Clean Sweep Results through September

Kansas City River Clean-up - Saturday, Sept. 10th

Berkley Riverfront Park, river mile 365

We kicked off September with our biggest tradition and clean-up of the year, the Kansas City Missouri River Clean-up! Due to flooding and high river levels this year, we based the Kansas City Clean-up out of Berkley Riverfront Park where 20-year Clean-up Veteran and Kansas City Coordinator, Vicki Richmond made arrangements for volunteer groups to disperse to 11 land-based sites up and down the river.

For normally being a river-based operation, the clean-up was still a huge success and made cleaning up post-flood parks even more efficient.  257 volunteers showed up on a gorgeous late summer morning, to pick up their pumpkin orange Clean Sweep t-shirts, and sign up for one of the many pre-scouted land-based sites

Sites included Berkley Park, Riverfront Park, Kaw Point Park, the Chouteau Bridge, the Riverfront Heritage Trail, Stillwell and more!  Since there were so many separate sites, we are still working on compiling a tonnage estimate. Right now we are estimating close to 7 tons of debris cleaned up from 11 sites along the river. 

• Read More about the Kansas City Clean-up on our Webpage

• Check out our full set of Photos from this year's Kansas City Clean-up

10th Anniversary Celebration - Wed.,Sept. 21st

Cooper's Landing, river mile 170

To celebrate a decade of accomplishments, and officially kick-off our Big Muddy Clean Sweep season, a crew & partners banquet was held on the banks of the Big Muddy Wednesday night at our home port, Cooper's Landing.  Our friends & local singer-songwriters continued their Wed. night tradition of serenading us on the river while River Relief wined & dined our long-time hard working crew with a buffet of smoked pork, homemade coleslaw & apple sauce, and good home brew donated from Broadway Brewery, while watching the sunset over the river on a beautiful late summer day, enjoying boat rides, camaraderie and a program to thank our founding members alongside a special recognition of  long time partner and owner of Cooper's Landing, Mike Cooper.  After dark, we lit 5 memorial paper lanterns (foshees) for those that were no longer with us.  It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful.

• Enjoy our full set of photos from this long awaited celebration of "10 Years of Good Clean/Trashy Fun!" 
  
  
• KOMU piece featuring 10th Anniversary Celebration & upcoming Jeff City Clean-up
   

Mid-Mo Group Clean-ups - Sept. 17th - 25th

Cooper's Landing, river miles 167 - 173

This river-based series of cleanups brought an impressive 186 volunteers on the river to remove 50 tires, 1/2 a ton of scrap metal and an estimated 2.6 tons of trash from 7 miles of river!  

Partial Trash Tally! 
178 bags of Trash
50 Tires
1/2 Ton of Scrap Metal:
100 lb Propane Tank
4 small Propane Tanks
3 Freon Tanks
1 Refrigerator Door
3 Car Fenders
2 55-gal. Metal Drums
1 Red Buoy
1 Double Cast Iron Sink
1 Fire Extinquisher
2 Sheets of Roofing Tin
1 Sponge Bob Bobber
1/2 of a Duck Boat
1 Cot
3 Lawn Chairs
2 Fishing Poles
1 55-gal. Blue Barrel
3 Deck Umbrellas
1 Concrete Nose
1 small Cooler filled with Oyster Mushrooms
1 Goose Head Decoy
1 Bag of Balls
1 Bowling Pin
1 kids Firefighte's Helmet
1 giant Light Bulb

Groups included:

(click on the group name to see photos from each clean-up!)

9/17 - Friends of Big Muddy & Missouri Master Naturalists

9/18 - EcoArtFest volunteers & RR Crew

9/22 - Douglass High School Students

9/23 - Columbia Resource Home School

9/23 - Garden Gate Home School

9/24 - Walmart Stream Team 4364

9/24 - Sustain Mizzou

9/25 - River Relief Crew Trash Haul

Check out this Great Missourian Article that just came out featuring the Friends of Big Muddy & Master Naturalists Clean-up that kicked it all off!

A Big Muddy Thanks to all the sponsors, crew & volunteers that helped make our September Clean Sweep a rockin' one!

Here's to kicking off October in the same light with one of our featured "big" clean-ups in Jefferson City on October 1st as we continue to roll on down the river.  Sign up today and find out more details about the Jeff City Missouri River Clean-up on our website here:  http://www.riverrelief.org/event/jefferson-city-river-clean-up/.  The barge has arrived!!! as of tonight in Jeff City, and we welcome folks to come check us out via Noren Access (or as we like to call it...Wilson's Serenity Point) or climb on up the new pedestrian walkway on the Missouri River bridge!

Following the clean-up on Sunday is the 2nd Annual Race to the Dome!  Folks can still sign up for this fun and scenic canoe race via www.racetothedome.org, all proceeds from the race will benefit Missouri River Relief and our efforts to reconnect people to the Missouri River through hands-on river clean-ups, education and stewardship.

Stay tuned to our blog here or like us on our facebook page for the latest updates!

Most of all... hoping we'll "See You on the River~!"