By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis – A large group of Missouri River stakeholders will gather in St. Louis this week to begin a discussion about how to improve the waterway.
The first meeting of the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee will take place in a Clayton hotel Monday through Wednesday.
Paul Johnston with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said one of its goals is to protect three endangered species: the pallid sturgeon, the least tern and the piping plover.
"How do we take the river as it is today, make some adjustments, to help these protected species and continue to enjoy the benefits from the work that has been done over the last hundred years?" Johnston said. "That's the tricky part."
The committee includes environmentalists, as well as representatives from the agriculture and barge industries.