Lessons from the Deep History and Recent History
of the Missouri, Illinois, and Upper Missouri Rivers

As the reconstruction begins after the New Orleans flooding caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the ongoing developments in floodplains along the Upper Mississippi and the lower Missouri rivers that were inundated in the great Midwestern flood of 1993, it’s clear that dialogue and a better understanding of the interplay between natural processes and human activities is necessary for a more sustainable future for the great rivers and the people who live along them.

Lessons from the Deep History and Recent History of the Missouri, Illinois and Upper Mississippi Rivers, a session at the International Conference on Rivers and Civilization, will bring together experts with extensive data over thousands of years to better plan for building flood protection in the future.

Richard Sparks, Ph.D., of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center and Jane Buikstra, Ph.D., of the Center for American Archeology, will serve as moderators at this session. Speakers include:

• Bonnie Styles, Ph.D., Illinois State Museum Research & Collections Center
• Jane Buikstra, Ph.D., Center for American Archeology
• Edwin Hajic, Ph.D., Pathfinder CRM, LLC
• James Knox, Ph.D., Evjue-Bascom Professor
• Tristam R. Kidder, Ph.D., Department of Anthropology, Washington University
• Nicholas Pinter, Ph.D., Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University

The conference is scheduled for June 25 – 28, 2006 in La Crosse, Wis. Endorsed by the Smithsonian Institution, this conference is targeted for a multidisciplinary audience from the sciences, arts and humanities, as well as other groups who manage and use riverine resources. For more information, visit www.rivers2006.org.