Mona Terrace: Reconnecting the River Des Peres to University City

Hello everyone, my name is Theodore M. Smith, a new member of the Missouri River Communities Network. I am an AmeriCorps member working with the River Des Peres Watershed Coalition (RDPWC) located in University City, Missouri (U.City). It is a non-profit organization committed to the preservation and restoration of the River Des Peres (RDP) and its tributaries. The watershed drains approximately 115 within the St. Louis metropolitan area. One of the areas the RDPWC is focusing on within the watershed is a site called Mona Terrace. Mona Terrace is located in University City south of Mona Road, between Groby Road and North and South Road. The Mona Terrace site and areas downstream of it have been subject to flooding in the event of heavy rainfall; As seen in the remnants of Hurricane Ike during September of 2008.
At Mona Terrace, the River Des Peres is not channelized and flows in a natural state. The use of green space and the natural state of the river are being used to reconnect Mona Terrace with the community. This can be seen with the creation of a bike/pedestrian path. This section is located in a residential neighborhood, but with close proximity to various businesses on nearby Olive Boulevard, a major arterial road in St. Louis County. Organizations involved with habitat management activities at the Mona Terrace site include Great Rivers Greenway, River Des Peres Watershed Coalition and U.City in Bloom. I went to the Mona Terrace site on Monday November 30th, Wednesday December 2nd, Friday December 4th. Habitat restoration work has been conducted on a 900 feet stretch of streambank along the RDP. During the fall Mona Terrace has been the site of Honeysuckle Hacks, Native Species plantings, and Stream Cleanups, in which I have the opportunity to participate. The species of plants, planted include River Oat, Willows, Virginia Wild Rye, just to name a few.
Over the course of the week of November 30th, I braved the cold and on Wednesday, rain and ventured to the RDP to conduct cleanups along the river. While there on my visits I collected 3 bags of trash; including plastic bags, bike parts, aluminum cans, rugs, and plastic and glass bottles. With the winter weather setting in work within the Mona Terrace area, is slowing down. Though much work has been done to improve the habitat of the river, there is still more to do. Including more cleanups to remove the more difficult items in the river like shopping carts, box springs, and even fallen trees. We anticipate in the Spring of 2010, of planting a 700 feet by 4 feet area on the southern streambank with native plants. Hope you all enjoy the photos and I am happy to have the opportunity to share a portion of the River Des Peres with you.