Environmental Catastrophes in Whitewater River Valley, MN

Presenter(s)

Sho Sato

Abstract

The Whitewater River Valley is in southern Minnesota along the Mississippi River. This area was inhabited by Native Dakota and subsequently attracted many emigrants from European countries in the 1850s due to its scenic view and fertile soil. After the emigration of Europeans, forests in the valley were quickly turned into agricultural land. Removing vegetation from the valley took away the ability to absorb and hold water from soils which led to erosion and sedimentation. Eventually, streams clogged with sediment assaulted neighboring towns as floodwaters invaded towns and homesteads in the Whitewater valley. These flooding events became so intense and so frequent that residents in the valley had to abandon the valley. The purpose of this research is to summarize the history of Whitewater River Valley by using ArcGIS StoryMaps to tell this story in an approachable way so that all community members could understand the danger of environmental catastrophes that result from using lands without conservation practices.

StoryMap is located here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/22a2881ae3e0427282f4d8abb6427ec3

College

College of Science & Engineering

Department

Geoscience

Campus

Winona

First Advisor/Mentor

Dylan Blumentritt

Location

Ballroom - Kryzsko Commons

Start Date

4-18-2024 9:00 AM

End Date

4-18-2024 10:00 AM

Presentation Type

Poster Session

Format of Presentation or Performance

In-Person

Session

1a=9am-10am

Poster Number

51

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Apr 18th, 9:00 AM Apr 18th, 10:00 AM

Environmental Catastrophes in Whitewater River Valley, MN

Ballroom - Kryzsko Commons

The Whitewater River Valley is in southern Minnesota along the Mississippi River. This area was inhabited by Native Dakota and subsequently attracted many emigrants from European countries in the 1850s due to its scenic view and fertile soil. After the emigration of Europeans, forests in the valley were quickly turned into agricultural land. Removing vegetation from the valley took away the ability to absorb and hold water from soils which led to erosion and sedimentation. Eventually, streams clogged with sediment assaulted neighboring towns as floodwaters invaded towns and homesteads in the Whitewater valley. These flooding events became so intense and so frequent that residents in the valley had to abandon the valley. The purpose of this research is to summarize the history of Whitewater River Valley by using ArcGIS StoryMaps to tell this story in an approachable way so that all community members could understand the danger of environmental catastrophes that result from using lands without conservation practices.

StoryMap is located here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/22a2881ae3e0427282f4d8abb6427ec3