A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
The Mississippi River rises to flood stage surrounding a highway outside Memphis in 2016. Credit: Andrew Breig/Daily Memphian
This week, we've got an important story from Desk reporters Madeline Heim of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Delaney Dryfoos of The Lens. It comes from an annual report produced by the environmental nonprofit American Rivers, which identifies which rivers are most at risk, and this year, named the Mississippi the most endangered of 2025.
As Heim and Dryfoos explore in this piece, the designation is due to federal plans to cut flood-relief programs as severe weather threats grow. Historically, every dollar spent on flood mitigation yields significant benefits.
“This isn’t the first time the Mississippi River has landed on this list — even at the top — in the last few years," said Heim. "Advocates say it shows that there’s more work to be done on its biggest issues. They also hope the distinction will spur action from the people who depend on it.”
We talk a lot about how important the Mississippi River Basin is and how many people interact with it: 70 million Americans live in the watershed, touching 31 states. This is yet another example of how we're all connected, to the river, to each other, and even to federal policies out of D.C.
(P.S. – check out our first-ever photo contest below. We've extended the entry deadline to next Wednesday, May 14, and we'd love to see your wetlands photography, so enter today!)
