ALTON - A mayoral proclamation Wednesday evening promises to protect the lifeblood of Alton - the Mississippi River.

Prior to the city council meeting, Alton Mayor Brant Walker read the proclamation, which declared April 13, 2016, Mississippi River Day in Alton. He stated the Mississippi River is vital to the city's ecology, economy, culture and history. He called for technical and financial resources in order to dampen the impact of increasingly devastating floods, while preserving the unique ecology of the river. He ordered green initiatives be used to lessen the damage done to local ecology and save money.

In his proclamation, Walker also called for a priority to be set upon the river and its surrounding floodplain. He also encouraged Altonians to become “River Citizens” through the national 1 Mississippi campaign. The organization is dedicated to preserving the Mississippi River through the citizens of municipalities adjacent to the river, which depend on it highly for their very existences. The campaign claims more than 17,000 members, including Walker.

Fostering relationships between municipalities and the river is the main goal of the Mississippi River Network (MRN). The MRN created 1 Mississippi in 2009, and works with several agencies to preserve the ecology of the river through working with municipalities. Stacy Williams spoke prior to the proclamation on behalf of the MRN.

“We're really excited,” she said of the proclamation. “It shows the city's commitment to protecting and restoring the river. It's a great starting point to work toward future policies.”

The regional outreach director for Illinois and Missouri for 1 Mississippi, Tanner Aljets, attended Wednesday's meeting. Aljets works through the Piasa Palisades chapter of the Sierra Club to encourage more citizens to become involved with Mississippi River stewardship.

“We're working to get each town along the river to better foster a relationship with the river,” Aljets said.

Creating a unified plan to preserve the river is the main goal of the MRN, said Virginia Woulfe-Beile, Three Rivers Project Coordinator for the Sierra Club.

“They are a coalition of partner organizations working towards the health of the river from its headwaters to the gulf,” she said prior to the meeting. “They unite state and regional organizations using best management practices to prevent flooding damage and focus on nutrient pollution in the watersheds.”

Woulfe-Beile said the MRN has helped influence such proclamations from several Mississippi River municipalities, but Alton's proclamation was unique for Alton.

Laura Asher, the Chairperson of the Piasa Palisades Executive Committee, spoke at Wednesday's meeting directly before Mayor Walker. She described the Mississippi River as the “lifeblood” of the community, stating Alton would not have been founded without it.

“I'm really happy to see our town take a stand for the river,” she said.

Following the proclamation, Asher spoke highly of Walker's dedication to the river. She said conversations between the mayor and Sierra Club regarding the environmental status of the city as a whole eventually led to Wednesday evening's proclamation.

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Reporter Cory Davenport can be reached via call or text at (618) 419-3046 or via email at [email protected].

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