Channel Cat Talks -- August 4 through 27.
Channel Cat Talks: Tuesday, August 4, through Thursday, August 27
Riverbend Commons Dock, 2951 East River Drive, Moline IL
Riverine Walks: Wednesday, August 5, through Saturday, August 29
Various Quad Cities Locations
Wrapping up the annually popular outdoor programs that have provided Quad Citians with entertainment and education for years, topics such as flood preparation, downtown Rock Island, and construction of the I-74 Bridge will be explored in River Action's season-ending presentations of Channel Cat Talks and Riverine Walks – “Explore the River Series” celebrations of the Quad Cities' unique culture and landscape taking place several times weekly from August 4 through 29.
Channel Cat Talk participants tour the Mississippi River aboard the Channel Cat Water Taxi, with boarding taking place at Moline's Riverbend Commons Dock. With experts providing narration on the themed surroundings, headsets are provided to all attendees of this River Action series, and physical distancing and reducing capacity on the water taxi to half (24 people) will keep participants safe and healthy. The Channel Cat Talks for the 2020 series' final weeks include: “River Landscape Mosaic” (August 4 & 6), in which Augustana College's Dr. Reuben Heine and Dr. Norm Moline join Channel Cat guests in studying the channel characteristics, riverfront uses, and environmental issues in Pool 15 from Arsenal Island to Campbell's Island, also also observe construction on the I-74 bridge; “Development in QC” (August 11 & 13), with Ashton Engineering's Bill Ashton educating guests about the Rock Island Rapids, the Lateral Dam, the Moline Lock, the First Bridge, the Government Bridge, and water power; “Operations and Maintenance of the Nation's Waterways” (August 18 & 20), featuring a trip with civil engineer Anthony Heddlesten focusing on what the lock-and-dam system was constructed, how it has been maintained, and the ongoing repairs at Lock and Dam 15; and “Asian Carp” (August 25 & 27), in which Jeremiah Haas delivers an up-to-date status report on control strategies and other information about invasive fish species, along with their possible effects on Quad Cities waters.
Riverine Walk participants explore the Quad Cities through a series of guided walks at various area locales, with physical-distancing measures also taking place for this River Action series. The Riverine Walks series for August features: “Deep Maps: Historic Geography of Pool 16 of the Mississippi River on August 5 and 8 (meeting at the north end of Lake Potter/Sunset Park in Rock Island), with Dr. Reuben Heine leading the floating classroom “Stewardship” and bringing patrons back in time using historic maps and photographs; “After the Flood: Building for the Future” on August 12 and 15 (meeting at the Sunset Marina office in Rock Island), a program that finds Denise Browning explaining how record flooding taught us to rebound and open our doors faster in the future; “Saving a Life: Caring for Tres with the Arborist” on August 19 and 22 (meeting at Davenport's Lower Lindsay Park near the Channel Cat dock), in which guests are invited to walk with Davenport arborist John Vance and learn about the forest around us and how we can be stewards of our tallest neighbors; and “Downtown Rock Island: The Past Is Future” on August 26 and 28 (meeting at Rock Island's Schwiebert Riverfront Park Stage), urban planner Miles Brainard's presentation of the National Register of Historic Places and preservation tourism.
Channel Cat Talks take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. and are $15 per person, while Riverine Walks are held on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m., with admission $6 per person. Face covering will be available from River Action for those without it, and more information on the “Explore the River Series” presentations ia available by calling (563)322-2969 or visiting RiverAction.org.
