Sustain Mizzou Clean-up!

California Island Campout and Providence Bend Clean-up with Sustain Mizzou

Plowboy Bend and Eagle Bluffs Conservation Areas
September 11 & 12, 2009

Text by Steve Schnarr, photos by Tina Casagrand, Steve Schnarr, Billy Froeschner and Rod Power

(blogmaster’s note: for another perspective, check out Sustain Mizzou member Tina Casagrand’s blog, “We Call Upon the Author” . Also check out our flickr photo file from the event.)

We kicked off River Camp with a campout and clean-up with the hardworking students from Sustain Mizzou. This is a student-run organization that focuses on increasing sustainability on the Mizzou campus. A few of their many projects include an organic garden on campus, promoting recycling throughout the campus, cleaning up trash after tailgating parties and working on composting in campus kitchen facilities.

It all started when we received a newsletter from our board member Jan Weaver, who is also a faculty advisor for Sustain Mizzou. It mentioned an award given to a Sustain member who is also a vice-president for a veteran’s organization on campus. It referred to his manic obsession with recycling and reducing waste, and mentioned his tireless, hands-on involvement with those activities. His name is Billy Froeschner.

When we read it, both Melanie and I said… “Sounds like a candidate for River Relief!”.

So we chased him down, had a beer with him and discussed options. After a couple of beers, he was completely into it. Through arm-twisting and email onslaughts, he got the entire Sustain Exec. Committee on board and away we went!

Friday evening, September 11 -
Most of the folks came on down to Cooper’s Landing Friday evening. We loaded up the boats with gear and headed upstream as the sun was beginning to set.

Everyone immediately set up their tents as we warmed up the spaghetti dinner Krissy Heitkamp had prepared for us. Another group of folks arrived later in the evening, and we picked them up at Katfish Katy’s.

After dinner, we gathered around the campfire and passed the feather (actually a stick this time). Everyone introduced themselves and explained what their connection to the river or this clean-up work was. This was one well-spoken, focused group of individuals. We were humbled to have them at our island camp, and to work with everyone in the morning.

After running through the “plan” for the next day, it went straight into general campfire relaxation and sandbar walks into the night. As far as details of the ensuing mayhem...what happens on the river stays on the river!

Saturday morning – September 12-
We got up early and cooked up breakfast. Sunrise was bloody red, painting the undulating waves of sand with ever changing stripes of light. A heron silently worked the shallows behind the island. Everyone got loaded in boats and we headed downstream to clean-up the rack-piles behind Baja Island.

My boat loaded up with all the camp gear and headed straight for Cooper’s. After unloading everyone’s packs, we picked up some new arrivals (even Phil Knocke, clean-up repeat offender, showed up!) and headed immediately to the Maiden’s Mouth (the mouth of Little Bonne Femme Creek. Another group cleaned up Carl’s Beach (the mouth of Perche Creek. Which was a good thing. Later that evening, a group of paddlers hosted by Missouri Life magazine ended up camping there – it was spic and span for their enjoyment!

As the tough Sustain crews worked behind Baja Island, we took our group just a bit downstream, to cleanup the woods of flotsam. Pretty quickly, one of the folks found a barrel and refrigerator way back in the woods. After failing to find our chopsaw in one of the other boats, Billy and some others decided there was no way they were leaving without this fridge. It was too heavy and the woods to thick to roll it out very easily, so they completely removed the insulated core and then smashed the metal skin into pieces that could be folded and easily carried through the woods.

Meanwhile, our other boat piloted by Rod Power had decided to go above California Island to a rack-pile they had scouted the week before. Just as they were preparing to leave, they found a complete hot tub floating in the shallows. It took everyone on board to get the thing into the boat, but they did it! Seeing that boat cruising downstream with this massive hot tub perched in its hull was quite a sight to see!

The piles of trash grew along the banks until it was finally time to go. Everyone loaded back up and we left this amazing crew of folks off at Cooper’s. Billy and his twin brother, Ricky, hopped back on board after lunch and we sent both plate boats to gather all the trash (as well as pick up another buoy and more….)

Check out our next posting to see an abbreviated Trash Tally for the day!

A Week on the River

River Camp 2009
California Island (RM 177)
Manitou Bluffs Conservation Opportunity Area
September 11 - 20, 2009

text by Steve Schnarr, photo by Francis Baum

Back in 2007, we tried to put together a week of activities and networking in the St. Louis area we called River Camp. A Watershed Festival, Stream Team Clean-up and naturalist foray onto Pelican Island went off without a hitch.

As we began setting up our big tent on a beautiful sandbar on the head of Pelican Island, in came the NWS weather report: a “wall of water” was heading down the Missouri River toward St. Charles.

We had to pull up stakes and head back home to help with sandbagging and flood preparations.

Ever since, we’ve been dreaming of a River Camp Reprise. This year was our chance.

Within the idea of River Camp was another, even older idea. The desire to get our sponsors, partners and friends on a sandbar for a unique banquet under the stars. From that idea came the bigger concept that, if we’re putting up infrastructure on an island, we might as well pile on a series of other events, bringing together diverse groups to accomplish diverse things along a certain stretch of river.

For River Camp 2009, we decided on our home stretch of river. With access from Katfish Katy’s, Cooper’s Landing and Eagle Bluffs, we had ultimate flexibility. With our local history and partnerships, it became easier to work with other groups. And with our strong mid-Missouri crew, we knew we could pull it off.

The fact that California Island is located along one of the most remote and beautiful stretches of river within Manitou Bluffs Conservation Opportunity Area was an added bonus.

So here was our schedule for the week. Check our blog as we update it with photos and stories from the week:

Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 12 - 13
• Missouri River Clean-up with Sustain Mizzou and other University of Missouri organizations. We invited folks from this awesome organization to camp with us on the island, then hit the river for a clean-up from Katfish Katy's to Cooper's Landing.
• EcoArtFest - This is a fundraiser for MoRivCC, a non-profit that archives recorded video and audio of local musical treasures. Missouri River Relief hosted a booth and trash to art exhibit. We also offered a sunset cruise raffle and educational boat trips on Providence Bend of the river.

Monday, Sept. 14
• "Birds, Bugs and Botany - A Naturalists' Foray on the Missouri River" We hosted a mix of professional, amateur and aspiring naturalists for a trip on the river, making species lists of the plants and wildlife we found at Eagle Bluffs CA, Plowboy Bend CA and Overton South Unit of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.

Tuesday, Sept. 15
• We hosted the Friends of Big Muddy and Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge staff for a pot-luck and campfire discussion on the island.

Wednesday, Sept. 16
• Missouri River Relief Crew and Board Meeting on California Island.

Thursday, Sept. 17
• River Managers' Forum and Field Trip - We invited local river managers and biologists to join us on an afternoon river field trip.
• River Camp Sandbar Banquet- Our sponsors, partners and friends were invited for a magical evening on California Island, with dinner, music, a presentation and bonfire on California Island.

Saturday, Sept. 19
• Jefferson City Missouri River Clean-up - Click here for results of this awesome event. Over 270 volunteers helped remove 5.6 tons of trash from the river.

May 13 - Rolling with the flooded river

A Surprising yet relaxing spring weekend in the Heartland
by Melanie Cheney
photos by Melanie Cheney

Well, this weekend we were supposed to be helping 300 volunteers clean-up on the banks of the Missouri River near St. Charles, MO. However, that river had plans of her own, and she sent us packing for home.

After spending the first night on Pelican Island checking the boats every hour because the water was receding down the sandbar at a rate of a foot every hour, we found out she was going into major flood stage back at home in CoMo and soon to follow in St. Charles. After our Birds, Bugs and Botany field trip on Monday, we proceeded to pack up that evening and leave at dawn the following day.

It took us half the day to load up and drive back to Columbia only to unload and try to help the local communities with our baots and vans. We took off to Rocheport where they had set up a major sandbagging operation. WE had fun, although I was sick from exhaustion by the time I finally made it home.


What I really want to write about is what an amazing weekend we just had because of our beloved raging river. First of all, she didn't crest as high as expected...saving our river clubhouse (Club Medfly) and our hangout at Cooper's Landing. Secondly, I got to relax all weekend with no obligations. We were free to visit with good friends, eat good food and play in the beautiful spring outdoors.

My new love and I got to camp out underneath the cool starlit sky for two nights, sleeping in new places, walking in new woods, checking out the woodland ferns and wildflowers, stopping at the "Moon Rocks" in the creek, going for a morning swim amonst the clear trickling waterfalls.

We then went for a jaunt over to Strawberry Hill nursery, where my sweetie took me plant shopping and then home to beautify the gardens. We soaked up some sunshine while planting mint, cleomes and impatients, taking shady hammock breaks before finishing up to pack a cooler and head down to the Big Muddy once again.

Anthony (Boudreaux) met us on the flooded River Road with a canoe and guided us through the flooded bottomlands and creeks to Coop's. To our surprise, music was playing and people were hanging out, wading around in their mud boots, relaxing on docks tied up in the flooded parking lot.



Dinner had just been cooked and we enjoyed the beautiful warm sunset amongst great company. Naked Dave and Dyno were perched in the bow of Barb and Roger's houseboat (sitting on it's trailer with water all around) and they serenaded us with outrageous acoustic jams. Soon, the barred owls started their wild hooting and proceeded to make "owl love" all night long. It was amazing. By then, Anthony had rigged his canoe with a tiki torch and took us on an evening canoe ride in the backwaters. Only the sounds of owls, frogs and the occasional dip of the paddle filled the otherwise silent night.

We paddled back to our clubhouse for the night, making a bed on the back deck, right over the surging waters of the flooded river. Somehow, we managed to sleep dry and peacefully. What an amazing and ambitious adventure, yet such a relaxing and wonderful weekend.

My love and respect for the river has continued to grow, along with my great gratitude for all she gives.

Bird, Bugs and Botany – May 7, 2007

A naturalist’s foray on Pelican Island Natural Area
by Steve Schnarr

After a successful Learning Festival and clean-up, we were excited to try something new during River Camp. Tim Nigh envisioned a day where naturalists from different disciplines would tromp together through the woods and sandbars of Pelican Island Natural Area to learn from each other about the web of life there.

Members of a Webster Groves botanical organization, who have been meeting every Monday for decades for botanizing field trips, came early to walk the beautiful Sioux Passage trail alongside the “Car of Commerce” Chute which forms Pelican Island. (The chute was apparently named for a riverboat that sunk there back in the day.)

Shortly after noon, other area naturalists, including members of the Confluence Chapter of Missouri Master Naturalists, members of Audubon Missouri and other assorted nature freaks converged on the Sioux Passage Boat Ramp, curious about what this odd day would bring.

We suited everyone up in lifejackets and split folks into three groups, trying to keep an even balance of birders, botanists and entomologizers. Tim Nigh and John Brady took a boatload up to the head of Pelican Island, where Anthony was preparing our camp for an premature tear-down due to the impending flood. They scoured the sandbars and adjacent bottomland forest, checking out the unique sandbar species as well as the proliferation of exotics within the forest.

The two other groups headed to opposite sides of the island, one group on the Missouri River side and the other on the chute side. From there they explored old channel sloughs, towering cottonwood forests and abandoned fields.

From a botanical perspective, things looked pretty grim. Although the forest was dominated by a native canopy of elm, cottonwood, several species of maple, hackberry and mulberry, the forest floor is dominated by exotics. Japanese hops, bush honeysuckle, lambs-quarters and more provide the bulk. And, of course, more nettles than you’d ever want to meet in a dark room.

The highlight was the migrating warbler population. The birders in the mix were dumbfounded by the amount of warbler activity that late in the day (we were in the woods from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.). Magnolia warblers, blackburnian warblers, bay breasted warblers and more were darting among the viny canopy, appearing to feed even that late in the day.

As the boats headed back to the ramp, my boat went downstream to pick up a few “artificial substrate” baskets (essentially metal cages filled with rocks) that we had places two weeks earlier for a water quality monitoring workshop scheduled later in the week (cancelled due to the flood). To our amazement, they were still there, and Mike Leahy (Natural Areas Coordinator for MDC) hauled them in. We spread the rocks out in a plastic swimming pool at the boat ramp and checked out the life within. Everyone was amazed that the Missouri River, long believed to be devoid of life, a veritable toxic waste dump of the Midwest, could harbor such a mix of quality macro-invertebrates. From caddis-fly larvae to dragonfly nymphs and mayfly larvae, there was a lot going on in one of those samples.

Following the event, we had an hour for all of us nature freaks to discuss what we saw on the island and give our own educated guesses on what patterns we could see. For our first naturalist foray, we packed up feeling like a success! And we met some wonderful St. Louis area nature freaks just like us.

Stream Team Clean-up - May 5, 2007

Sioux Passage Park, Florissant, MO

by Vicki Richmond and Steve Schnarr
photos by Vicki Richmond, Jen Courtney and Melanie Cheney
Saturday morning dawned drippy. Grass still wet from Friday's deluge made footwear decisions easy- a mud boot day for sure! After a crew meeting held over steaming fresh country eggs, the River Relief crew launched boats, set up the sign-in table and got supplies ready for action.

This clean up was a diversion from the usual River Relief uber-event. Designed for the Stream Team participants in the area, this clean up was as much about connecting people doing the tireless job of river keeping as it was about the trash. Smaller numbers of participants gave us opportunities to exchange savvy, stories and contact information, all while picking up trash.

Volunteers from Stream Teams #516, 1573, 211, and #1 (yes, Mark Van Patten, who started the first Stream Team, came too!) as well as the Parkway North Stream Team and the St. Louis Americorps ERT loaded in to boats and headed just a couple miles down stream to a large dump located on the MegaScout project last fall. A cast iron tub proved no match for these stalwarts. Motorcycles and bedsprings were loaded like cordwood into our plate boat, Saskia, and returned to the Sioux Passage ramp.

MDC fisheries biologist Danny Brown took out a crew of Stream Teamers from Parkway North High School for a “fishing” expedition, picking trash right out of the river from drift racks pushed aside by the rising water.

After lunch, crews boated to a spot upstream of the previous dump and soon found an abandoned boat up in the weeds. This is where the expertise of our crew of diehard Stream Teamers got really impressive. They popped the top half of the boat off, pulling the massive piece of fiberglass down the slope with a rope tied to the Saskia. Soon after, the hull came sliding down the bank as well. With a few careful maneuvers and tie-downs, they whole mass went boating back down to the ramp to be unloaded by the Sioux Passage front-end loader and deposited in the dumpster.

As tired crews returned to camp, MRR Quartermaster John Brady and a revolving crew of cooks served up a feast of delicious chicken roasted for hours on an open fire as stories of the day were recounted. An evening program hosted by author and MRR coordinator Jeff Barrow accompanied the riverside dinner. Stream Team members had the opportunity to present their activities to the group.

This networking opportunity is invaluable for planning, learning and cooperation across the watershed. Of course experiencing a river sunset, a sandbar campfire and a well-prepared dinner helps to build the next generation of river stewards as well.

Here's a partial tally of trash for the day:

23 large Stream Team bags of trash
8 tires
1 Several steel posts
1 TV stand
27 steel rods
1 air conditioner
1 motorcycle (Illinois license 554 421, Dec. 1984)
1 piece chrome trim
1 leaky washtub
one large water softener unit and tank

1/2 toilet tank
1 16 foot bass boat
1 metal roof truss
1 box spring
1 Nimrod popup camper (w/little red light)
partial furnace
5 fan blades
1 lawnmower
2 propane tanks
4 BIG metal rods
1 stainless steel restaurant deep fryer
15 feet of hardware cloth
1 mower deck
12 sheets of metal
3 t-posts
about 3/4 of a stove
1 torque converter for an automatic transmission
1 cast iron tub
2 bundles of wire
10 circus tent pegs
1 volleyball net and pole
1 fragmented toilet
2 wheels
several pieces of carpet
1 sewer pipe
1 portapotty wall
1 office chair pedestal
1 flame spreader
1 piece of chrome trim
1 TV antenna
1 tire rim
1 CB radio
1 55 gallon metal drum
1 muck bucket
1 water tank
1 spool
cluster of spaghetti wire
1 toilet lid
many, many balls of every kind!!!

this sunset was captured during the after rain river mist on Friday, May 4, by Vicki Richmond

Sioux Passage Learning Festival - May 4, 2007

Water Education in the Rain
by Vicki Richmond and Steve Schnarr

With a resounding splash, 274 middle school students from the Hazelwood School District headed down to the Big Muddy for a day of serious water education at Sioux Passage Park.

Protected from the drenching rain with trash bag ponchos, the students toured 16 learning stations with an emphasis on water. These education booths were staffed by stalwart agency, corporate, and nonprofit presenters who endured a 1 ½ inch rain.

A strange sea of umbrellas stood inside a 24 foot trash hauling boat and beside the double 225 HP engines of the Missouri Water Patrol boat. Educators from Missouri American Water demonstrated how turbid water from the "Big Muddy" gets tranformed into drinking water. Americorps volunteers showed off a collection of macroinvertebrates while Mark Van Patten showed how he ties masterful fishing flies. AEP River Operations brought a display on the economical uses of barges on our big rivers. Not deterred by a rainy day, Troy Gordon of the Friends of the big Muddy (with his two daughters patiently huddled under his pop-up tent) amazed kids and chaperones with an enormous snapping turtle, found in the same habitat that rings the park.

A planned picnic lunch became lunch on the bus and/or huddled under tents as the rain slowly tapered off. We couldn't help but be impressed by the toughness of the kids, teachers and presenters that stayed during the whole soggy event.

Special Thanks to event Coordinator Lynne Hooper, for pulling this together on a day with a myriad of conflicts, and to Hazelwood Science Coordinator Susan Raney for rolling up her sleeves and joining right in the soggy fun.