There are 27 landlocked U.S. states that do not directly border an ocean or major sea, but many contain rivers that feed larger basins such as the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin. This basin alone drains parts or all of 31 states—about 41% of the contiguous U.S.—and carries nutrients and pollutants to the Gulf of Mexico, linking inland actions to coastal hypoxia and ocean health.
River to Ocean Futures is a year-long, school- and community-based program for ages 13–18 in landlocked U.S. states that connects city rivers and streams to downstream oceans via major river basins. Youth learn that even without direct coastline, what enters local watersheds will accumulate and impact marine ecosystems thousands of kilometers away. It will to use maps and basin visualizations to trace each participating city’s river network into the larger basins, emphasizing how inland land use drives nutrient and plastic loads to the Gulf.
This event will report current statistics and news concerning aquatic systems in Missouri at the River Des Peres, which flows through St Louis, and the Mississippi-Missouri Confluence in north St Louis, and present the launch of the River to Ocean Futures program with its future plans.
