Methodology

The 2020 Mississippi River Watershed Report Card updates the 2015 report to give a current snapshot of the health and condition of the watershed and its basins.

As in 2015, engagement of diverse expertise from around the watershed was a critical to preparing the 2020 Mississippi River Report Card, with targeted stakeholder engagement.

Facilitation and production of the report card is the work of a team from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network (UMCES IAN), led by Drs. Heath Kelsey, Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen, and Katie May Laumann. Science Communication was performed by Jane Hawkey and Skyler Swanson. Data tracking and analysis was primarily performed by Steven Guinn and others from the UMCES IAN team.

In addition, AWI convened a group of about 50 stakeholders, including AWI board members, through two on-line discussions, in which a draft report card was shared for reaction and feedback. The results of these discussions guided the direction toward new indicators and highlighted key topics and areas for inclusion in the report card either as potential indicators or as key points that should be made in the narrative.