All Entries Tagged With: "Mississippi Missouri confluence"
Got your gloves ready? It’s Trash Bash time!
Help to keep our local waterways clean. Volunteer at Trash Bash on March 24.
Let’s face it. This has not been a great year for North County’s waterways. First we learned that the Watkins Creek Watershed, which covers 6.7 square miles in the Spanish Lake area, is contaminated with toxic levels of salt and e-coli. Then it was reported that Coldwater Creek in Florissant may be responsible for health issues in local residents. Now we’re hearing that nuclear waste, long ago buried in a Bridgeton landfill, may actually be contaminating our groundwater.
Geez. How depressing.
It’s easy to read all of that and feel defeated, I know. But I’m here to tell you that you CAN make a difference! Maybe not with toxins or nuclear waste – that’s a bigger job than you and me. But with trash! You can have a huge impact on the health of our local ecosystem by helping to pull litter from our creeks and rivers. All you have to do is volunteer for Trash Bash…
Now in its fourth year, this annual event is one of the regions largest river clean-ups, with more than 800 volunteers of all ages expected to participate in 2012. If you want to lend a hand (and get free lunch in the process), all you have to do is register by March 21 then show up on March 24.
There are two starting locations to choose from: the old Chain of Rocks Bridge @ Riverview & 270 or Choteau Island in Madison, Illinois. And if you happen to discover the largest or most unusual trash find of the day, you might even win a prize!
The Confluence Trash Bash is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, from 8:30am to 12:30pm. For more info or to register, jump on over here.
By the way, if you want to learn more about efforts to clean up Watkins Creek, head to Trinity High School, 1720 Redman Road, on March 19. Starting at 6:30pm, an update on the Watkins Creek Watershed Management Plan will be given at the Spanish Lake Community Association’s town hall meeting.
Volunteers needed for the Confluence Clean-Up
Over the past decade, the nonprofit Missouri River Relief has removed nearly 600 tons of trash from Missouri's waterways. Next up: the Confluence...
FROM THE NEWS WIRE:
The Great Rivers Greenway District is encouraging area residents to join them on Saturday, Oct. 29, and help support Missouri River Relief in its effort to clear trash and debris from the shores of the Missouri River. The Confluence Clean-up, which is the last scheduled event of Missouri River Relief’s month-long, statewide effort to clear litter from the Missouri River, aims to clean up the area near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
Volunteers will be ferried by boat starting at 9 a.m. to different riverbanks and islands along the Missouri River to pick up trash that has washed ashore. Additional volunteers are encouraged to clean up trash along the trails and parking lots of this area.
Volunteers of all ages are needed and will meet at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area Boat Ramp, located at 801 Strodtman Rd. in Spanish Lake. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., although volunteers are encouraged to register in advance by visiting www.riverrelief.org.
Participants will be provided with water, lunch, t-shirts, work gloves, trash bags and transportation by boat to the various clean-up sites. Missouri River Relief will also be providing lifejackets, but encourages anyone who brings a child to also bring along a proper-fitting lifejacket to keep each child as safe as possible. Following lunch, additional volunteers will be needed to load trash onto the trash barge.
The Confluence Clean-up is the final event of the Big Muddy Clean Sweep, the keystone project of Missouri River Relief’s 10th anniversary celebration. This month-long endeavor, which began on Sept. 26, has included community-based cleanups along the Missouri River, educational field trips, river festivals, barge tours and celebrations across the state of Missouri from Kansas City to the Confluence in St. Louis. The Big Muddy Clean Sweep spans 170 miles in eight towns on the Missouri River, including Kansas City, Jefferson City, Washington, St. Charles and St. Louis.
“We are excited about the opportunity to support Missouri River Relief in its efforts to clean up the Missouri River,” said Susan Trautman, Executive Director of Great Rivers Greenway. “We want to congratulate Missouri River Relief on a decade devoted to restoring our rivers, and we encourage area residents to join them in their fight to beautify the Missouri River and surrounding areas.”
Volunteers participating in the Oct. 29 Confluence clean-up are encouraged to wear work boots or tennis shoes (no flip flops), work clothes, bug spray, sunglasses, sunscreen and bring refillable water bottles. Trash collected from the event will be hauled on a sand barge and unloaded at terminals on the Mississippi River for recycling or for disposal at landfills. To learn more, visit www.riverrelief.org or call 573.443.0292.
Trailnet hosts a trio of fun & healthy local events
More than 200 people participated in last year's Yoga Within the Confluence event, which will return for 2011 on September 18. Photo: Lynn DeLearie
In the St. Louis area, there are few major nonprofits that host regular events in North County. But obviously, nobody told Trailnet. Over the past decade, this 23-year-old organization has spearheaded a number of important initiatives in our neck of the woods – from conservation efforts and bicycling classes to trail building and trash pick-up. Now, Trailnet is gearing up for three more fun events….
Taste of Thies Farm Ride – August 13
First up, this Saturday, bring the whole family for this group-led bicycle ride exploring one of the oldest farms in St. Louis – NoCo’s own Thies Farm, founded in 1885. Thies Farm prides itself on having a wide variety of fresh homegrown produce, and on Saturday, August 13th, they’ll have a free sample day. Riders will get a chance to try late summer veggies fresh off the grill, including Thies’ homegrown sweet corn. As an added treat, Trailnet will have its bike blender stationed nearby, so participants can make their very own smoothie from farm fresh peaches by jumping on the bike and pedaling to power the blender.
The Thies Farm ride is a five-mile trip that’s ideal for riders of all ages and abilities. To join in this free event, show up at Vinita Park City Hall (8374 Midland Blvd, 63114) between 9am and 9:30 on Saturday, August 13. The ride will also end here.
Complete Streets Advocacy Training – August 27
Are you interested in making your community more walkable, bikeable and accessible? If so, don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about Complete Streets Advocacy Training, sponsored by Trailnet, MU Extension and Beyond Housing.
Many communities throughout our region, state and nation are working to develop more complete streets. A Complete Street (also called a Livable Street) allows all residents to safely walk, bike, wheel, or drive around their community. Complete Streets support children walking to school, independence for seniors and people with disabilities, and safe cycling. Complete Streets also provide safe access to physical activity for all residents regardless of ability. Seven municipalities in the St. Louis region have already committed to building Complete Streets through the adoption of local Complete Streets policies, including Ferguson here in North County.
On Saturday, August 27, citizens and local lawmakers are invited to learn how they might implement a Complete Streets program in their own community. This free event will take place from 9am to 1pm at the Natural Bridge Branch Library, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd., 63121. Register online at tinyurl.com/completestreetstraining or by calling Romi Pierce from Beyond Housing at (314) 280-8759.
Yoga Within the Confluence – September 18
OK, so technically this is a field trip, since it’s just beyond our NoCo borders, but how cool! For the third year in a row, Trailnet is bringing yoga lovers together for an inspiring class near the magnificent Mississippi-Missouri Confluence.
Last year, the event was held at Cahokia Mounds and drew more than 200 participants. This year, it inches even closer to the actual Confluence, with a sweeping view of the water from the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Located in West Alton, this enchanting place sprawls over 3,700 acres and is home to an ever-changing array of birds and other wildlife.
Show up there on September 18 from 9:30 to 11am and you’ll also find “local musicians and a flowing yoga practice led by guest instructors from throughout the region.” The event is free but donations are welcome. Bring a blanket or yoga mat, a water bottle and (just to be safe) bug spray.
The Audubon Center at Riverlands, within the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 301 Riverlands Way, West Alton, MO 63386
Confluence Trash Bash returns on March 26
Despite the wet weather, volunteers still managed to pick up literally tons of debris at Confluence Trash Bash 2010. Photo by Dan Zarlenga.
For the past ten years, a grassroots organization called Missouri River Relief has been rallying volunteers to clean up our region’s waterways. Last year alone, they pulled more than 700 tires and 55 tons of trash from local rivers. And with their help, the annual Confluence Trash Bash has grown into one of the largest one-day clean-up events in the state.
Sponsored by Trailnet, the Confluence Partnership and Metropolitan Sewer District, Trash Bash brings together volunteers just like you to help clean up lakes, streams and rivers all over North County. This year, some of the areas to be cleaned include Spanish Lake, Coldwater Creek, Maline Creek and North Riverfront Park. A handful of volunteers will also have the chance to work from boats on the Mississippi.
Everyone who participates will get free lunch and a t-shirt. And to keep things fun, trash artists will be on hand to create recycled art from some of the objects found, and prizes will be awarded for the most interesting items discovered during the pick-up.
Trash Bash volunteers will meet at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and spread out from there. To sign up, you can register here. The 2011 Confluence Trash Bash will be held Saturday, March 26, from 8:30am to noon. For more info, call (314) 436-1324, ext. 123.
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K