest river.