Missouri River Jetty

Here are a couple of photos I took of the Missouri river that is flowing over a rock jetty established by the Corps of Engineers. At the current time of these photos the jetty are covered by the height water of the Missouri river.




Above is a photo of the same jetty exposed by lower water. The purpose of this jetty is to slow the current at this point and cause debris in the water to settle on the river bottom. The slower the water is flowing the less volume of debris it can hold.

Over time the river will deposit enough debris to fill in the bed to become part of the bank of the river. Why?

The Corps of Engineers wants to straighten the river and narrow the channel. In part this will make it easier for barges to use the river.

This is good strategy for barges and economic development but not for wetlands. Wetlands provide habitat for wildlife. They also provide a storage area for flood water. If the river is diked there is no place for flood water to go. Therefore the floods will careen down the river channel until a dike is broken. Then with the broken dike and damaged farmland, (which depended on the dike), the flood water finds a place to store the excess water. If the river was left alone this would have happened naturally.

Man can change nature for a time but only with constant effort. The forces of nature will continue to chew away at what man has put in its way.

Do we try to set up barriers against what God has planned for us? We may succeed for a while but in the end it will fail.

To cooperate with nature seems to me to be a much better way to manage lands and to cooperate with God also makes more sense.

Matthew 11:28
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."