Return to Nicholas Johnson's Iowa Rain Forest ("Earthpark") Web Site

Return to Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
 
 

[Note: This material is copyright by the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.]

However, his latest assignment brings him to the not-so-exotic U.S. Midwest. That doesn't make it any less interesting for Chen.

Starting at Lake Itasca, Minn., Chen's next article will chronicle the tourism, culture and natural habitats of the Mississippi River.

As part of the first leg of his trip, Chen visited the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium on Monday. He also took part in a Wildlife Eco-tour through the museum.

Chen, a Denver resident, has a natural curiosity about rivers and the culture they create. It was this curiosity that led him to focus his next article around the Mississippi River.

"I have lived in the United States for 20 years now and realized I had never seen the Mississippi," Qun said. "It made me realize how people in Asia do not have a very good understanding of North America in general, so I want to help show them what it is all about."

Chen said that when peo-ple from other countries think of the Mississippi River, they automatically think of New Orleans, especially after Hurricane Katrina.

Eric Sutter, the marketing director for the National Mississippi River Museum, said it is exciting to see the international interest in the area.

"The very matter that there is international interest in our museum goes to show the broad national and now international appeal of the Mississippi River and river issues," Sutter said.

Sue Czeshinski, director of the Dubuque Convention & Visitors Bureau, shared Sutter's sentiments.

"A visit by this caliber of writer and publication elevates the credibility of the destination to new heights as international coverage is priceless," Czeshinski said.

In his first trip to the Midwest, Chen has been looking past the surface of the cities he's visited, insisting it is the history the river creates that makes each place unique.

"To someone who has never been here, Dubuque is just a dot on the map," Chen said. "I didn't know anything about Dubuque before, but once you get here you see how beautiful it is and how friendly the people are. All of a sudden, you feel attached."

Mark Wagner, the educational director at the museum, narrated the boat eco-tour.

"Something unique to our part of the river is that it is home to the longest fish and wildlife refuge in the country and it is the only one that allows commercial travel through it," Wagner explained as Chen snapped photographs of the river scenery.

Chen has featured many of the largest rivers in the world in his work, including the Danube River in Europe and the Yangtze River in China.

Chen will finish this leg of his trip in the Quad Cities and continue down the river in November. He expects his article to be ready by next June or July.