Geography Students Help with Sandbagging

Students from the water resources management geography course got a firsthand look at floodplain management by helping sandbag in Saint Peter. With spring snowmelt pushing the Minnesota River to flood stage after a particularly wet fall and snowy winter, the students were called into action to protect properties along Old Minnesota Avenue and at the Traverse des Sioux Treaty Site. In the classroom, students have been studying floodplain management and the advantages and disadvantages of flood prevention (engineering the river) versus adaptation (planning solutions to redirect human activities). Now, they got to see floodplain management in action. It was a crisp, sunny day and despite sore arms and backs, students had a great time helping out their community.