The Missouri Stream Team Promise By Rebecca O’Hearn, MDC Volunteer Programs Manager Most have heard the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”. The phrase describes the difficulty of parenting and the need for community support extending beyond the family to raise children. The phrase is often shortened to “it takes a village”, which expands the need for community action to all sorts of difficult endeavors. This sentiment is so ubiquitous to the human experience, that we can easily call to mind many synonymous phrases throughout the world and many re-phrasings through the passage of time - “Many hands make light work”, “there is strength in numbers”, “united we stand”, and one of my favorites, “teamwork makes the dream work”. Well, my fellow Stream Teamers, this sentiment most certainly applies to our Missouri streams and the watersheds that drain into them. Without a doubt, this sentiment is the reason why Missouri Stream Team was created in the 1980s. The program’s sponsors and many concerned Missourians and conservation professionals had witnessed destruction of stream habitat, degradation of water quality, and alteration of natural stream flow. With limited conservation and natural resource professionals, we knew that conditions would only get worse without the help of “the people”. Our mission is to educate as many Missourians as possible about our amazing streams, their problems, and how to protect and restore them. We know this is an endeavor that requires “a village” and “all hands on deck”. In that sense, it’s crucial that Stream Teamers invite friends, family, co-workers, and others in their communities to join our mission. We also know that the greatest achievements will come if we invite Missourians from all walks of life to participate. From picking up litter and collecting water quality data to teaching school children and feeding volunteers - there is a task for everyone regardless of what you look like, your age, your education, what language you speak, your political views, or your physical capabilities. Come one and come all! Just remember to live up to the Missouri Stream Team Promise: As a Missouri Stream Team member, I promise to: Remember that I live in a watershed and anything I do in that watershed can affect a stream positively or negatively. Learn all I can about Missouri streams. Engage in activities that promote and preserve the health of Missouri streams. Conduct myself in a professional manner so that my actions do not reflect negatively on my Stream Team, other Stream Teams, or the Missouri Stream Team program. Consider others’ points of view regarding water resource issues; recognize that our state’s waters serve many purposes, some of which may appear to conflict; and advocate for the health and values of Missouri streams based on good science and accurate data. Respect the property rights of private landowners and always ask permission before entering private land. Report my Stream Team activities so my efforts can be included with all other Stream Team activities to show we are making a difference locally and globally.
Spineless Bioindicators
Fact Sheet 36: Stay Afloat Healthy Practices in Natural Water Bodies
3rd Quarter Activity Prize Drawing
Announcements and Statewide Dates
Save the Dates! - St. Louis Region
Save the Dates! - Southwest Region
Stream Heroes for the Unseen Winners By Jeff Cantrell, Volunteer Engagement Specialist There are probably as many reasons to be involved in Missouri Stream Team as there are people who identify themselves as a “Stream Teamer” (could be thousands). Caring about the environment and often having an ownership are the underlining themes for the volunteer’s dedication. The volunteer efforts in categories of litter pick up, water quality monitoring, stream habitat and stream bank erosion are truly “frontline” efforts to conservation work for a large number of species. The types of events with storm drain stenciling and educational programs bring both immediate and far-reaching change with people’s awareness and actions. We maintain satisfaction with regular water quality testing of our adopted stream sites. We’ve earned self-pride when we turn in a monitoring report which displays a change in past observed data. That report will be significant and our biologists with Department of Natural Resources will want to investigate possible causes and effects. Those changes may have been hidden longer if not for vigilant members of Missouri Stream Team. Certainly, a sense of accomplishment fulfills volunteers when they end a float with a mesh bag of trash, a tire, and some cans to recycle. The evidence of the litter pick-up cultivates the volunteer’s smile, but there are other unseen winners of these results. Some of the waters surrounding these stream team events work their way down large and extremely small passages in Missouri’s karst topography. These dark waters may provide residence for animals living underground like the endangered Ozark cavefish and the rare grotto salamander. Conservationists applaud Stream Teamers for this frontline action to help these cave species. Nationwide many species of freshwater fishes, mussels, and crawdads are showing population declines. Biologists collaborate conservation efforts and plans for recovery of these aquatic species like the Niangua darter, Neosho mucket, and Freckled crayfish. However, often the foundation of those recovery plans has a footing based on volunteers’ efforts in outreach regarding land use from erosion control of silt in the stream to preventing items like tires and other car parts eroding toxins in the water. It might not be written in the conservation plan itself, but volunteer efforts are in the management framework for positive results. Unseen benefits also move up the food chain and throughout food webs of the state’s wildlife. Keeping the food chains healthy for everything from smallmouth bass, river otters, to osprey and bald eagles should add to that sense of accomplishment and pride in enjoying our rivers and streams. The Missouri Stream Team shirt is a symbol of caring, being part of something larger than us and truly is an amazing benefit to our environment. Thank you, heroes, for your passion, sharing, and being on the frontline of conservation! Please be proud of your efforts; we are proud of you!
Central Region Missouri River Relief Big Muddy Speaker Series – 2nd Tuesday of the Month The Columbia Series is held at the Riechmann Indoor Pavilion at Stephen Lake Park in Columbia, Missouri. The Mid-Missouri area is lucky to have so many experts willing to share their knowledge with us about this amazing river, its floodplain, and the nature and history that surrounds it. Missouri River Relief keeps the topics varied and interesting, but if you have an interest in the Missouri River, they know you are going to love these talks. Columbia – Big Muddy Speaker Series - Big Muddy Speaker Series Missouri River Explorer Explore the Missouri River with the whole family! Participants will have the opportunity to earn their Missouri River Explorer badge by participating in hands-on activities such as a free motorboat ride, creating a watercolor of the river, going on a guided hike, meeting some of the animals that call the Missouri River home, and much more! Missouri River Explorer Program - Missouri River Relief Missouri Conservation Corps – Fall Work Days Missouri Conservation Corps is busy planning new volunteer work events with an emphasis on community and collaboration. Our volunteer work days focus on the importance of community engagement in habitat restoration and are open to all ages and abilities. Our fall volunteer work days will focus on Garth Nature Area and Kiwanis Park, and each event will bring honeysuckle removal and habitat restoration to these two Columbia parks. If you would like to sign up for one of our volunteer events, contact Project Director Stephen Bybee at stephen@missouriconservationcorps.org. MCC will provide the gloves, tools, training, and bug spray. Volunteers will need to bring a water bottle and wear shoes and clothing appropriate for outdoor work. Kansas City Region Little Blue River Watershed Coalition Join Little Blue River Watershed Coalition and friends for a Missouri River cleanup at Kaw Point. Saturday, October 5, 2024, 9 AM-1 PM, at Kaw Point Park, 1403 Fairfax Trafficway, Kansas City, KS 66115. We will be cleaning up all the litter that flows into the river from the storm drains when it rains. As the water recedes, the trash is left on the banks. Volunteers will be taken by boats to cleanup sites on the Missouri River near downtown Kansas City. After collecting trash, volunteers will be returned to Kaw Point for a hotdog lunch. Missouri River Cleanup with Little Blue 2024 - Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition (flipcause.com) Plogtober – Multiple Events throughout the Month of October Plogtober 2024 will take place in October across dozens of parks around the Kansas City region. Sign ups will be available soon for team cleanup events around the region. Or, if you are picking up litter on your own block, document your cleanup using our mobile website for prizes and recognition! The Kansas City Plogtober Cleanup is a great way to get outdoors and get some exercise while engaging in a socially responsible activity that beautifies the streamside trails in your community! KC Plogtober - Clean Water KC Metro The City of Lee’s Summit Litter Pick-Up Saturday, October 12, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Stream Team protects our local stream-side habitats by removing litter and debris from streams within the City’s parks. Trash bags and gloves are provided. Volunteers must register and sign a waiver prior to participating in the event. Student and scout community service hours are available. Prizes are awarded for the most unique items collected. Call 969.1800 for more information. Sweep the Summit (cityofls.net) RecycleFest Saturday, October 26, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This free event offers Lee’s Summit residents an opportunity to dispose of a variety of items that can be recycled and refurbished, reducing harm to the environment and saving landfill space. Items include adult bicycles, cell phones, rechargeable batteries, eyeglasses and crayons. Residents can bring up to four paper grocery bags of sensitive documents per household to be shredded and recycled. Sweep the Summit (cityofls.net) Blue River Woodland Clean-Up Come help clean up the Blue River Watershed on November 9th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. More details to follow! Please contact Craig Nelson to register for the event and get the address. Visit our calendar for more details on any of the above events: Calendar of Events . Need help advertising your event? Or struggling to recruit volunteers for a clean-up? We are here to help! Submit a request to advertise through our website calendar, or send an email to StreamTeam@mdc.mo.gov to request an ad through a StreamGram or Facebook post.