Kansas City Missouri River Clean-up Results 2012

Kansas City Missouri River Clean-up

Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, KS

October 20^th, 2012

Total Volunteers:  303

MRR Crew:  44

Boats:   12  (5 Missouri River Relief, 4 MDC, 1 EPA, 1 Burns & Mac, 1 Rivermiles)

River Miles:  13  (Missouri Rivermiles 373-362, 2 on the Kaw)

River Level: 10.4 ft on the Kansas City gage

Tires: 76 Tires (1.4 tons)

Landfill Tonnage:  5 tons

Scrap Metal:  6.5 tons

Total Tonnage:  12.9 Tons!

Groups & Agencies Involved:  

The Missouri River Relief Crew, Rockhurst University, Missouri Dept. of Conservation, University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC), Park University, Oakwood Manor Elementary, Crossroads Church, Missouri Stream Team, Kaw Point Park, Kansas City Geocachers, Missouri Master Naturalists, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, SEA LIFE Kansas City, Captain Catfish, Student Environmental Coalition (SEC), Louis Berger Group, Cargill, Singles Available for Community Service (SACS), Healthy Rivers Partnership, Burns & McDonnell, Unilever, North Central Neighbors, Ozark Wilderness Waterways Club (OWWC), Advantage Metals Recycling, Cub Scouts Pack 3385, Green Club, Briarcliff Chapel, Shawnee Mission Northwest Highschool (SMNW)

Names of River Teams:  Jumping Carp, Banana Tacos, Red Backs, Smithe Patrol, Sleepy Wimbats, Trash Ninjas, Nautical Salmons, KC GeoCachers, Outstanding Owls, Trash Talkers, The Gappers, Dry Muskateers, Fearless Chickens, Screeching Owls, Oakie, Group Fourteen, Mark Twain, Sharks, Bob Supertrash, Team Solid, Man Up, Getters, Killswitch Engage, Blue Catfish, Cleaning K, The Polywogs, Happy Campers

Trash Tally!!!!

421 Bags of Trash

76 Tires (5 huge ones)

3 Hunks O’ Tire Tread

1 Inner Tube

30 Chunks O’ Styrofoam

7 Coolers

17 ½ - 5-gal. Plastic Buckets

1 – 5 gal. Plastic Bucket with Poison

3 – 55 gal. Metal Drums

2 ½ - 55 gal. Plastic Barrels

1 – 10 gal. Water Jug

1 – 40 gal. Metal Drum

1 – 5 gal. Jug of Insecticide

1 – 7 gal. Metal Bucket

2 Refrigerators (1 mini fridge)

2 Bicycles (1 red, 1 blue)

3 Bicycle Tires and 1 Wheel

1 Cart on Wheels

2 Garden Hoses

1 Lawn Mower

4 Orange Traffic Cones

1 Shopping Cart

2 Mattresses

4 Bed Springs

6 Chairs

1 Cushion

1 Bathroom Sink

1 Venetian Blinds

1 Folding Table

1 Trash Can Lid

3 ft. of PVC Pipe

1 – 30 gal. Plastic Tub

Pornography

1 Bag of Syringes – unused

3 Baseball Hats

1 Football Flag

20+ Balls (Soccer, Basket Ball, Tennis)

1 Dress Jacket

1 Fire Hose – blue plastic

4 Bags O’ Scrap Metal

1 Gear Shift

1 License Plate

6 Hub Caps

1 Truck Liner

1 Car Bumper

1 Motor Wheel

2 Car Grills

6 Wheel Rims

5 Exhaust Pipes

1 Pump

3 Gas Tanks

1 Steering Wheel

2 Horse Shoes

1 – 4” shaft Motor

5 pieces of Steel Beam

1 steel Belt

2 pieces of Electrical Conduit

20 pieces of Railing

65 large pieces of Iron

1 metal Gas Can

Barbed Wire

9 Grills & Grates

3 – 12” metal Pipes

1 Wire Basket

1 RR Bridge Catwalk

17 steel Rods

1 4x4 Post

1 6x8 Metal Sheet

49 pieces of Rebar

30 iron Machine Parts

Refrigerator Coils

3 Fence Posts

1 Window Screen

1 Metal Case

59 pieces of Tow Boat remains

1 Fire Extinguisher

1 TV

6’ of Roofing Shingles

2 pieces of Vinyl Sidinsg

3 heavy pieces of Rubber Roofing/Flooring

14 wooden Boards with nails

2 wooden Box Frames

1 6x6 piece of Plywood

4 pieces of Flooring

2 pieces of Carpet

1 cubicle Divider

8 Vinyl Strips

1 Blanket

2 Tarps

1 giant Man Purse (full)

1 Bamboo Shade

2 Patio Umbrellas

5 Hunks O’ Corrugated Plastic

1 melted heavy Chunk O’ Plastic

50’ of Plastic Tubing

1 Golf Driver Club

45 pieces of 8” Plastic Pipe

9 ½ PVC Pipes

1 long Plastic Planter

1 Tote Cover

1 Plastic Sink

Trash Contest Entries!!!!

Best Darned Find of the Day

An “Official” Message in a Bottle

A natural Terrarium growing in a Glass Bottle

Weirdest Trash

1 naked Baby Doll

1 Motor Gear

1 Garage Door Opener

1 Car Seat Headrest

2 Mylar Balloons

Biggest Trash

1 plastic Big Wheel Tricycle

1 25 ft. Tape Measurer

100 ft. of Cable

Most Fashionable

1 Security Badge

1 Wool Coat

1 Tank Top

1 Shoe

1 Metal Bird

Most Artistic

1 Fishing Lure

1 Wooden Heart

1 Wire & Plastic Contraption

1 Bobber in Driftwood

Oldest Trash

1 Computer Hard Drive Tower

1 Fire Extinguisher

1 Spray Can

1 Audio Tape

1 Guy Wire Loop

1 Wooden Box

Most Useful

1 Cooler

1 Dollar

1 I.D. Card

1 Small TV

1 Plastic Cup

1 Library Card

1 Pair of Pliers

1 Toy Airplane

1 Socket

1 Wheel

1 Solar Powered Light

1 Crossbow Pistol

1 BB Gun Handle

1 Maglight

1 MO Lisence Plate

5 Balls

1 Hub Cap

2 pieces of Marble (from a table)

2 iPods

1 plastic Base Ball Bat

Best Animal Finds

1 Deer Skull complete with Antlers & Teeth

2 Jaw Bones

1 stuffed Penguin with a Santa Hat

1 headless Turkey Decoy

1 Bag of Deer Bones

The River as Muse

River Excursion with Shawnee Mission East & North and St. Theresa's Academy art students

Kaw Point Park to Riverfront Park - Kansas City

April 23, 2011

text by Vicki Richmond, photos by Sarah Cook and Katie Crow

Boat trips are a terrific way to get folks immersed in the Big Muddy.  Hundreds of people experience the Missouri River this way each year, through River Relief’s field trips.

Way back in January’s chill, I received a note from Adam Finkelston, Shawnee Mission East Visual Arts Dept. instructor and self proclaimed photography geek.  He wanted to take students out on the river to inspire them to create art, and to view their community in a unique way.  We’d be hosting aspiring artists, students who would be nominated and chosen by their teachers, and we’d spend the day traveling by boat.  The outcome of the day would be an art show, held at a gallery this fall that would showcase the student’s work.

April 23 was a good day for a boat ride.  Rainy weather gave way to clouds as MRR crew met at Kaw Point to splash boats in preparation for taking a unique group out for a day on the river.  Students began arriving armed with cameras, sketch pads, notebooks and bags for collecting objects.  Parents stood by watching as their kids were fitted into life jackets, given a brief safety talk and boarded the boats.

photo by Sarah Cook, Shawnee Mission East

The boats left the ramp on the Kaw (or Kansas River) and slowly made their way to the confluence with the Missouri.  The bigger river was quite obviously running higher than the gentler Kaw; our boats were pushed to the south shore as the mighty Missouri currents push towards St. Louis. 

We traveled the stretch between Kaw Point and the Main Street Pedestrian Walkway, taking time to notice the effects of our urban amenities.  Bridges, a scrap metal yard, a wastewater treatment plant, armored stream banks and levee walls are juxtaposed with the original limestone ledge that allowed steamboats to unload cargo for transport to the Westport Trading Post.  Cameras clicked as we powered past the Kansas City skyline.

Berkley Park, once the Kansas City Municipal Landfill, illustrates what can be done with land that isn’t suitable for building.  Our boats pulled into shore so that students could walk the recently created USB Bridge underpass, investigate the Wharfmaster building and see the leftover round pads where grain bins once stood.  Old brick in the power plant and newly planted native prairie and wetlands work together to combine the old and new.

photo by Katie Crow, St. Theresa's Academy

Back to the boats, and a migration to Riverfront Park Boat ramp allowed students to get a duck’s eye view of progress. The Paseo Bridge is being taken down in pieces to make way for the newly opened Kit Bond Bridge that connects Kansas City with her northern neighbors.  Large cranes, working barges and a tug boat offered fodder for sketch books and cameras.


Pulling into Riverfront Park, we were greeted by the fisherfolk and morel hunters who have come to know our boats and crew.  We disembarked and headed just downstream of the ramp to a high sand bar and large pile of drift wood for lunch.  A small fire was lighted to warm marshmallows for tasty deserts.  Students ate lunch and headed off to hike in the woods and explore the flood plain.  Our crew relaxed while enjoying the student’s comments. 

A goose was gently persuaded to leave her nest so that students could see the eggs nestled in warm down.  The hubbub of lunch quickly became a deserted scene of jackets, backpacks and lunch bags as students explored the woods and hiked downriver.

photo by Katie Crow

While enjoying lunch, the tugboat Mary Lynn came through, offering everyone a chance to see commerce at work along the Big Muddy.  Quickly employed cameras captured the turbulent water as crew raced to the boats to secure them.  A small gathering of onlookers enjoyed looking over our vessels; it is a rare occasion when our boats don’t cause a stir.  Having 28 red life-jacketed people made the scene even more inviting, and new friends were made in the assembled group.


All too quickly we loaded the boats again for the return trip upriver.  Several stops were made for students to capture scenes and again we beached the boats, this time at the base of the scrap metal  yard.  Students made their way up the banks to investigate the area , and returned with pockets bulging with scraps of metal destined to become sculptural elements.  A sign, a saw blade and a bag of metal disks joined the drift wood, beaver chewed willow poles and refrigerator door already on board.

We returned to Kaw Point and to a group of waiting parents, cheering and clapping as the boats gently touched shore.  Students unloaded sketchbooks and backpacks with wide grins.  The river made new friends, and the artists left with new inspiration.  The fall will bring us full circle, when the art created from the day is shown. 

photo by Katie Crow

We could not do projects like these without support!  A  big, muddy thanks to:

• Adam Finkelston, Shawnee Mission East Visual Arts Department   www.smsd.org/schools/smeast

• Paul Dorrell, Leopold Gallery   www.leopoldgallery.com

• Students and Parents from Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission North and St. Theresa’s High Schools

•  Missouri River Relief Crew Members:   Vicki and Michael Richmond, Larry O’Donnell, Bill Fessler and Layla the Dog

Kaw Point Trash Tally!!!!

Kansas City Missouri River Clean-up

Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, KS
October 3, 2009

Here's the results snapshot of our 2009 Kansas City Clean-up, followed by the Trash Tally!
(to check out our Kansas City event homepage, click here. to check out photos from the day, click here)

Total Volunteers: 394
MRR Crew: 33
Boats: 16 (4 Missouri Department of Conservation; 4 Missouri River Relief,
1 Burns & McDonnell, 3 Rivermiles, 3 Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Private)
River Miles: 12 (10 on the Missouri River, 2 on the Kaw River)
River Level: 10.4 feet (Kansas City gage)
Landfill: 8.2 tons
Scrap Metal: 2.7 tons
Recyclables: not yet available
Tires: 63 (1 ton)
Total Tonnage: awaiting recyclables
Stream Teams: 1875, 1876, 3331, 175, 41, 211, 1995, 907, 1212, 2793,
Volunteer Groups Involved: World Helping Empower Youth (W.H.E.Y.), Trenton High School, Scuola Vita Nuova, Rockhurst University, Breakpoint Community Church, Crossroads Church, UCM Environmental Awareness Club, Friends of Kaw Point, North Central Neighbors
Names of River Teams – the Arrowheads, the Treasure Hunters, The Cold, The Gnarly’s, the Yankees, Roos 1, Roos 2, the Whirling Dervishes, Ratatouille, Big Ass Group, Phils Team, Sacs, The Funks, The Cougars, Go-Chicken-Go, Home Brewers, Muddy Buddies, Coke Rocks, The Mud Guppies, Pirates, The Woodleys, The Keystone Cops, the Bearcats, Classic Cola, Coca Cola, Group 6, Oscars, Team Yassi, EAC, the Oddballs, the Grouches, Sprite, The W.H.E.Y. (World Helping Empower Youth), Gap

Trash Tally!!!!
245 Bags of Trash
219 Pieces of Scrap Metal
25 Tires on Rim
34 Tires w/o Rim
4 Semi Truck Tires
2 Inner tubes
1 Wheel
16 Chunks of Styrofoam
6 Coolers
1 Water Jug
11 – 5 gallon Plastic Buckets
2 – 55 gallon Metal Drums
6 – 55 gallon Plastic Barrels
NO REFRIGERATORS
NO WASHERS
NO DRYERS
NO HOT WATER HEATERS -- this has got to be A Missouri River Cleanup Record!!! Perhaps our efforts to clean the river are working!!!
1 Propane Tank
1 Deep Freeze
2 TVs
1 Air Mattress
1 Waterbed Side Rail
3 Window Frames
1 Futon Frame
1 Grill Rack
4 Chairs
3 Storage Tubs
1 Laundry Hamper
1 Baby Play Pen
1 Welcome Mat
1 Home Depot “green” bag
1 Railroad Car Spring
1 Jeep Tail Gate
2 Gas Tanks
1 John Deere Tractor Cover
1 Hub Cap
1 Car Door
2 Car Bumpers
1 Truck Mud Flap
4 Large Rugs
2 pieces of Carpet Padding
1 piece of Astroturf
2 Road Cones
1 Hand Saw
2 pieces of Barge Rope
3 Street Signs
2 Croc sandals
1 Sled
15 Toys & Balls
2 pairs of Sunglasses
1 Large Lightbulb
2 liter Glass Soda Bottle
1 Baby Stroller
1 Message in a Bottle
1 Pan
1 Tea Cup
14 pieces of Metal Cable
15 large Metal Plates & Bolts
1 Shovel Spade
1 Compressor
1 Camp Stove
200 ft of Cable
1 Shopping Cart
1 Cabinet
6 pieces of Electric Wire
1 American Flag Light Bulb
8 Fishing Poles
7 Tarps
2 Headlights
1 Electric Switch
2 Tents
1 My Little Pony Lunch Box
1 pair of Boots

"Git that Garbage" Trash Contest Winners:
Most Useful piece of Trash: 1 pair of Pruners
Oldest Trash: 1958 & 1969 License Plates
Biggest piece of Trash: 2 Large Plastic Culverts (4 feet in diameter, 20ft long)
Tackiest piece of Trash: A “Protect the Environment” fish bait container lid
Wierdest piece of Trash: Busted can of Foam
Best Darned Find of the Day: 1 Unopened Can of Beer “211 Still Reserve”
Most Resembling… a Sea Anenome -- a squishy rubber toy

Cleaning Rivers

Kansas City Missouri River Clean-up
Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, KS
Saturday, October 3, 2009

text and photo by Russ Payzant

(blogmaster's note: Russ is one of the founders of Rivermiles, the folks that bring you the Missouri River 340. Their mission is the same as ours: connect people to our rivers through direct action and experience. He drove a Rivermiles boat at our clean-up, taking volunteers out to pick up trash. Thanks Russ!)

On October 3rd, we helped the Missouri River Relief with a clean-up of the Area Rivers around Kansas City. The public was invited to a day on the river, with an effort to clean up the river bank. A few hundred people turned out and we picked up a lot of trash and even dug out some appliances that had been dumped in the water. Made a difference I think—now the river is not like clear mountain streams or the Opal blue waters of Cozumel, but it is better than it was.

The real purpose was to give people a chance to travel the Missouri and Kaw Rivers, to see the rich resource and beauty right here in their home town. As we ferry them back and forth between work areas, they see wonderful scenes of riverscape. Many people lived here their whole lives and have never seen it, they were impressed. It was a relaxed day and pleasant. I like this time of year.

(for more results of the Kansas City Clean-up, click here - to see the whole photo file of the clean-up, click here)

The Big Muddy Teaches Tons!

The Missouri River Watershed Festival
Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, KS
Oct. 2, 2009
text and photos by Vicki Richmond

Middle school students have uncanny ways of grasping a concept. We’ve found over years of trial and error, that students learn with their minds- and noses, and eyes and ears and hands and feet! At the Missouri River Watershed Festival, 32 exhibits worked hard to engage all of a student’s learning centers with hands-on exhibits. Nearly 600 students at Kaw Point left buses and immediately were engaged in the history and ecological significance of the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers.

Students are provided with a passport listing each exhibitor’s contact information and posing a question that can be answered by participation in each exhibit’s activity. We hope that we’ve been successful in making watershed awareness a part of the student’s school experience.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is conducting a collaborative long-term study and planning process called the Missouri River Ecosystem Restoration Plan (MRERP) (www.mrerp.org). Last week the MRERP committee traveled to a local middle school and was amazed at how much the kids knew about their watershed. When asked how they were so well educated, the kids responded that they’d been to the Festival on Friday.

When I look at the diversity of experiences offered at the Festival: a trash boat, ready to host a clean up the next day, a 50 lb catfish found just upstream of Kaw Point, a stream trailer showing how water effects landscapes, water quality demonstrations, a recycle relay, gooey garbage, beakers and computers and puppet shows, I understand how well we’ve done our jobs.

We’ve offered urban, suburban, and rural kids the opportunity to learn something in their own unique way. We’ve immersed the whole person in learning about how important water is to our lives, and how our actions affect an entire watershed.

And when an outside committee goes into a classroom and the students are aware and engaged because of the Missouri River Watershed festival, we know that education effort is working!

The Missouri River Watershed Festival is organized by a partnership of local non-profits and agencies including: Little Blue River Watershed Coalition, Platte Land Trust, Wyandotte County Conservation District and US Geological Survey and Missouri River Relief. Many more smart folks join up the day of the event to share their knowledge with the students. Thanks to all!

Local KC groups host EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

Summer of Service Kickoff
Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, KS
June 22, 2009

text by Vicki Richmond, photos by David Richter

This summer, President Obama is calling on Americans – young and old, from every background, all across this country – to participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving in our communities. From June 22 to September 11, "United We Serve" will begin to engage citizens from coast to coast in addressing community needs with volunteer time.

The Missouri Department of Conservation contacted us and asked if we would be willing to lend a hand. The Friends of the Kaw would be bringing kayaks, Blue River Watershed Association would be doing water quality monitoring with students and the Missouri Department of Conservation would coordinate the day with EPA officials. It was our charge to bring the boats and get folks out to pick up trash.

We River Reliefers know service and met the request by bringing boats down to Kaw Point, at the place where Kansas City’s two biggest rivers meet, to host Environmental Protection Agency’s Administrator Lisa Jackson as she kicked off the initiative just blocks from the EPA Region 7 Headquarters.

Our mission involves introducing people to the Missouri River – a river we all depend on but few have a personal relationship with. Show off the Missouri River to Lisa Jackson? What an honor!


We loaded the boats early and with the help of EPA staff and volunteers began picking up the trash that lines the Kansas River after recent high water. Administrator Jackson took the podium, reiterating the need for service and encouraging the lively crowd. Students met us at the boat ramp after studying the water closely, ready to haul the accumulated trash up the boat ramp and into the waiting truck.

Administrator Jackson donned gloves and began taking bag after bag of trash from the boats to the truck headed for the dumpster. She was genuine and approachable and seemed interested and impressed with our efforts and energy.

It was exciting to see these local watershed groups gather together to show the nation what we are working on here – to involve students and federal leaders together in a model project. Similar efforts are happening all across the nation, and we hope this national focus on service will help match interested volunteers with the work that needs to be done.

Special thanks to Michael Richmond, Bill Fessler, David Richter and Susie Burton McRoberts for pulling together at the last minute to pull this together!

Susie pilots the Hildy Harliner out onto the Missouri.

Folks from Blue River Watershed Association assist students with water quality monitoring right out on Kaw Point. Check out their posting on the event on the Missouri Stream Team Assistant blog: http://mostreamteam.blogspot.com/2009/07/lisa-jackson-in-kansas-city.html