Organization
National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
TL;DR
A freshwater research and education center in Illinois whose Wetlands Collaborative made The Call of the Swamp with Route 3 Films in 2023. Its work runs from student internships to wetland science across the Mississippi River Basin.
The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center sits at One Confluence Way in East Alton, Illinois, and is affiliated with the University of Illinois and Lewis and Clark Community College. Its Wetlands Collaborative brings its own scientists together with outside partners to study freshwater wetlands across the Mississippi River Basin. That work covers amphibians, reptiles, insects and plants, and the bird-voiced treefrog is one of its lead projects. In August 2024 the collaborative and the Illinois Natural History Survey announced $1,901,000 in outside funding for wetland work across Illinois.
Why OGSP Recommends It
One Good Story Project recommends the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center because it pairs freshwater research with public education. Through its Wetlands Collaborative, the center studies amphibians, reptiles, insects, and plants to better understand the health of Illinois wetlands. In 2024, it joined the Illinois Natural History Survey in announcing more than $1.9 million in outside funding for wetland research.
The center also worked with Route 3 Films to create The Call of the Swamp, bringing its research on the threatened bird-voiced treefrog to people far beyond the scientific community.
Related Resources
Ways To Get Involved
The center lists its research programs and its student internships on its own site at ngrrec.org, and publishes its work through the four social accounts linked on this page.
Key Takeaways
- Student interns do much of the field counting, including the treefrog trapping season of 2021.
- Of the 2024 wetland money, $828,000 came from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and $394,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- John Crawford runs its wildlife ecology program and manages the Wetlands Collaborative.
- Its wetland work reaches from vernal pools to bottomland forest across the Mississippi River Basin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center do?
It carries out freshwater research, education and conservation outreach, and works on how land and water are managed along great rivers and their floodplains.
Where is the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center?
At One Confluence Way in East Alton, Illinois. It is affiliated with the University of Illinois and with Lewis and Clark Community College.
What is the NGRREC Wetlands Collaborative?
A joint effort between the center's scientists, its educators and outside partners to study freshwater wetlands across the Mississippi River Basin. The bird-voiced treefrog is one of its lead projects.
How much funding has the NGRREC Wetlands Collaborative raised?
In August 2024 it announced $1,901,000 with the Illinois Natural History Survey, drawn from four separate awards.