AmeriCorps: Teaming Up to Get Things Done

On July 31st, I had the opportunity to team up with AmeriCorps members from Grace Hill Settlement House and a fellow Clean Water AmeriCorps member to help beautify riverfront bike trails and pick up litter. The day was ultimately a great success in getting the job done but also a wonderful opportunity to trade stories on the many volunteer efforts different AmeriCorps members have been working on.

The Grace Hill AmeriCorps Trail Rangers are responsible for maintaining the North River Front Trail in St. Louis. Their efforts not only include keeping the bike trail free of debris, but also planting native plants and removing invasive species such as bush honeysuckle. These efforts truly improve the natural beauty of the trail and the health of the watershed. Although not Clean Water AmeriCorps members, this group certainly does a good job at promoting river health and encouraging the community to keep our streams clean.

Clean Water AmeriCorps member Theodore Smith was also able to join our work day in the Confluence. Whenever he's not lending a hand to other members, this man works through the Green Center to help promote the sale of rain barrels. He can easily be named the Rain Barrel King of St. Louis. Through promoting green living, Theodore helps continue Clean Water AmeriCorps mission to better educate the public on living in a healthier happier watershed.

To work with these different members is truly a great experience to see what other efforts are being conducted and how they all interconnect. I look forward to working with these members again, whether it's beautifying a trail, planting native plants, or promoting green living. Either which way, AmeriCorps is certainly getting the job done!

Youth in Action!

Here in Columbia the weather has been rather obnoxious for the last few weeks. When it isn't pouring rain, it is unbearably hot and humid. I guess that's summer in Missouri for you! Although most folks choose to spend these dog days hidden inside, a group of students called "Youth in Action" volunteered to spend a morning literally IN Flat Branch Creek trying to clean up the latest crop of garbage that had washed in off the nearby streets.

Even though we started bright and early, we all had a nice layer of sweat building before we even began. After a brief introduction to stormwater and a quick reminder of the "rules" of picking up trash, we set out from Flat Branch Park along the MKT trail. The students
utilized the buddy system- not so much for safety as for ensuring that garbage and recyclables were properly separated! Even though some of the students didn't have sweet rubber boots like Julia and I, no one hesitated to jump right in- even if it meant wet tennis shoes and jeans!

After scarcely two hours, we had collected enough trash to fill the trunk of my car to the brim! Some of our trophies included an unwrapped granola bar, half a bottle of body wash, a set of car keys (they were covered in algae and beginning to oxidize so we don't think the owner will miss them), a perfectly usable hanger, a barrette (which I wore) and a giant piece of twisted metal that probably weighed upwards of 30 pounds!

The students- as well as myself- seemed pretty disgusted to see how much just a few of us were able to collect over no more than half a mile of stream bank. The number of recyclable plastic bottles we collected was startling; we probably were able to recycle about half the total volume we pulled out. The experience definitely taught us that things are not always as they seem...

And of course that you should ALWAYS put your garbage where it belongs!

Another Rain Barrel Art Event!

MRCN is organizing another Rain Barrel Art debut and reception! This time we have partnered with the CARE Gallery in Columbia.

“The CARE Gallery is a summer arts program sponsored by the Office of Cultural Affairs and the Parks and Recreation Department and is part of the city’s overall CARE Program, an effort to teach work and life skills to youth ages 14-18. The Gallery offers summer jobs to at-risk high school students referred by their art teacher and guidance counselor. Professional artists work with Gallery participants on a variety of community arts projects.” (From the City of Columbia website.)

The youth in this program listened to a presentation by Rebecca, Lance and I about AmeriCorps in general, storm water and rain barrels, and the art of painting a rain barrel. They then brainstormed ideas and themes which the barrels could fall under, and started sketches before refining and choosing an idea to carry out on the barrels.

These barrels will be featured in Columbia’s Artrageous Friday event on July 23^rd , 6-9pm in the courtyard of Orr St. Studios, 106 Orr St., Columbia, MO. That evening will open up the eBay auction, where individuals can bid online to own of these unique creations of functional art. The auction will run from July 23^rd -29^th, proceeds benefitting the educational presentations of MRCN and the CARE gallery.

To view the rain barrel art, visit our website, facebook page or search eBay for “Rain Barrel Art”.

Hope to see you out there!

the Healthy Watershed Series

Hello everyone.
We wrapped up the Healthy Watershed Series in June. The last talk was given by Tim Haller from the Fish and Wildlife Service and was followed up by a display model of the Missouri River. Tim discussed the history of river traffic and the huge effort that went into channelizing the Big Muddy. The model was in a trailer and helped the attendees understand the hydrology of the Missouri River. Water was pumped into the model and bits of some type of material (sand, grits or vermiculite) would form mini sand bars. The model really helped us conceptualize how the dike system works to keep the river channelized. This last event had the best attendance. This was because the library had a water theme for that month and co-sponsored the event. The lesson here might be to look at the upcoming themes of events of various larger organizations and try to partner with them. The library co-sponsoring our event lent legitimacy to our organizational event. Many people have heard of the library but few have heard of Missouri River Communities Network. Tim also had his display model at the June 19, somewhat impromptu, Floody Muddy event which replaced our doomed Canoe for Clean Water event. The Healthy Watershed Series was a learning experience and I am not certain that it should continue in its' current form. The speakers and content were great but the public was difficult to attract. Partnering with larger organizations will give the speakers more audience and serve the public much better. Take Care everyone.

Stories and Thunderstorms

Taneyhills Library in Branson, Missouri, is a small but fantastic library. They asked me to come and talk about water conservation with their weekly events for local kids. They are keeping an awareness of water all summer! It’s a great reading program to keep kids motivated to read books during the summer. There were about 30 kids that showed up to hear two stories about water and to participate in couple of activities. I read two stories: Water Dance by Thomas Locker and Why Should I Save Water? by Jen Green. Luckily, it was raining that morning so we had to talk about thunderstorms too. We did a thunderstorm activity where the kids mimicked the sounds of thunderstorms with hand clapping and stomping feet. Who doesn’t want to make lots of noise in a library when it isn’t usually allowed? The kids loved it! After story time, we had craft time and I got to help the kids with sand art! It’s been a few years since I have done that. :-) I had a great time at Taneyhills Library and I encourage you to check out the library when you’re in downtown Branson.
Taneyhills Library website: http://bransoncommunitylibrary.org/

Paddle Power!

June has been a wet, wet month here at The Audubon Center at Riverlands! We have hosted, in partnership with our U. S. Army Corps of Engineers colleagues, 5 kayaking workshops for kids in Ellis Bay. Participants ranged in age from 9-15, and all came out for a day of fun on the River from metro St. Louis.

Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a marvelous site for these expeditions! We begin with a safety briefing and paddling basics on land, then move to the water when everyone is comfortable. Participants gain confidence and control in the safety of the slow moving, mellow water of the bay. Then we venture out to the floating habitat barges for the Interior Least Tern (a federally endangered species on the Upper Mississippi) and study the artificial habitat there. Paddling beyond the habitat barges we come to a nice place to 'park' in a floatilla near the end of the bay and watch the big tugs and barges work their way up and down the River as they line up in the main channel of the Mississippi River to lock through the Melvin Price Locks and Dam just downstream. Our paddle back up into the the bay brings us to Ellis Island where we have the opportunity to take a break from our boats and stretch our legs on a 1 mile loop trail. It is a great place to geocache, birdwatch, look for animal sign (including beaver, fox, coyote, and bobcat), and enjoy a shady stroll. Then it's back in the kayaks for our paddle back across the bay, to the end of our expedition, tired arms and big smiles all around.

I am always heartened by the change in participant's demeanor from the beginning to the end of our trips. While some are excited from the get-go, many are nervous or even tearfully frightened to step into a kayak for the first time (and certainly would not have signed up for their various summer camps had they realized it was on the agenda). Without exception, though (knock on wood), every blessed one so far has gotten into their boats and had a good time after a few kind words and a little practice. I feel so fortunate to be able to help people connect to the River in new ways, to show them how to 'get their eyes on' to nature all around us, and to remind them that their actions are impactful.

My work with AmeriCorps and Audubon keep me connected to people and to this marvelous place...and what a blessing it is...to help build people's connections, my own and others', to the land and water.

Tickets, Gift Cards and Wine Racks Oh My!

So, I've been begging, like I've never begged before! You own a business around here, I've probably talked to you, and if I haven't, someone else has! One week until the Big Piney River Clean-Up and my office is getting fuller by the day. With what you might ask? Why that'd be door prizes for all the amazing volunteers that will be helping out next Saturday (July 17th) Boiling Springs Resort, Licking, MO- 8 am registration! I've been overwhelmed by the generosity of our local businesses as well as the sports teams in Missouri (Cardinals, Royals, Rams and Chiefs). Baseball tickets, autographed football stuff, household items, gift cards, camping chair, food, etc. I don't even have all the items yet! It's going to be a great event, you won't want to miss!

See you all on the Big Piney!

The LOZ E. coli Cove Study and LOWA LILs

Greetings from the Lake of the Ozarks! Caroline Toole, here, working with LOWA (Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance) and AmeriCorps (MO Clean Water AmeriCorps Program, hosted by MO River Communities Network (MRCN)), in service to our community!
Here at the Lake of the Ozarks, LOWA has teamed up with MO DNR in the Lake of the Ozarks (LOZ) E. coli Cove Study. Many studies of water quality at LOZ have been conducted over the past 4-5 decades. Summaries of many of those studies can be found at the LOWA website, www.sosLOWA.org, and most of them discuss the issue of septic tanks and permitted facilities on the shores of LOZ. When LOWA first formed in 2006, MO DNR and AmerenUE were discussing beginning a 5-year study to establish a baseline for E. coli levels in the coves of LOZ. LOWA offered the services of volunteers around the lake to help collect water samples for the study and with the LOWA volunteers on board, 3 times as many samples were able to be collected than in the original study design. Here are a couple of pictures from the last sampling date, including the chain of custody for the sampling bottles and paper work.
Last year, in May of 2009, samples were collected right after a weekend of very heavy rains and over have of the samples collected that day came back with E. coli readings over 126 mpn (the level being used at that time; this year the sample level is 235 mpn, which is the same as the single sample standard for public beaches). And then, the results were held for a few weeks before release and the public got angry. The LOZ E. coli Cove Study was never meant to be an indicator for public health but government agencies missed a golden opportunity to educate the public about what E. coli readings really mean. The rest of 2009 showed minimal amounts of E. coli and so far, 2010 has shown minimal amounts of E. coli, but what do these readings really mean also? E. coli is an indicator species, meaning that the more E. coli is found, the more likely other pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms will also be present (very few strains of E. coli are actually pathogenic). At a single sample level of 235 mpn, statistically 8 out of 1000 swimmers will develop some kind of gastrointestinal illness and this is the level Missouri and many other states have adopted for their single sample level for waters with whole body contact.
Heavy rains often wash fecal matter and other E. coli sources into a body of water with the runoff. Then, combined with the sediment being washed into the water as well, bacteria levels can grow too high very quickly. But, just as quickly, the E. coli levels can return to normal. Folks here at the Lake of the Ozarks know that one shouldn’t swim right after a heavy rain. Give that runoff a chance to dissipate and let the waters clear up. LOWA is glad to be able to assist MO DNR in the LOZ E. coli Cove Study by collecting water samples and LOWA is also glad to assist the entire Lake area in helping to educate the public about E. coli, what those readings really mean, and precautions to take while swimming in any lake. This year the media is reporting on lakes and public beaches all over Missouri and we are finding that Lake of the Ozarks has very high water quality and is one of the cleanest lakes in our state. However, this Lake can be stressed and LOWA is working proactively to try to reduce the amount of runoff reaching the Lake, which will then help to reduce any bacteria levels, in addition to sediment levels and nutrient levels – they are all interrelated. For the home owners, LOWA is introducing their LOWA LILs Program. LILs = Low Impact Landscaping and is based on the Healthy Yards for Clean Waters and the Show Me Yards and Neighborhoods programs active in Springfield and Columbia. There are many ways individuals can help to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff reaching the lake and rain gardens and rain barrels are just a couple of those helpful practices. At LOWA’s July public meeting (at Tan-Tar-A on July 19 at 6:30 in Salon B), Bryan Vance from AmerenUE will discuss how AmerenUE’s Shoreline Management Plan and the LOWA LIL Program work together to reduce the amount of runoff reaching the Lake. All are invited!
September 25 and 26, LOWA is also planning a Clean Water Celebration with a 2 Dam Days marathon paddle race from Truman Dam to Bagnell Dam in 2 days; at the same time, we’ll also have a Just for Fun Paddling Event of about 14 miles on Saturday. We'll also have a Clean Water Festival at the starting point in Drake Harbor, Warsaw, at Captain Ron's in Sunrise Beach (Saturday's endpoint and Sunday's starting point), and at the Bagnell Dam Stage on the Bagnell Dam Strip. There will be fun and activities for all! For more information on our Kayak and Canoe Paddles Races at the Lake of the Ozarks, go to www.2damdays.org or visit the LOWA website at www.sosLOWA.org. Happy Paddling!

EnviroScaping with SCOSAG

On June 29th, I had the chance to do an EnviroScape presentation for the South City Open Studio and Art Gallery (SCOSAG) summer camp. The EnviroScape Model is a small representation of a watershed; the River des Peres Watershed Coalition received ours from St. Louis’ Metropolitan Sewer District. It comes with cars, buildings (residential, industrial, and agricultural), bridges, trees, felt to represent grass and vegetation (and creatively a green roof system), and liquids and Kool-Aid packets that represents pollution. I have come to enjoy EnviroScape presentations because it is a great interactive way of spreading water awareness to children, and to really gauge their knowledge on water and environmental issues. I start off with introduction, then prompting questions such as: Why is water important? What is the water cycle and how water is interconnected? What is a watershed? Do you live near a creek or river? How long is the River des Peres? What are macro invertebrates? What creatures have you seen near your local water source? I asked about trash and pollution and other things that can negatively affect water quality and even the strangest thing that they have seen in a local waterway.
After my talk with the kids then the fun happens and things can get a little messy with the EnviroScape model. I have different ingredients to simulate various types of pollution. Red, Yellow, and Green packets of Kool-Aid represented pesticides, fertilizers, and metal pollution. The soy sauce represented Motor Oil, and table salt represented well you guess it… road salt. Like pollution in our everyday world, our simulated pollution had a powerful smell, though rather better than the River des Peres after a heavy rain; this really provided both a visual and olfactory aid for the kids in showing the effects of pollution on water.
We cleaned up our messy polluted environment, and I asked what ways could improve and reduce the effects of pollution; because I’m not all about doom and gloom, and focusing on the negatives. So I asked what practices can we all do to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides. They made suggestions such composting, proper yard/other waste disposal, and even green roofs. I chimed in with rain gardens and barrels, and the reduction of water use during heavy storms so as not to strain the Combined Sewer system and explained to kids how heavy storms, and storm water runoff can overflow into the River des Peres and other streams, which can negatively affect water quality and aquatic habitat. At the end of my presentation on water quality and protecting our local watershed, I asked the campers and counselors to sign and a keep their very own rain barrel. Because I can teach about water protection but making the means for them to do so easier can go a long way towards being a constant reminder. With their building being in Tower Grove Park a beautiful public park located in South Saint Louis, at a great location, maybe the barrel can be used as both an artistic conversation piece and generate more interest in rain barrels. While I can only post pictures to our blog without the children’s faces feel free to check out SCOSAG blog for more pictures http://scosagcamp.blogspot.com/.

James River Rescue and Dam Jam

What a great weekend out by and on the river! On June 11, 1 2 and 13^th, Lance and I visited our friendly AmeriCorps Kellie down in Springfield to help James River Basin Partnership with their annual River Rescue.

Lance and I arrive on Friday night to load up Kellie’s vehicle and prepare everything for the long day ahead of us. We started Saturday morning by setting up Ozark Mill to be ready for the many people who were coming out to clean up the river. After directing all the cars very skillfully, Lance and I were able to put our canoe in the water and start the clean-up. Once on the water we were acting as sweep, staying at the back to make sure no one was left behind. After a while, we were relieved of our sweep position and told we had actually only traveled 1/5^th of the route. So we tried to make up time and paddled pretty quickly to catch up with the rest of the paddlers. After an hour or so of bustin’ booty, we came upon a tight spot in the river and were asked to help the other staff direct the boats through this tight squeeze. So we lost all of our headway, but felt pretty good that no one’s canoe flipped!

After the float we had about an hour off to keep cool in a nearby pool before starting our next shift as parking attendants and cleaning up after the concert. Even more people showed up for this great concert than for the clean-up. Honky Suckle, Uncle Fudd and HonkyTonk Renovators rocked!

Overall, this was a great experience to see up close how much work goes into an all day event, and was definitely giving us ideas for MRCN’s big event, Canoe for Clean Water. MRCN spent months organizing this float and festival, only to have the mighty MO flood us out a few days before the event was scheduled. But don’t worry, it’s only postponed! Keep the Canoe for Clean Water on your calendar, just move it to Saturday, October 9^th, 2010!

Thanks to my gracious host Kellie and James River Basin Partnership for a great event!

Missouri NEMO

So this past month, I stumbled across the National NEMO Network.

As I’m sure many of you are confused by the name, I’d like to clarify this organization has very little to do with animated clown fish or Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and a lot to do with clean water! “NEMO” stands for “nonpoint education for municipal officials,” which translates to stormwater education for local decision-makers.

The National NEMO Network was created in 1991 at the University of Connecticut. Over the past nearly 20 years, the NEMO Network has expanded to include 32 members in 31 states. Each state’s program is tailored to that state, with the goal of teaching local land use decision makers about the impact of land use on water quality.

As those of you that are St. Louisans know, this region has a lot of rivers and streams and experiences a lot of rain, and consequentially, also has a number of stormwater issues. Many of the streams in the area suffer from what’s known as “urban stream syndrome,” which is largely a product of urban sprawl. One of the projects I’ve been working on this year is stormwater education and awareness, teaching community groups about sustainable stormwater management—also known as green infrastructure.

In short, my happenstance discovery of the NEMO Network, as well as that Missouri’s program is still being developed, in combination with MCE looking to do more outreach to and education of local land use decision makers, and the fortuitous fact that the Missouri NEMO program is housed in the Department of Conservation in St. Louis by someone I’ve met on several occasions—all this has amounted to the birth of NEMO.

NEMO, a play on "Missouri NEMO," is a budding partnership between the MCE, Department of Conservation, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District. The next MCE Clean Water AmeriCorps volunteer will have a vital role in the partnership, educating with community groups (who support local land use decision makers) on stormwater issues and green infrastructure—particularly rain gardens.

With any luck, through the efforts NEMO’s partners, the St. Louis metropolitan region will learn how to make natural resource-based land use decisions that make stormwater management greener and more sustainable… all in the name of cleaner water in Missouri!

Stay cool, and I’ll see you in August!

Campers Tackle Invasive Species

June was a terrific month, but even more so with the helping hands of the Bernard Harris Summer Camp. The camp consists of a select group of students who excel in the sciences as well as have a passion for serving the community. On June 23rd, these students joined the Confluence Partnership to help pull invasive species and plant native ones in their place. All of this work was completed at the North Riverfront Park-- therefore not only helping create a better filtration system for the river with native plants, but restoring the beauty of the park in hopes to draw more people to the water.

Students walked away with a better understanding of habitat restoration, invasive species, storm water connections, and muddy hands. Although it was a hot one, fun was had by all!

New Informational Website now available

I would like to introduce the new Branson Area Lakes Report website. TRLWQ has taken on the task of designing an informational website regarding area lakes. At the current moment, Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo are included in this project. The purpose of this website is to provide accurate and un-biased information regarding the area lakes. Currently, visitors can look up recreational information, read about water quality, and also see news updates from around the lake. There is also information about E. coli and where the testing sites are around Table Rock Lake. I will be updating this website weekly with news updates and sending out news updates via email for those people who select to signup. If you are interested check out the website, www.bransonarealakesreport.com, an signup for email updates too! Happy 4th of July everyone!