3/16/2023 0 Comments Mud river park memphis![]() For decades, the parks’ landscapes were “a sea of lawn,” according to Johnson, “which is not ecologically supportive.” MRPP is currently investing in holistically diversifying the landscape in ways that “balance the needs for views and flexible use but also can support the different wildlife coming up and down the river.” The MRPP parks are at a significant spot – the confluence of the Mississippi and Wolf Rivers via the Wolf River Harbor. Making the riverfront more resilient has potential to benefit both wildlife and humans. Domestic river cruises are currently surpassing pre-pandemic levels. In 2018, the Port of Memphis, the fifth largest inland port in the United States, and the businesses under its jurisdiction contributed an estimated $9.27 billion to the economy. The Mississippi River contributes an estimated $400 billion to the national economy annually, and over 12 million people live within the river basin. It’s not just about the birds and butterflies. The Audubon Society’s recently launched study of this area shows that the land around Memphis is extremely challenged ecologically. The LMR is part of the Mississippi Flyway, an essential migration route for monarch butterflies and over 325 bird species that stretches from central Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Memphis sits on the Lower Mississippi River (LMR), defined by the Audubon Society as the section of the Mississippi River Basin and watersheds that stretch from St. When ecosystems cannot recover, humans, as well as wildlife, are in danger of losing benefits ranging from clean water to aesthetics. Those disturbances can be natural – flooding, tornadoes, and fires – or due to human influences – overfishing, deforestation, and agricultural runoff. The improvements on Mud Island are just a start, but an important start, to chip away at the deferred maintenance accumulated over the past 40 years.Economics and Biodiversity along the FlywayĮnvironmental resilience is the ability of an ecosystem to continue functioning amid and recover from a disturbance. The community will begin to see big changes in our riverfront over the next 12 months. We hope Memphians will come out and enjoy our first Sunset Kayak of the season the last Thursday of this month, April 28th, in which free kayaks will launch from Mud Island boat ramp. In the meantime, events are still being held on the island. The even better news is that we are in various stages of negotiations with three new tenants on the island for attractions to open over the coming year. In addition, we are remaking the north entrance to the island and relighting the walk bridge, thanks to City capital improvement dollars. The lack of investment in Mud Island has stretched over multiple administrations. The good news is Accelerate Memphis, an initiative of Mayor Strickland and our City Council, includes $4M to spend on basic deferred maintenance that will serve all uses and users of the island. We estimate the island requires approximately $20 million of deferred maintenance, not including the amphitheater and the monorail. Every single part of Mud Island affects every other part of Mud Island. It is challenging in that it is a tightly integrated design, but its very integration makes it confounding. And when Mud Island officially opens for the season in May, all of the limbs from recent storms will be cleared, and the Riverwalk will be clean, full of water and fully functional. Many people are on the island each good weather weekend, visiting the Memphis sign, getting close to the river, launching boats, even fishing off the island’s south end. Our rangers and staff monitor and maintain all riverfront parks to ensure they are clean, walkable and bikeable. “Memphis River Parks Partnership is charged by the City of Memphis to maintain the river parks, including Mud Island. You can read the Memphis River Parks Partnership’s full statement below: Soulsville community center vandalized weeks before opening
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