The Columbia, the Snake, the Missouri and the mighty Mississippi were all here before humans. European explorers crossed this natural borders. Homesteaders followed in the quest to achieve our country’s “Manifest Destiny”. When Horace Greeley said “Go West, young man!”, he didn’t tell the “young man” to avoid crossing the waters. We’re now 300-plus million strong, and the rivers are still here!
Urban development tore down our wildlife populations. America’s icon, the bald eagle was almost extinct before government regulations made hunting her illegal. Machinery ripped away trees and our forestry. Greenpeace and other environmental groups protested the lumber and logging companies accelerated cutting or redwood trees in the Upper Northwest. Natural habitats disappeared when their homes were cut down. Our government manipulated the Mississippi by building dams with locks. Afterwards, we felt Mother Nature was under our control. We built homes along the edges of Illinois, Missouri and Iowa in spite of her power. This winter’s heavy snowfall and quick warm-up turned snowbanks into wading pools of rainwater. That rainwater merged with an already cresting river and thirty-six people are now dead by massive flooding.
Up north, the Columbia flowed down its mountains once more. Thrill-seekers and extreme junkies risked their well-beings paddling one-man and two-man canoes and rafts down the white waters. Many succeeded. But, a few got crushed along jagged rocks or drowned. The Columbia isn’t one to be messed with!
Our lengthy winter bolstered the size of both Snake and Missouri rivers. As blizzards hit late March and spring heat melted, these waterways absorbed an insurmontable deluge. Towns along the rivers’ edge were overwhelmed by cresting water. Streets became lakes. Cars, trucks, boats and some homes got washed away. Mother Nature won’t be confined. Building dams, barriers and levees are just delaying the inevitable.
Mankind overpowered the animal population. Mankind severely lessened its wilderness sancutaries. With Mother Nature, mankind has met his match.
