The mission of the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) is to provide decision makers with information needed to maintain the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) as a viable large river ecosystem given its multiple-use character. Congress has declared the UMRS to be both a nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant commercial navigation system. The long-term goals of the Program are to (1) understand the UMRS ecosystem (2) monitor trends and impacts with respect to selected resources, (3) develop resource management alternatives, (4) manage informatton and (5) develop useful products The LTRMP was authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-662) as an element of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Environmental Management Program. The original authorization provided for a 10-year program (1987-1997). Authorization was subsequently extended 5 years (to 2002) by Section 405 of the Water Resources Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-640). This Annual Work Plan for the LTRMP for Fiscal Year 1997 has been prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) by the U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Management Technical Center. This Plan allows the COE, the Service, and Program partIcipants to agree at the beginning of the fiscal year on work to be accomplished.