Chad Pregracke on Thursday, June 15, was proudly looking over a restored barge that will soon help students have a better appreciation of the Mississippi River, and perhaps inspire them to get jobs on the river.
That river vessel – called the Mississippi River Institute Floating Classroom – will be the latest tool used by Living Lands & Waters (LL&W), the nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and restoring the health and vitality of our nation’s rivers and watersheds.
If all goes according to plan, the floating classroom will be ready to educate thousands of students in about a month.
On Thursday, Mr. Pregracke thanked workers who were busy getting a variety of big and small jobs done on the vessel in preparation for educating students.
“This is looking great. I was here a few days ago and said ‘These guys have a lot … to do.’ Now, it’s going great. … All these guys have made this happen,” said Mr. Pregracke, founder and president of Living Lands & Water, about the work crew getting the floating classroom ready for the public.
Hundreds of Quad Citians also got a look at the new classroom Thursday night during the 2023 Barge Party at Beacon Harbor in East Moline, the new headquarters for LL&W.
The fundraising event brought together community leaders and supporters of the organization to update them on the work of Living Lands & Waters. There was also a fish fry and shrimp boil, silent auction, art auction and live music. But the star of the show was the new classroom.
LL&W leaders said the vessel is a state-of-the-art facility designed to inspire and educate students about career opportunities in the maritime industry.
“The hands-on learning experiences offered in the floating classroom will foster a sense of stewardship among students, encouraging them to become future guardians of our waterways. Notably, the classroom barge was constructed using repurposed materials, including various items salvaged from the river,” according to information from LL&W.
For instance, the ceiling in one of the main rooms of the vessel is covered with pieces of colorful wood that LL&W workers recovered from or near the river over the years. Some of the wood appears to be from buildings and other river vessels. Mr. Pregracke said workers wanted to create an interesting ceiling by showing items recovered from the river.
In addition to the recycled wood ceiling, the main room has new TV monitors that will show videos on job opportunities on the river. Some jobs mentioned in the videos include wetland restoration worker, welder, and commercial barge workers.
Mr. Pregracke added that many jobs can turn into good-paying careers. For example, a towboat captain, who he said can make more than $100,000 a year for about six months of work every year.
“This is going to give (students) a better sense of the river. It’s not just beautiful. There’s an opportunity for adventurous, high-paying jobs,” he added.
Once the floating classroom is ready, he expects thousands of students a year to benefit from its lessons.
The barge classroom will help many young people up and down the river. The LL&W leader said the barge will be in the Quad Cities for about one semester a year. The rest of the year, it will be on the river, going to Memphis, Tennessee, St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Paul, Minnesota.
In addition to giving lessons on river job careers to students, the Mississippi River Institute Floating Classroom will eventually also be open to companies that want to offer inspirational and team-building events for its employees.
“We want to offer an on-the-water experience, something that is inspirational. … We want to show there’s 2,300 miles of opportunities for students,” Mr. Pregracke added.
For more information on the floating classroom, contact LL&W here.
Headquartered in East Moline, LL&W is an environmental organization established by Mr. Pregracke in 1998. Since the organization was founded, LL&W has grown to be the only “industry strength” river cleanup group like it in the world, according to information from LL&W.
