After arriving in Minneapolis the night before, the Columbia-Snake River System group traveled to La Crosse, Wis., to attend a meeting of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association (UMWA). At the UMWA meeting, the Pacific Northwest group spoke about the issues on the Columbia and Snake rivers, specifically the efforts to breach the lower Snake River dams. After the meeting, the group loaded a JF Brennan Company barge for a short trip up to Lock #7. Following the barge trip, the group toured JF Brennan’s facilities before driving back to Minneapolis.
Michelle Hennings (left) and Rob Rich (right) speak with Joe Serbus, treasurer of the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, prior to the UMWA meeting.The Pacific Northwest group gave a presentation during the UMWA meeting about the Columbia-Snake River System and some of the issues users of that system face, especially the threat of breaching the four lower Snake River dams.Mark Twain opened the UMWA meeting.Jeremy Nielsen (left), Michelle Hennings, and Anthony Peña during the barge ride on the Mississippi River. Jeremy Putnam, president of UMWA, gives an interview during the barge ride on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis.The original plan for the barge tour included a trip through Lock #7 but flooding made that unsafe. Fortunately, there were plenty of other structures to see, including this bridge that raised out of the way so the barge could pass.After the barge ride, the group got a tour of the JF Brennan facilities, including this drydock the company uses when making repairs to structures in the Mississippi River.
