HNA Summary Report
Desired Future Habitat Conditions

A primary element of the Environmental Management Program Habitat Needs Assessment was to identify the various natural resource management agencies’ and the publics’ desired future mix of habitats throughout the Upper Mississippi River System. This effort was pursued through review of recent agency management plans, a series of meetings with the public, and a series of workshops with river scientists and natural resource managers. In general, agency management plans were found to lack specific quantified objectives for specific land cover or habitat classes. Certain documents such as the recently completed Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Plans and the Upper Mississippi & Great Lakes Region Joint Venture Implementation Plan articulate goals to restore avian populations to specified levels, and contain state-by-state objectives for habitat management and restoration. Through the resource manager meetings, we obtained rather uniform qualitative expressions for future desires, but quantitative estimates of desired future habitat conditions were more variable depending on the part of the river considered. The desired future conditions identified in this first Habitat Needs Assessment can be considered a good first approximation of goals for habitat protection and restoration for the UMRS. It is likely that future desires, and thus habitat needs, will be revised as new information is obtained and the public has an opportunity to provide additional input.

Consultations with Resource Managers and Scientists
The workshops with resource managers resulted in fairly consistent qualitative expressions of future desires. In particular, resource managers and scientists indicated that the future should be characterized by: improved habitat quality, habitat diversity, and a closer approximation of the pre-development hydrologic regime. They believe these changes are critical to the sustainable ecological integrity of the river ecosystem. Deep backwaters, grasslands, hardwood forests, and marsh habitats were rated the most threatened habitats. River regulation, sedimentation, and floodplain development were rated as the primary stressors affecting river habitats.

The qualitative assessments revealed which habitats are threatened or degraded and in need of preservation or restoration at the pool scale. However, quantitative results from the workshops differed among river reaches due to differences in the quality and amount of information about existing and forecast future conditions. In particular, resource managers found existing data inadequate for an in-depth, uniform, system-wide quantitative habitat needs assessment. Also, of note is the concern that not all future habitat changes are detected by using estimates of geomorphic change and by relying on one-time "snapshots" of habitat conditions.

Despite these limitations, a first approximation of quantitative desired future habitat was identified and used to calculate habitat needs (see HNA Technical Report). This information represents the first time system-wide objectives have been identified for use in planning Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects on the UMRS.

Public Involvement
In 1996, the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program published the results of a public expectations survey. While the survey was not designed specifically for use in the Habitat Needs Assessment (HNA), it revealed that:

• 99% of respondents value the rivers for future generations
• 70% of respondents want to control industrial pollution
• 55% of respondents want improved water quality
• 45% of respondents want improved fish and wildlife habitat
• 25% of respondents want improved sport fishing
• 15% of respondents want less barge traffic

The public involvement meetings, convened in April and May 1999 and used as input to the HNA, revealed five themes or areas of interest for the future of the Upper Mississippi River System:

• more fish and wildlife in general
  (habitat diversity, species diversity, and abundance),
• clean and abundant water
• reduced sediment and siltation
• balance between the competing uses and users of the river
• restoration of backwaters, side channels, and associated wetlands

While the five themes were clear, there appeared to be slight regional variations in how the respondents expressed their views. These differences may be related to the quality of the habitat in their area or the degree of access for recreation.

Respondents cited the assurance of acceptable water quality and quantity for human consumption, industrial processes, and aquatic habitat conditions as a priority. Sedimentation was cited as a concern because it jeopardizes features such as backwater lakes, the navigation channel, recreational access to various areas, water quality, and riverbed conditions. Among the habitats of interest, backwater lakes and associated wetlands are of particular concern as fish spawning and overwintering sites, food sources during key periods for migratory waterfowl, and critical linkages to both terrestrial and deeper aquatic environments. In addition to the difficult and essential task of balancing competing uses that affect resource quality, it is noteworthy that respondents cited other "social" aspects of the river: the need for more citizen awareness and initiatives related to the river and the need to improve government agency coordination for consistent management and project completion.

In July-August 2000, a series of focus groups offered insights into the public’s view of the HNA process itself. Participants in the focus groups generally thought the HNA is another useful tool for river resource management in the UMRS. The concept of using habitat classifications to frame river management issues was acceptable to the majority of participants; they were generally comfortable that the specified habitat classes chosen by the HNA developers were workable and useful. However, participants wanted more definition of those habitats, and many participants felt that more factors needed to be considered, such as water quality and the impacts of dynamic river processes on static habitat classifications. While focus group participants tended to think of river issues at a local level, the majority agreed that a broader scale was necessary for planning, at least at the system if not at the watershed level. Participants also generally accepted the use of presettlement river system conditions as a reference point, although concerns were raised about the compatibility of older data sources and the utility of incorporating in the planning process a river condition that could never again be replicated. Administrative aspects of the HNA that participants found particularly important were further development of the HNA, multiagency cooperation, and continued public involvement in and access to the HNA. Many participants expressed confusion about the actual application and end result of the HNA.

The desired future river conditions participants expressed generally reflected the five themes from the spring 1999 public meetings. A "multi-use" river was the most frequently expressed desired condition. Two conflicting, overarching desired conditions were expressed: a return to more naturally variable conditions and a stabilization of existing conditions. Other desirable river conditions expressed included a sustainable, natural river ecosystem and increased biodiversity. Most participants felt strongly that a diverse public should be continually involved in river management programs.