Gerry Boehm
Gerry Boehm is a retired science teacher who taught biology and environmental studies for 32 years. He has been active in the Missouri Stream Team program receiving Level 4 certification. His passion for protection of streams led him to be selected for the St. Charles County Commission for Environmental Quality, executive director of the Greenway Network, Inc, and a board member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. After retirement from teaching he developed a consulting business, Brookside Environmental Services. His company works with developers to help them maintain compliance with MDNR and USACE regulations and 401 and 404 permitting. His emphasis is to assist developers with low impact design during construction. He was instrumental in the writing of the St. Charles County Natural Waterway Ordinance and serves as a consultant for local municipalities specifically dealing with clean water issues.
Gerry volunteered as an AmeriCorps Stream Team Assistant for the St. Charles area and closely with the Open Space Council of St. Louis in coordination and the organization of the Meramec River Operation Clean Stream Program and the St. Louis Clean Water Celebration. Operation Clean Stream is a coordinated effort to recruit citizens to help clean up Missouri streams. Several thousand citizens of Missouri participate in this annual event in the last weekend of August each year. The Clean Water Celebration was an educational program which brought over 300 high school students in the St. Louis region together for a clean water conference. This event will be entering its third year in 2007.
Gerry’s assignment was to work with citizens, municipalities and developers to help them with watershed education.
Gerry has returned full time to his business but still takes time out to monitor streams and help teachers incorporate stream team activities into their school’s curriculum.
“Working as an AmeriCorps Member provided me opportunities to work in the field with ongoing construction projects, assist citizen group’s deal with clean water issues and develop environmental education programs. It was especially rewarding because I was able to interest many people in protecting our watersheds and become interested in the Stream Team Program”.