Winter 2024 newsletter

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!

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.

Paddle with a Purpose

Have fun and meet the kind of people who care about nature and believe a stream is a thing of beauty, not a trash can. Display good stewardship at Paddle with a Purpose by helping mission of the St. Charles County Park Rangers Stream Team #6429 to create cleaner waterways for everyone. Park Rangers host an on-the-water cleanup from 12p.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, September 27 at 370 Lakeside Park. Rangers provide the vessel, gloves, trash bags, and pick sticks. Participants are welcome to bring their own vessels as well. Paddle 2 miles upstream to collect trash and float back down to the starting location. Wear closed-toed shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. It is recommended to bring water, sunscreen, bug spray, and a sun hat. This program is for ages 14 and up. Pre-registration is required. An email sent out to participants one week prior with additional information.

• Park kayak registration link: https://web2.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mostcharlesctywt.wsc/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=9269961
• Personal vessel registration link: https://web2.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mostcharlesctywt.wsc/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=9269970

National Public Lands Day Riverfront Clean-Up

National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages the use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits. This year, National Public Lands Day falls on September 28, 2024. Meet up and team up at the Gateway Arch to help clean up the St. Louis Riverfront! Nine billion tons of trash end up in the ocean every year. In fact, the Mighty Mississippi River is one of the largest sources of oceanic plastic debris. But with YOUR help, we can minimize our environmental footprint by collecting riverside trash and keeping the riverfront clean. Gateway Arch National Park, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Beyond Plastics, Republic Services, Missouri River Cities and Towns Initiative, Missouri Stream Team, Great Rivers Greenway, Bi-State Development, Living Lands & Waters, and the City of St. Louis have partnered to organize a community trash pick-up event on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 28th from 9 a.m. - noon. Recruit your friends and family members and join us in lending a helping hand and cleaning up the riverfront! All volunteers will receive materials needed to stay safe during the clean-up and be entered to win a drawing for prizes from our partners. After the clean-up, explore the park and enjoy a day full of service projects and fun events for the whole family to celebrate National Public Lands Day!

Email questions to: grace.teofilo@archpark.org

St. Charles County Park Rangers Stream Team Cleanup – Last Monday of Each Month

Want to give back to your community? Come and pick up trash to keep our St. Charles County parks looking beautiful! Not only is trash an eyesore, but it can hurt the environment and the animals that call our parks home. Join our Park Rangers this fall and help clean up the waterways in various parks. Dress for the weather. Bring a water bottle, sturdy shoes or boots; no flip flops or sandals. Trash is messy! Wear something that can get dirty. Long pants and insect repellent are recommended. This cleanup will begin at Indian Camp Creek Park shelter #1. Please register here: https://web2.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mostcharlesctywt.wsc/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=7690793

Watershed Wander: Shady Creek Discovery

• Tuesday, October 1 at 5:30 pm Larson Park Pavillion Larson Park 520 W. Kirkham Ave. Webster Groves 63119 Join the Shady Creek Stream Team for a one-hour educational lecture and creek walk in the Shady Creek Watershed with David Wilson. Please see attached flyer for more details.
• Please contact ccoyne@stlcc.edu with any questions.

Greenway Network

• Monthly Board Meeting
• This meeting is the monthly meeting for the Greenway Network. This meeting begins at 7:00pm and ends at 9:00pm. For information regarding the Greenway Network and this meeting, please call the Greenway Network at (636) 498-0772.
• Big Muddy Speaker Series
• The St. Charles series is held at 6:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at Bike Stop Cafe in historic downtown St. Charles.
• St. Charles was founded because of its location on the Missouri River. Today we are 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 surround it. We’re trying to keep the topics varied and interesting, but if you are interested in the Missouri River, we think you will love these. Greenway Network is the lead organizer of the Big Muddy Speaker Series in St. Charles, with help from partners Big Muddy Adventures and Missouri River Relief.
• St. Charles - Big Muddy Speaker Series - Big Muddy Speaker Series

Missouri River Relief

• New Haven Missouri River Clean-Up
• Missouri River Relief will make its way to the historical river town of New Haven, MO to host a large-scale river cleanup! Our last cleanup here was in 2016, where we worked with 155 volunteers to remove over 7 TONS of trash from the Missouri River! Read more about the 2016 New Haven Missouri River Cleanup here. Trash is the name of the game, but we hope you can join us to also get connected to the Big Muddy! Check out more information about the event below.
• New Haven Missouri River Cleanup 2024 - Missouri River Relief

Stream Team Volunteering with Missouri State Parks – 2nd Sunday of Every Month

Are you interested in volunteering with the park for a one-time event (or more) that allows you to help the park with a stream team activity? If you answered yes, then sign up for this event to be selected to help out. Seats are limited to 20. If you are not able to attend this program, that's okay—we will have more opportunities like this in the future. All participants will need to plan to get wet. Meet at the Visitor Center. Sign up for these events via the link below: Missouri State Parks - Programs And Special Events

If you have questions, please contact Dustin Hillis at Dustin.hillis@dnr.mo.gov 

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. 

Stream Team Family,

It is a bittersweet day for our program. Dan Coates, long-time distribution staff with Missouri Department of Conservation, is retired on Friday, August 9th. Dan has filled your Missouri Stream Team incentive and supply orders for the last 10 years.

When you received supplies from us, they were selected, counted, and packaged by Dan. He will truly be missed! While Dan's position is being filled, we ask that you please place your orders at least 6 weeks in advance of your planned activity, so our remaining staff will have enough time to get your order to you before your event.

Fill out an Activity Report on our website to order supplies for your team's activities: https://www.mostreamteam.org/

Statewide

Educational Workshops

• Water Quality Monitoring - Level 1 Trainings
• Columbia – September 21st
• Springfield – September 28th
• Saint Louis – October 18th
• Wildwood – October 19th

Stream Teams United

• PaddleMO
• Meramec River – October 4th – 6th
• Sign up for PaddleMO by going to Stream Teams United’s website: https://www.paddlemo.org/

#336 stay afloat

Select the image to enlarge. Download the PDF here.

3rd Quarter Activity Prize Drawing

3rd Quarter Prizes:

• Strike Force Full Game Camera
• Flexible/Rechargeable Bluetooth Headset
• Full Camo Tech Pach Pack

Youth Prize:

• The North Face Jester Backpack

Spineless bioindicators

By April Sevy, Volunteer Education and Citizen Science Coordinator

What does a mayfly, a leech, and a snail have in common? They all spend at least part of their life in water, lack a backbone, and are bioindicators. Now you may be wondering, “a bio-what?” Aquatic macroinvertebrates reflect the health of a waterbody. This means they are bioindicators. The aquatic macroinvertebrates indicate the health of a stream.

In a healthy stream with proper habitat, we expect to see an abundant and diverse community of macroinvertebrates. There should be representatives from each pollution-tolerance taxa: pollution-tolerant, somewhat pollution-tolerant, and pollution-sensitive. In an impaired stream, the abundance and/or diversity of macroinvertebrate community will be low. In this scenario, we may see more pollution-tolerant taxa than the other two categories, and pollution-sensitive taxa may be completely absent.

Those pollution-sensitive invertebrates have gills and don’t handle the stress of water quality changes well. Sedimentation in a stream may smother gilled taxa or restrict their ability to take up oxygen from the water. Eutrophication, where there are too many nutrients like nitrogen or phosphate, also affect a gilled invertebrate’s ability to get oxygen. If your stream has gilled invertebrates, it’s an indicator of good conditions where these little critters can breathe.

If you’re sampling your stream routinely (two times per year for biological monitoring), the abundance and diversity should stay consistent. If you’re monitoring in a watershed where best-management practices (BMPs) were implemented, you may start seeing more diversity and more pollution-sensitive invertebrates. This will tell you the BMPs are working! But, if you see a shift in the macroinvertebrate community in the other direction, where diversity or abundance is dropping, this could be an indicator of a problem.

Review and compare your data each time you sample. Sometimes the water quality changes are subtle and may only be noticed if you’re objectively reviewing data. Those bioindicators have a story to tell, but you have to be consistent and pay close attention.

Happy Monitoring!

lots happening!

Since our last issue of Channels, Stream Team members reported:

• 6815 Teams Strong
• 176 Total activities
• 774 Total participants
• 5,245 Hours
• 13 Tons of trash collected.
• 29 Water quality monitoring trips
• 63 Litter pick-ups

Check out more highlights below . . .

Stream Teams United Welcomes Emily Young to New Advocacy PositionSave these 2025 Dates to Join Stream Teams United around the Great Rivers State!

By Mary Culler, Stream Teams United Executive Director

We are thrilled to announce that our team of staff at Stream Teams United is growing! Thanks to support from Missouri Foundation for Health, we have recently hired Emily Young to serve in a new position for our organization, as the Advocacy Outreach Coordinator. Along with healthy river partners around the state, including Missouri River Bird Observatory, James River Basin Partnership, Missouri River Relief, Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance, and Earth’s Classroom, we are embarking on a three-year project to work to reduce plastic use in the state of Missouri, through both education and advocacy efforts. Emily will be working with this team of partners to increase awareness of plastic pollution with Missouri’s local and state decision makers and facilitate discussions about strategies to make tangible reductions in plastic use in our state.

Emily is a Pennsylvania native who attended Juniata College in South Central Pennsylvania and received a degree in Environmental Chemistry in 2022. Following graduation, Emily began working as a Watershed Specialist at the Franklin County Conservation District in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where she coordinated watershed restoration projects in the county and organized several conservation education programs and events for children and adults. In this role, Emily also worked closely with local, state, and federal partners and stakeholders to implement Franklin County’s Chesapeake Bay Countywide Action Plan. Emily served in this role for just over two years before moving to Waynesville, Missouri with her husband in June 2024. In August, she eagerly joined Stream Teams United as an Advocacy Outreach Coordinator with a focus on a project aimed to reduce plastic pollution in the waterways of the Great Rivers State.

When she’s not engaging in watershed conservation work, Emily enjoys spending her time traveling and exploring with her husband and their dog, hiking, reading, and most recently, learning the ins and outs of sourdough baking. She is excited to join the Stream Team family and to be part of positive change in watershed conservation in Missouri.