UMWA and stakeholders discuss the importance of the waterways 

Cruising down the river aboard the Portland Spirit, waterway industry leaders enjoyed the views and conversation to kick off the Columbia-Snake River tour.  

The exchange, which began in Portland, Ore., brought stakeholders together to work on the common goal of improving and maintaining the waterways in the U.S. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) was invaluable in curating the multi-faceted tour.  

“The Upper Mississippi Waterway Association (UMWA)/Columbia-Snake River Exchange week was exceptionally well organized and rich with meaningful content and experiences,” Cassandra Caldwell, Government Affairs Manager, Mississippi River & Tributaries at American Cruise Lines, said. “It was a unique and valuable opportunity to explore both the commonalities and distinctions among our nation’s liquid highways, along with the strengths and challenges each region faces.” 

Jeff Steiber, Government Relations Officer/Small Business Liaison Officer with J.F. Brennan Company and UMWA member, said it was important for UMWA members to learn how another extensive waterway can be fully utilized for the benefit of everyone, regardless of  what their knowledge on the Columbia-Snake waterway prior to the tour.  

On the river system 

UMWA and WAWG were joined by stakeholders from the Port of Lewiston, Columbia River Pilots Association, American Cruise Lines, Wheat Life Magazine, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, Port of Woodland, McGregor, Riverview Boat Store and Tug Service, J.F. Brennan Company and UMWA members on the exchange. 

“It was impossible to come on this trip and not learn something new,” Brandon Phillips, UMWA member with Riverview Boat and Tug Service, said. “The folks at Washington Wheat, Dam Heroes and the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) did an outstanding job organizing everything.” 

Attendees toured the Port of Longview, the Port of Vancouver, Port of Kalama, Tidewater dock, Bonneville Dam, Tri-Cities Grain, Lower Granite Dam, Port of Whitman and Boyer Park.  

They had the opportunity to witness the innovative technology and cutting-edge research dedicated to fish passage at the Lower Granite Dam. The delegation observed how salmon are counted and tracked. The visit to the Port of Kalama showed attendees the intricate process of wheat handling and blending.  

“It was fascinating to observe how barge, rail and truck transportation seamlessly work together, ensuring that farmers can reliably serve their customers across the globe,” WAWG Executive Director Michelle Hennings said of the Port of Kalama. 

At the Marine Highway 84 presentation UMWA Executive Director Gary Williams and Phillips presented. At the Maritime Museum in Astoria, Ore., the Columbia River Pilots and Columbia River Bar Pilots presented.

Different but similar challenges 

One focus for UMWA is preventing the spread of invasive carp further north on the Upper Mississippi, while the Columbia and Snake River stakeholders are focused on helping fish – specifically salmon – get passed dams to increase their populations. 

 “This trip, along with last year’s, allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s river systems – our respective challenges, successes and unique differences,” Phillips said. “This knowledge empowers us to advocate for one another, giving us a stronger collective voice and reinforcing each other’s messages.” 

During the 2024 exchange, the goal was to cultivate a collaborative approach to highlighting the importance of supporting entire river systems, both in messaging to Congress and legislatures. Hennings brought this up as a testament to this year’s exchange on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.  

“Hosting UMWA members at our Columbia-Snake River system proved to be an enlightening experience, allowing them to understand firsthand the unique challenges we encounter, much as we did during our own visit to their region,” Hennings said. “Speaking with a unified voice is far more effective than focusing on individual river systems. It is crucial that we remain vigilant and proactive, working together to safeguard our working waterways while also preserving the environment that sustains them.” 

These stops brought more insight into the work done on the river system and the uses of it.  

“I took away a lot from our discussions, but the most important insight came from a conversation with Michelle Hennings,” Phillips said. “I complimented her on how effectively stakeholders on the Columbia-Snake River communicate and work together. I wasn’t expecting her reply, but it was eye-opening for me and for our system on the Upper Mississippi. She said, ‘It is great, but it was created out of necessity. If we did nothing, we would lose our system and our way of life. We had to act, or we were going to lose our dams.’” 

Insight from the tour showed Steiber ways the Upper Mississippi waterway can improve its systems for maintenance and uses. He mentioned some of the highlights from the exchange was how the Columbia-Snake waterways use its ports in many ways, how clean every port they visited was clean regardless of the activities at the facilities and how well loading and unloading systems were fast, efficient and use multiple means.  

Phillips mentioned how the Columbia-Snake River dam system is at risk due to misinformation and advocacy to breach dams to save salmon and how the Upper Mississippi River system’s risk stems from maintenance neglect. Like UMWA members, Hennings and her counterparts are working to change the mindset and fighting legal battles to protect the system.  

“The flag I think all of us saw crystal clear is the lesson of what happens if we have our heads ducked down and are not engaged at the local, state and national level to educate and advocate for the Upper Mississippi River,” Williams said. “Once outside parties start to create their own narratives, there isn’t anything to counter-balance even mistruths and it takes much more work and money on the back end to correct for an ill-informed accepted “common knowledge.”  It’s shocking to learn how much of the local population even today will say the dams have meant less fish. The data, research and hard facts dispel this, but it has become an embedded thought that is difficult to reverse. If UMWA doesn’t exist as an active regional organization doing this outreach and education about the economic importance of our river, we are foolish to assume others will do that work for us. No one is going to speak for our section of river any better, or with more passion than those that stake their lives and are dependent on the river to be invested in and maintained.” 

Ending to an insightful exchange 

The Columbia-Snake River tour exchange ended at the Port of Lewiston in Idaho. This port town is a comparable spot for the Upper Mississippi showing a similar number of communities that, Williams said, show the impact on the local economy from the river system.  

Throughout the week, attendees saw the entrance to the river, transiting export vessels up the river, loading and unloading vessels and barges, barge movement through dams that generate energy and managing fish populations through fish ladders and other entities, meeting grain companies, hearing from a crops input company on the number of farmers who rely upon the working waterway along with the tourism component- left an impression.  

“Hearing the stories from the past of how that point on the river (Port of Lewiston) would cease to be a point on the river for tourism and other commerce if the dams were taken out – the ‘death’ of a community,” Williams said. “It reminds me starkly of what would happen to a number of communities if we lost the Upper Mississippi as a navigable waterway.” 

Williams said there tends to be less collaboration between organizations and commercial interests on the Upper Mississippi, and the Columbia-Snake system supports collaboration. This exchange showed the value and necessity of combining resources.  

“My overall impression of the tour was truly outstanding,” Hennings said. “Traveling from Astoria to the Port of Lewiston offered a remarkable opportunity to experience the Columbia-Snake River system in its entirety. This journey vividly highlighted how the river network supports our local economies, facilitates wheat transportation, enables navigation, powers communities, sustains irrigation and provides abundant opportunities for recreation.”  

Sponsors making it possible 

A village of likeminded professionals were required to pull off this venture.  

“The sheer amount of effort and details that WAWG put into this event-packed tour was extremely impressive and I cannot thank them enough for allowing me and other UMWA members to be part of their world,” Steiber said. 

The Columbia-Snake River tour exchange was made possible with sponsorships from members and stakeholders. UMWA thanks its supporters, including American Cruise Lines, J.F. Brennan, Riverview Boat Store and Tug Service and Upper Mississippi Fleeting, LLC.  

“We wouldn’t be coming back with so many valuable ideas and insights without the sponsors for this exchange,” Williams said. “Their insight to understand how an exchange tour provides learning and value, and importantly, fosters relationships with others that can amplify our voice with their own legislators and network of decision makers creates a value to our organization leveraged several times over. Delegating key leaders in their companies to attend for a full week and invest in this program shows the deep commitment these companies have in the continued utilization of the Upper Mississippi River.”