﻿ Become a River Citizen | Harpeth Conservancy

Make a Difference / Become a River Citizen

Join Harpeth Conservancy in the 1 Mississippi campaign to help protect water quality, the Mississippi River, and its tributaries by becoming a River Citizen. According to the Mississippi River Collaborative report "Decades of Delay," Tennessee is one of ten states that are a part of the Mississippi River Basin and is a major contributor to the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. This dead zone is the size of the state of New Jersey! 


What is the "dead zone" and what causes it?


The dead zone is caused by a massive algae bloom. Algae blooms are caused when there's an excessive amount of nutrients in waterways. Algae love these nutrients, so when there's a lot of nutrients, there's a lot of algae (hence the name bloom). As the nutrients deplete, the algae will die off and decompose, causing oxygen to deplete in the water.



How are algae blooms harmful?

Due to the lack of oxygen in these hypoxic zones, the die off of algae creates major trouble for aquatic species and humans. The lack of oxygen suffocates aquatic species and can pollute your drinking water by producing extremely dangerous toxins. This can hurt industries such as the fishing industry and raise costs of drinking water treatment.  


How Can You Help?

Become a River Citizen and make the commitment to protecting the Mississippi River and all rivers in the basin. As a River Citizen, you vow to take at least 3 actions to protect our valuable resources.  As a River Citizen, you will receive:

  • A monthly e-newsletter highlighting river events and River Citizen success stories

  • Action alerts on important issues

  • Volunteer opportunities in Tennessee and throughout the Mississippi River Basin


River Citizen Action Examples:

  • Contact your mayor and congressman to become a River Citizen.

  • Volunteer with the 1 Mississippi campaign and your local watershed group.

  • Share your photos or testimonials with other River Citizens: Upload your river shots and/or testimonials on 1 Mississippi's facebook page.

  • Pick up garbage and pet wastes to reduce pollution and harmful runoff to our rivers.

More things you can do