University of Texas at Arlington professor and historian Christopher Morris will discuss the environmental history of the Mississippi River and the impact of human intervention on the lower Mississippi Valley at 1 p.m. April 24 in the SE library.
Morris will inform attendees what changes can be made to reinvigorate the environment.
Greg Kosc, SE history associate professor, said the river has a widespread significance.
“The Mississippi River is constantly changing course, and human interventions in the ecosystem over the last 200 years have continued to have an effect on the river, its estuaries in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico,” he said. “Most recently … much of the sediment that should be deposited into the Louisiana estuaries is now being pushed into the Gulf of Mexico … creating a dead zone.”
Morris’ presentation will show the nature of the Mississippi River teaching students how humans cannot control nature but can develop a newfound respect for it, Kosc said.
The presentation is open to the public.
— Ryan Moore