Our History

John Ruskey has been running canoe trips on the  Mississippi River for over 20 years.  In that time he has seen the power the river has to change lives and also how disconnected the world is from this powerful natural resource.  In 2011, he founded the Lower Mississippi River Foundation to help connect more people to the Mighty Mississippi. He led the way in the creation of our first major project, the Rivergator, a paddler's guide to the Lower Mississippi.  The Rivergator offers a mile by mile description of the Lower Miss and has helped to promote the river as a destination for recreation. Over 200,000 people access the Rivergator each year.

Today, we continue to promote recreation on the river but have expanded our programs to include educational classes, youth programming and opportunities to give back to the river that connects us all.