A Great Year!

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!
When I think back on my year with AmeriCorps, the two main topics that come to mind and around which all activities and events rotated, were watersheds and runoff. And all of them were all about clean water. From writing a watershed management plan to helping out with and then planning a Household Hazardous Waste Reclamation Day for Camden County, time and again LOWA was working hard to maintain and improve the water quality of the Lake of the Ozarks.
Summer brought no let up in activities and August culminated my year with AmeriCorps, partnering with LOWA, with the Attorney General’s Symposium: Protecting Water Quality at the Lake of the Ozarks: An Environmental Road Map for the Future, hosted by LOWA. This 2-day meeting introduced the Lake, and then examined the water quality and wastewater issues from the scientific perspective to the economic perspective and everywhere in between. A white paper is due in November and in general, people came away with the feeling that the Lake isn’t as bad as some of the press would have one believe and that if we start now, we can probably prepare for the future.
Leaving politics and partisanship out of the picture was very refreshing; and trying to bring a regionalization approach to the Lake District has long been one of LOWA’s goals. LOWA asked our local discount mega store for funding and I got to collect the check! And, August brought opportunities for LOWA to spread the good word about our clean, healthy lake and its watershed at several festival and fair events.
August also brought to LOWA our new MO Clean Water AmeriCorps member, Janet Dabbs, long time resident of the Lake area and fellow Lake enthusiast. Janet will be a valuable member of LOWA as we all work together to implement our 319 watershed protection grant and forge ahead with even more new ideas and projects. The Education/Outreach component of our grant is huge and the upcoming projects are exciting. In addition, I hope Janet and I will get LOWA’s Stream Team 3215 actively monitoring some of the many streams and creeks flowing directly into LOZ. This new AmeriCorps year will be fantastic! Welcome, Janet!
I’ve enjoyed my year with the MO Clean Water AmeriCorps Program and look forward to continuing my work with LOWA in a slightly different position. Who knows, I may even contribute a blog from time to time!
And please remember, what we do in our own backyards really does make a difference. My little back yard creek flows to Bollinger Creek which flows to the Lake of the Ozarks which flows to the Osage River which flows to the Missouri River which flows to the Mississippi River which flows to the Gulf of Mexico which has a large dead zone because of all the nitrogen and phosphorus flowing into it from all the watersheds along the way. Act locally, think globally. Together we can make a difference.

MR340 volunteering

Hello. This month went by very quickly and fortunately the heat has abated. As the title hints, I am going to blog about my day of volunteering for the MR340 at the Glasgow checkpoint with Rebecca. With a little over 200 boaters we had our work cut out for us. We arrived at 9am and began almost immediately. Our duties were mainly to keep track of when the racers arrived at the checkpoint and when they left. This was necessary for a couple of reasons. Safety was the most important reason followed by time keeping. It was a warm day but there was a nice breeze on the river. Some racers made quick stops and others made long stops so we had to "arrange" the boats with some kind of logic. This became difficult when many boats arrived within minutes of each other. I think next year I will bring a video camera to record the interesting dances racers perform when exiting their boats and regaining their land legs. Nobody had an accident so the dance must be effective. Talking with the racers was very fun and enlightening. One solo racer said something to the effect that he was a mountain climber and he listed some recent exploits (Mt. Fiji being one), he then said that the MR340 was the most difficult thing he has ever done. Many racers questioned their sanity. By 5pm the last boats had check out and we were free to go. I met many interesting and entertaining people on the river that day and am looking forward to helping out next year if I am able. I have obtained an extention through September to complete my hours so I will meet the new AmeriCorps members at training and see the returning ones. Take care everyone. Lance Mallette.

An August Weekend

August was truly an eventful month for me, with educational presentations, tabling, rain barrel builds and of course getting my hands dirty in local rivers. On Saturday (August 28), I had the chance to host a rain barrel building demonstration in collaboration with Gateway Greening at their Bell Demonstration Garden. I was rather excited to work with Gateway Greening. As some of you might know rain barrels are useful in reducing combined sewer overflows, but they are also important tool for gardens as well, taking advantage of the rainfall for watering needs rather than using municipal tap water. Also, setting up a rain barrel system at community gardens, provides more of a visual medium for the rain barrels, for people in the community to see. I had the chance to build the rain barrel and respond to questions that the garden volunteers had. I decided to build a double barrel system, with one 55-gallon barrel with a 40-gallon connector barrel for reserve water. The best part of the demonstration is of course the provision of the rain barrel to the garden. The system (rain barrels and gutters) will be set up at a tool shed at the garden. The painting of the barrels and the setup will occur in the near future, will have pictures posted as soon as possible. The rain barrel demonstration was finished around noon, so I made my way out to George Winter Park in Fenton, Mo, for the Operation Clean Stream event. I must say hats off to all of the volunteers who participated. Because the amount of trash collected at George Winter Park was astonishing. Although I was slightly late to the party, there was still plenty to do. As the dumpsters were overflowing with trash, and piles of collected trash build up around the dumpsters. I lent a hand in clearing some of this away. Apparently most of the trash came from a peninsula across the bay on the Meramec River as it flows past George Winter Park. It was amazing the types of trash collected by the canoers and other paddlers; Trash like Styrofoam, old television, bikes, and other things. Though I did not get a chance to paddle the river and collect trash on Saturday, I got my chance on Sunday. I paddled the Huzzah Creek down near Steelville, Mo apart of the Operation Clean stream on the upper regions of the Meramec watershed. A six-mile paddle and litter pickup on the Huzzah, I found a tire about a ¼ way down the river as well as a metal fence post. There wasn’t an overwhelming amount of trash, but your typical floatable cans, bottles, and Styrofoam. Though I did not any large objects, another person whom I was floating with happened to find a very large tractor tire. Who knows maybe on my next paddle trip I will find a lot cooler stuff. I wanted to give all of you guys a friendly reminder, that September 25, 2010, is the date of the River des Peres Trash Bash; An event aimed at removing trash throughout the River des Peres Watershed. So if you are around on 25th of September, I highly encourage you to come and help us clean St. Louis’ urban river. Online registration can be completed at www.riverdesperes.org .

43rd Annual Operation Clean Stream

Hello all!

August has been the busiest month of the year, mainly due to the biggest project of the year for the Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region. The 43rd annual Operation Clean Stream took place on August 28th all along the Meramec River and its four tributaries. 2,000 volunteers came out to help us. We had more tires, metal, and trash than we had room for. Thanks to many organizations and companies for sponsoring this event, we had another great event!

Katie Park

Secretary of Interior Comes to Town to Learn About Clean Water

On August 20th, United State Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar joined a variety of citizens and clean water organizations in Godfrey, Illinois for a public listening session under the President's America's Great Outdoors Initiative. Community members were able to give commentary on what work is currently being done to promote outdoor recreation and keeping America green and clean as well as listen to opinions on what is in need of our nation's attention. The initiative aims to keep our land and water protected and for more citizens to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Joining Salazar was Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan Jarvis.

Many great comments were made to be taken back to President Obama, including the work that The Confluence is doing with its Habitat Restoration Days as well as the many hours of work AmeriCorps members put in to keeping land and water a place to enjoy. There were also a variety of issues brought up in hopes that the President takes a closer look at. Some of these issues included:

• The fight against a casino being built within the Confluence region
• More involvement and collaborative efforts with schools in getting kids outdoors
• More Army Corps of Engineers involvement in testing and monitoring the quality of water
• Better rules and regulations to keep the Ozark area waterways free from excessive trash/destruction
• More federal funding be placed in keeping waterways clean
• An increase in watershed education

Salazar listened intently as all of these topics were brought to hand. The session was recorded so it could further be reviewed at a later date.

Earlier in the day Jo-Ellen Darcy joined 200 students at the Melvin Price Lock and Dam in Alton to hold their own listening session. I was truly amazed with the students that raised their hands and openly admitted that they had lost a tie with their rivers and streams and wanted it back.

Overall the day was extremely moving. It is refreshing to hear such praise go out to AmeriCorps and all Clean Water Organizations. Let's keep our fingers crossed that more good things are in store for the future.

To read more on the event, feel free to visit http://www.usace.army.mil/CECW/Operations/Pages/outdoors.aspx or

http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/outdoors-44001-rivers-great.html.

Thanks everyone for a fantastic August!

See you on the River!

I've learned a lot this year about water quality as well as the communities I served. I've received so much help and guidance from different people and local agencies, I know what I've accomplished wouldn't have been as successful without their assistance. People have suprised me in a positive way with their generosity and ideas for the betterment of the Big Piney Watershed. Completing this year and looking back on what I've done and who I've met and worked with is my "ah-ha" moment this month. It's great to see so many passionate people in this area. People who love where they work, so much that they give guidance to the rest of us, people that care about the rivers and streams in this area that dedicate their free time to the betterment for sake of the watershed and those people that support the events and the ideas of those wanting to make a difference in the area. It's because of them that people like me can accomplish great things. I look forward to the seeing what the great minds of the Big Piney Watershed come up with in terms of changes and events! I'm so glad I got to be apart of it and will continue to help in my "spare" time!

Some BIG Projects from LOWA

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!
My year with AmeriCorps partnering with LOWA has been extraordinarily busy with a diverse group of clean water activities and events. July was no exception. From spreading the word about LOWA LILs (LIL stands for Low Impact Landscaping and LILs are measures individuals can undertake to reduce the amount of runoff reaching a body of water), to preparing to host the Attorney General’s Symposium on water quality at the Lake and preparing for a dam-to-dam paddle race for marathon kayakers and everyday folk, LOWA is reaching out to people from a variety of perspectives about the need for healthy watersheds.

Across our nation, stormwater runoff is the number one ‘pollutant’ reaching bodies of water. Here at the Lake of the Ozarks, controlling runoff is probably the most important action citizens and municipalities can take for the lake. With funding, LOWA hopes to implement a cost-share program to give property owners incentive to install measures to catch that runoff and, at the same time, help replenish the area’s aquifer and beautify their homes and business! What a win-win situation, and money back, to boot! LOWA LILs are custom fitted to the challenging lake shore properties we find here at the Lake of the Ozarks. In addition, LOWA is partnering with Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists to help out in the LOWA LIL program!
Those challenging lake shore properties will also be the focus of an upcoming Symposium from the MO Attorney General’s office in mid-August. The lands surrounding the Lake of the Ozarks, similar to other lake shores in the Missouri Ozarks, typically have very steep slopes with only a thin veneer of soil. Lake lots are typically small, with not enough room for the setbacks and easements needed for a properly functioning septic tank, not to mention the lack of soil. In addition, many of these lots simply do not have enough space to ensure their drinking water well remains uncontaminated. Many condominiums, subdivisions, and small property owners associations do have their own permitted facilities, but some of these facilities are not being effectively managed; most of these property owners do not want to spend their vacation time at the lake managing their wastewater facility and most do not have the knowledge and skills to manage such a facility effectively. One of the beauties of the DNR/LOZ E. coli Cove Study (yes, the same study that caused such a stir May of 2009 when a very heavy rain produced a spike in the E. coli samples taken that time) is that this study can spot a permitted facility that is not up to par and the facility can then be fixed. That cove study, by the way, was only intended to be a baseline study, not a health risk study; and until this season, a red flag standard of 126 MPN/100 mL was used. This season (2010), the standard for a single grab sample of 235 MPN/100 mL is being used as the standard and only 3 sites have tested high so far; and on retesting, those sites went back down and have stayed low. One of LOWA’s big projects has been to work towards a regionalized, coordinated approach to the treatment of wastewater at the lake. The Attorney General’s Symposium will be a big boost to that goal.

And finally, the 2 Dam Days marathon kayak race and the accompanying Just For Fun Paddlers event will both showcase a Clean Water Festival highlighting the need for a healthy watershed if we want to keep a healthy lake! These events will take place the weekend of September 25 and 26, 2010, after most of the big power boats have left the Lake’s waters. Friday evening, September 24, will see live entertainment and booths at the community center in Warsaw to sign up the contestants and then these marathon paddlers will take off at 7 am from around the 91.5 mile marker at Drake Harbor in Warsaw (home to Truman Dam) to end up Saturday night (by 7 pm!) at Captain Ron’s near the 34.5 mile marker in Sunrise Beach. Captain Ron’s will also host the 2 Dam Days Clean Water Festival with booths, food, and live entertainment on Saturday. Then the racers will take off at 7am Sunday to sprint 34 miles to Bagnell Dam and the finish line at Iguana Watersports. With more festivities showcasing Clean Water, the Bagnell Dam Association of businesses will host the Awards Ceremony and more booths, food, and live entertainment on Sunday.

On Saturday, also, the Just For Fun Clean Water event will take off as canoes and kayaks paddle furiously (or not so furiously; this is, after all, just for fun) from Halfway Inn, around the 48 mile marker, to Captain Ron’s where all will join in the Clean Water Festival in progress! Participants in the Just For Fun event will all be in a drawing for a new kayak (donated by Oz Cycles and Kayaks) and other door prizes. Participants in the 2 Dam Days marathon race will be vying for the largest purse offered marathon kayakers in the country and the only race to make the women’s purse equal to the men’s purse! Cash prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place Saturday and Sunday in all divisions. Top Paddle will receive an extra $1000 and have their name engraved on a plaque to be displayed at Captain Ron’s in perpetuity. 2 Dam Days will showcase the Lake of the Ozarks and its beautiful watershed as a Clean Water Festival! For more information on either of these events, please go to the LOWA website at www.sosLOWA.org and click on 2 Dam Days, go directly to www.2damdays.org, or call LOWA at 573 374 8360.

Step Forward Day with the Mizzou Tigers

As a Kansas native, I was taught all my life that Missouri was a scary, backwards place, and the University of Missouri (known for some reason as Mizzou) was the epitome of this. As fate should have it, my term of service as an AmeriCorps member plopped me down right in the middle of Columbia, home of the Tigers. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to learn that Missouri was actually NOT a horrible place, and even those crazy Mizzou students sure had a lot in common with students I have encountered in Colorado and Kansas.

My last weekend here in Missouri really cemented all of these new discoveries. I had the opportunity to spend my Saturday morning with over 70 Mizzou students-

most of them freshmen- for a good ol' fashioned litter pick up! This event, dubbed Step Forward Day, was organized by the campus Center for Leadership Development and Community Involvement. Organizations from around town offered to host groups of students for different

volunteer projects. Naturally, I could not resist offering to host a litter pick up on Flat Branch Creek. Most of Mizzou's campus is in the Flat Branch watershed, and I thought it would be good for the students to see where their runoff goes. Not to mention, Flat Branch runs through downtown, and I figured this would really get this students familiar with all the good hangouts.

But of course, Mother Nature had other ideas. After a crazy night of downpours and flash flooding, it was decided that maybe going down to the creek wasn't the best of ideas. Enter Mike Heimos, the stormwater educator for the City of Columbia! He ALSO was scheduled to do a Flat Branch litter pick up, but instead arrived with maps of downtown. We combined our groups and told them they'd be cleaning downtown. We gave them maps and trash bags, and told them to meet us at "the keyhole" (City Hall) at 11!

Now, walking around downtown, you might not notice the trash...but it is there. Our students returned with over 140 bags of trash from just a few blocks of downtown! We gave them t-shirts to say thanks (and hand wipes for the trash juice), and sent them on their way. Then came the fun part for Mike and I...loading all that trash into the back of his pick up and hauling it away for disposal!

A big thanks to Mike Hemios and to all the Mizzou students who spent their Saturday morning cleaning their community! It is because of people like you that I will return to Kansas singin' your praises!

We turned the AC on. Horray.

July has turned into a month of planning and replanning. As events cancelled or were postponed due to the weather I attempted to keep busy. One notable happening was dropping of the Rain Garden sign for the Bluffs Retirement home. The last time I saw it it was a muddy 10 by 50 foot path that ended in a muddy hole. The Bluffs hired someone to build the rain garden and plant plants. It looked really wonderful and I was relieved and filled with hope at the same time. It will provide a great environment for people to enjoy nature close to thier homes. It also makes for great public relations. Oh, and my housemates voted to turn on the AC, which is ok, I guess.

Final Quarterly Meeting-Farewell!

Wow, I can hardly believe my first year of AmeriCorps service is coming to an end. The first months went by slowly, learning all there was about the position and the organization. But the last several months went by so much faster, filled with activities, planning and getting the office ready for the next crew of AmeriCorps.
The Missouri Clean Water AmeriCorps are such a great bunch of spirited, intelligent and fun people. I have enjoyed all the times we met up and shared stories, successes and lessons learned.

On August 10th, we met up for our last quarterly meeting to sum up the year and go through AmeriCorps required Citizenship Training. Our director, Steve, asked Margaret, our new administrative assistant, to lead the training. However, in all her wisdom, Margaret believed that we all, after having just spent of year of service to our communities, might already know a thing or two about great citizenship. We instead had a conversation about citizenship and shared stories from our year and talked about the future. I think AmeriCorps positions inherently attract good citizens, people who want to participate in their community, be involved and make a difference for the better.

This year of AmeriCorps service has introduced me to many sides of Columbia, MO that I would not have otherwise known. I have met many great people and learned of the multitudes of services Columbia has to offer. I love going about Columbia and almost always running into someone I know. We have interacted with so many students and citizens through tabling displays, creating volunteer events and giving educational presentations. Hopefully we have made an impact in their lives, at least in a small way so that they will consider their actions and the effects of those actions on their watershed.

Big Piney River Clean-Up!

After months of planning, the Big Piney River Clean-Up finally took place! With 68 volunteers, 35 sponsors and 1,565.5 pounds of trash picked up, successful doesn't begin to describe this event! We set up at Boiling Springs Resort in Licking as our base. Canoes and volunteers were shuttled to and from there covering 14.5 miles of river floating from 3 different accesses. Volunteers of all ages and from 20 different cities participated and had a great time! After the clean-up, lunch was served thanks to our sponosors, door prizes were given to nearly all the volunteers and the Licking Girl Scouts helped sort the trash and learned the importance of the 3 R's in the process. It turned out to be a great day to be on the river and do some good in the process. Many of our volunteers had never been on a float trip before, and this type of float really made a positive impact on them. For full trash tally and a link to all the photos, visit our site

http://www.totorcd.org/energy-natural-resources/water-quality/

Autumn 2010

Hello!

This past year has been intense. This Fall will be just as intense. With so many clean water projects and opportunities, it's hard to decided which one to attend. Each and every single event is just as active and good as the next.

What's in store for St. Louis this fall is Operation Clean Stream, an annual project of the Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region. It gathers approximately 2,000 volunteers every fourth Saturday in August to clean up the Meramec River and its four tributaries, the Big River, the Huzzah, Courtois, and Bourbeuse.

Next is the Little Creek Watershed Festival, September 25th. An amazing outdoor classroom holds an interactive and fun day for all who are interested in learning.

This past July, there was a Watershed Festival at Meramec State Park. It was hot, but well worth it! Floating, raffles, presentations on terrestrial and aquatic bugs, games and activities of all kinds. It's an annual event that is worth going to every year.

The Open Space Council, soon after held their annual Meramec River Expedition. The turn out was great. We shared lunch, hiked two miles along the river. We enjoyed a wildly entertaining Mussels of the Meramec presentation by Brian Wilcox, the naturalist at Meramec State Park. Then we all hopped in our canoes at floated 2.5 miles down to Castlewood State Park, where we enjoyed a cooling rain. This summer has been eventful!

Site Selection for Trash Bashin'

Hello everyone, during the scorching hot weeks of the July I have been in the process of site selection for the 2nd Annual River des Peres Trash Bash on Saturday September 25, 2010. I have had the opportunity to make site visits with Dona Anderson (Metropolitan Sewer District), Eric Karch, chair of the River des Peres Watershed Coalition, and Natalie Johnson our AmeriCorps volunteer at the Confluence. Though it is more than a month away, one can never be too early in preparation for the Trash Bash. The River des Peres Trash Bash is an event that is all about cleaning the creeks in the River des Peres watershed and then having a big celebration in honor of effort; this year it will coincide with the Clean the Lou, a day for neighborhood and environmental improvement in the St. Louis region. The River des Peres is approximately 15 miles long, and drains 115 square miles of the St. Louis region. The River des Peres has 3 major tributaries, Deer, Gravois, and Mackenzie Creek, being in the lower section of the River des Peres. This year we are trying to encompass large sections of the River des Peres, in both the upper and lower regions, so there was a lot of ground to cover. The upper stretches of the river from Overland and Olivette area look pretty nice, for being in an urban area. Relatively trash free and with multiple fish (Quite a pleasant surprise). And in University City we found a couple of sites on main branch of the River des Peres and on a tributary. Most sections of Deer Creek appear to be in good condition trash-wise, so there may be smaller sites where individual stream teams can take action. There are a lot of things to take in account for site selection such as the amount of trash at a site, the type of trash present (plastic bottles/metal cans, trash bags in trees, metal and PVC pipe). Another important consideration is accessibility of site, are the banks of the creek too step, is it safe for children, adequate parking near the site, there parking lots or space available for on street parking? How far down the creek will the volunteers have to travel? Is there enough trash to keep volunteers busy for a 2 hour time period? Other things of importance are the placement of dumpsters, and logistics of truck and trash pick-up from the sites. As well as taking into consideration, how many volunteers can safely work at a site, what tools will be needed, such as grabbers, ropes, and shovels.
As I mentioned previously the watershed covers a lot of area, Deer Creek and the upper River des Peres are the stretches I am most familiar with, but lately I have had a chance to check out an unfamiliar stretch of creeks Gravois and Mackenzie in South St. Louis. Mackenzie Creek like Deer Creek flows through majority suburban area, giving it steeper banks (channelization) and tougher access; but for the most part, Mackenzie Creek is relatively clean, never a bad thing. Grant’s trail a bike and pedestrian use trail that runs along most of Gravois Creek, giving it pretty good visibility. Also, I took notice that Gravois Creek for the most part has been left in a naturalized state, minus a levee near Affton sports complex. We found 2 or 3 sites along Gravois Creek; one site in particular was of interest to me. It is on a trail spur, that accessible by bike, it is a “wash-out” spot full of Japanese Hops, where a lot of floatable trash has been deposited when the creek was higher. Besides the amount of trash, I took notice that some moderate sized fish (at least 8inch size) make their home in Gravois creek, a sure sign of a healthy stream. As y’all can see through the pictures there is definitely trash buildup on the River des Peres, but besides the trashed spots there are quite beautiful stretches of the river and I had quite an enjoyable time, checking out sites in the watershed. If anyone in the St. Louis region has a good choice for a clean-up site, just let me know. If you would like to attend the Trash Bash, you can register at www.riverdesperes.org. I am definitely looking forward to a wonderful Trash Bash event in September, hopefully the river will be lower and the temperature a bit cooler.

Canoeing the Big Muddy

As part of our outreach efforts we spend quite a bit of time educating kids about how we, as St. Louisans, interface with our local rivers every day. We talk a lot about wastewater management, access to clean drinking water, stormwater runoff issues, and proper trash disposal.

As a capstone experience for our St. Louis Science Center Camp participants we got the kids out on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in a magnificent hand-crafted 15 person canoe. Big Muddy Mike Clark guided our trip and schooled us on the ins and outs of canoe travel on the big rivers. Conditions for our trip were just right; the river was high enough to get us over the Chain of Rocks, but not high enough to be dangerous, so we jumped at such a spectacular opportunity. Here is a shot of us just before launch...

Our day trip began on the Missouri River at Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area Boat Ramp. That is MO River Mile 4. We paddled downstream past Ted Jones State Park and Confluence Point to the Mississippi River. The Confluence is located at MS River Mile 195.5. We stopped for a swim at the bottom end of Duck Island and then continued on over the Chain of Rocks and to the back channel of Mosenthein Island. Half way down the back channel we stopped on a sand bar island which is technically a part of Mosenthein though it is detached during high water. A bunch of swimming and lunch, then on to the full navigation channel where the Chain of Rocks Canal reenters the main stem. We passed under the Old RR bridge, the McKinley Bridge and finally under the MLK Bridge where we landed. Our landing spot was the Laclede Landing which is located at MO River Mile 180.

Total river miles = 20.
We put in at 10:45 AM and arrived at 3:30 PM. Total river time = 4 hour 45 min.

Getting kids out on the water is so impactful because it allows them to make their own personal connections to the river, creating their own stories, and ultimately informs their personal choices and actions as water stewards.

I love this work! : )

The Kiefer Creek Watershed Association

Hey everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great summer so far, despite this heat we’ve been suffering through.

Due to the frequent heat waves, the Coalition moved the Kiefer Creek Hike last month out of Castlewood. The July Kiefer Creek Hike was held instead at Powder Valley Nature Center – which, as it turns out, is just around the corner from my house. As an elementary school student, I spent a good deal of time at Powder Valley, which has a really cool learning center geared towards teaching kids about Missouri flora and fauna.

The July Hike was the fourth such outreach event that we’ve had—one every month since April. The Coalition Water Program has been putting a lot of effort to raise awareness about, and work to solve the problems in, this popular and well-loved creek.

Kiefer is one example of a much more widespread problem. The several recent news articles on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch!) that have been published about E. coli contamination in streams across the state have pointed to Kiefer as a case of a known issue that no one seems to be able to do much about.

So, we’ve been doing something about Kiefer! We hope that through outreach and education we will be able to raise awareness—not only about the dangerously high levels of bacteria frequently observed in Kiefer, but also that this issue isn’t unique. Missouri’s wealth of streams and rivers are a truly rich resource, and many people do not realize the damage that we’re doing to them.

Every month, we’ve organized a hike around a theme and invited a guest speaker with expert knowledge on that subject. So far we’ve covered water quality and problems common to streams in urban areas, the history of the Meramec greenway, and current efforts to protect the river and its tributaries. In addition to raising awareness, the goal of these hikes is to continually engage people who care about Kiefer and give them ways they can help. Furthermore, we’re hoping to build an independent group that will work to protect the creek; in other words, we’re trying to create a Kiefer Creek Watershed Association!

Last month, we made the best of the hot weather and planned an indoor portion of the hike. My coworker and I addressed our hikers about watersheds, sources of non-point source pollution, how we plan to clean up Kiefer, and ways for interested individuals to help. Next month, for the August Hike, we’re going to be doing a Stream Team demonstration, which will hopefully inspire some of our hikers to get volunteer water quality monitoring training.

I really enjoy engaging people who previously had no knowledge of water quality or stream health, particularly because a year ago, I was one of them! At the last hike, I spent some time talking to one of our regular attendees, Alan, who started coming to the hikes simply because he was intrigued. Now he’s planning on installing a rain garden in his house!

Keep your eyes peeled for more about Kiefer! If all goes well, there will be some exciting happenings with this creek.

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!