A chance to transform our river community

by Sue Hafkemeyer

The river means something different to everyone. For many, it is a spiritual place for meditation and retreat. Others think of recreation and family outings (for me, it’s one of my favorite places to walk my new puppy, Bailey). At times, the river is a source of anxiety as flooding becomes a more regular concern.

If we want the river and the communities along it to be healthy and thriving, we have to take all these perspectives into account—along with the perspectives of those who have been historically excluded from making decisions about river-related concerns. That’s the mission of the newly formed Clean River Advisory Council (CRAC, pronounced “see-rack”). Funded by a two-year, $637,000 Walton Family Foundation investment and facilitated by the Quad Cities Community Foundation and Iman Consulting, CRAC has brought together local environmental experts and community river enthusiasts to form an 11-person advisory council.

Sue Hafkemeyer, Community Foundation president and CEO

The makeup of the council is what sets this project apart, and it’s what has me excited about the future of the project. When the council sits down, a wetland conservationist is talking to a local educator; a leader from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is talking to a city water manager; and a soil scientist is talking with an inclusion and diversity expert—such conversations are not often part of environmentally focused projects. The council’s goal is to create a unified vision for the future of the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities. That means unifying the cities and communities that make up our region, and it means bringing a diversity of perspectives and experiences to the table.

In the past few months, council members and project facilitators have attended site visits in Louisiana and Minnesota. They’ve met conservationists and community-building experts. Now, the council is ready to make an impact on our river communities by improving environmental infrastructure and keeping inclusion, equity, and collaboration at the center of everything they do.

So, what’s next?

Starting today, CRAC will begin accepting applications for the 2023 QC River Connections Grants.
The grants will support projects and organizations working to address environmental issues facing the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities area. It will fund efforts that build and strengthen relationships among people, organizations, communities, and the river, and that prioritize communities of color, low-income communities, and other people disproportionately impacted by environmental issues facing the Mississippi River.

Do you want to restore or clean up area waterways? Do you want to help your neighbors safely access recreation options on the river? Maybe you have an idea to engage youth in water literacy and conservation. What about strengthening existing environmental programs to make them more equitable? All of these—and so much more—fall under the purview of the QC River Connections Grants.

Please know that CRAC members and Community Foundation staff are here to support you throughout the application process. Join us for upcoming information sessions (virtual and in person on September 18), or just give us a call or send an email. We would love to talk more about your project.

We live in a river community. The river has been here long before us and will be here long after us. This effort signals our community’s commitment to caring for the river and the people along it today and for many years to come. I’m excited to see what transformations unfold.