Trash Tally Totals, 2016

Hello, River Reliefers! 

2016 was a great year for trash (how often do you hear that one?)
So we have compiled a detailed list of all the materials we picked up over the year, both big and small. 

But first, we would like to extend a tremendous thank you to everyone that has joined us for a clean-up, including volunteers, crew, and partner organizations. From St. Louis to Kansas City, 2016 was another remarkable year for Missouri River Relief, and we could not have done it without you!! 

With that, please take some time to bask in the itemized glory of garbage that can no longer call the Big Muddy home.

For fun, we separated trash into general categories...

Clothing:

1 flimsy gray brassiere

1 leopard print G-string

5 flip-flop

1 pair pink plastic sparkle sunglasses (lenses gone)

1 sneaker

1 pair of wet shoes

1 hard hat

1 tie

1 hat

3 gloves

Furniture and house fixtures:

15 chair

1 couch

1 mattress

3 rusted bed springs

1 dresser drawer (wooden)

1 mirror

1 chaise lounge (aqua)

1 door

Appliances: 

11 refrigerators

5 fridge door

7 refrigerator racks

1 refrigerator compressor with coils

4 TVs

2 chest freezer

1 garage door opener motor

1 oven grate

Toys and recreational items:

1 Frisbee

3 fishing pole

1 Snow Board

23 assorted balls (football, soccer, etc.)

1 toy chicken

1 toy sheep (contest winner)

1 red cardboard octopus (should have won the contest)

1 child’s 4-wheeler in pieces (steering wheel, axle, seat)

1 plastic toddler slide

3 plastic sleds

1 Tuggy the Tugboat

1 bicycle

1 blue plastic basketball hoop stand

1 piece of a swing set

1 Etch-a-Sketch

1 baby bottle

1 glow stick 

1 Dinosaur toy

1 Mr. Potato Head 

1 Space Panda

1 Anatomically Correct Baby Doll (It’s a Boy!)

1 Scooby Doo

1 Bowling Pin

1 bottle of blue glitter

1 green bottle of playdough 

1 Big Wheels

In fact, we almost found enough trash to construct a Missouri River Relief vehicle!!

443 tires 

4 car seat

1 car under-tray (commonly known as “bellypan”)

1 trailer hitch

3 car bumper

5 car body pieces

1 gas can

2 plastic mud flap

1 gas tank cover

1 car headlight

1 crank shaft

1 truck bed liner

1 car engine cover

1 gas pipe (6’ long)

Here is a shortened list of the complete 2016 trash tally...

956 Bags Trash

126 Bags Recyclables

443 tires 

34 55-gallon plastic barrels

11 refrigerators

49 large Styrofoam hunks

16 55-gallon metal barrel

39 5-gallon bucket

22 coolers

31 large tubs 

19 propane tank (small)

15 chair

2 chest freezer

1 500-gal metal tank (rusted)

1 oil drain pan

4 truck tire w/out rim

3 metal cable

2 fuel tank drum

3 wooden pallets

3 car wheels (steel)

1 5-gallon plastic oil container

1 large rubber circular trough

1 boat bumper

4 car seat

7 camper parts (Designer Series camper)

1 car undertray (commonly known as “bellypan”)

1 trailer hitch 

3 car bumper

5 car body pieces

4 large propane tanks

2 swimming pool parts

4.5 buoy

3 corrugated plastic pipe 

1 boat seat

4 PVC pipe 

1 yellow raft

2 country mailboxes (one with red flag up)

1 “Pittsburgh” US Geological Survey life vest

1 couch

3 rusted bed springs

3.5 full jugs of oil

1 oxygen tank

2 fence post

1 American Flag

1 section rusted iron gate

1 water jug

1 gas can

1 heavy aluminum pan

1 oven grate

1 sleeping bag (frog green)

3 fishing pole

2 television back

4 TVs

1 Christmas tree

1 valet sign

3 gloves

1 flimsy gray brassiere

1 Snow Board

1 sheet piling

1 leopard print g-string

3 metal drum

3 dirty diapers

2 plastic mud flap

1 door

1 gas tank cover

3 culvert

1 tent

1 cattle panel

12 hunks plastic

4 trash can lid

1 bed-liner

1 message in a bottle

1 car headlight

1 pump sprayer

2 garden hose

1 oil drain pan

1 gas tank cover

3 plastic milk crates

1 Freon tank

1 5-gallon stainless-steel milk can (very shiny)

1 2-cup glass measuring cup

3 paint cans 

9 large pieces scrap metal

1 20-foot steel cable

1 metal spring

1 bunch fake grapes

1 12-foot iron pipe

1 6-foot roll acrylic sheeting (very heavy)

3 seed starter flats

1 radio vacuum tube

1 picnic table base (tubular steel)

2 rubber hose

1 garage door opener motor

6 wooden plank

1 bin dog feeder

4 duck decoy

1 Frisbee

1 sand bucket

5 flip-flop

1 jet ski tread

2 ball bat

23 assorted balls (football, soccer, etc.)

1 toy chicken

1 toy sheep (contest winner)

1 red cardboard octopus (should have won the contest)

1 child’s 4-wheeler in pieces (steering wheel, axle, seat)

1 plastic toddler slide

3 plastic sleds

1 Tuggy the Tugboat

If you are interested in joining us for a Missouri River clean-up, visit our volunteer sign-up page, and stay up to-date on upcoming events by subscribing to our newsletter. 

See you on the river!

2016 Missouri River Academy

By: Melanie Cheney & Kristen Schulte, Missouri River Relief 

Imagine exploring the Missouri River by boat, learning about ecology, history and the biology of aquatic river life from experts in the field.  That is exactly what 15 high school students did during the Missouri River Academy!

 The Missouri River Academy was a five-day camp located at Camp Trinity in New Haven, MO, and supported by the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency-Region 7. The Academy was developed and implemented by Missouri River Relief, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River through hands-on, on-the-river clean-ups and education events, in partnership with the Missouri Environmental Education Association.

During the Academy students were able to engage their innate sense of wonder and natural curiosity to explore the Missouri River, while increasing their knowledge and understanding of the longest river in North America! By deepening their connection and sense of responsibility for the river, these young people will become the next generation of river stewards.

Day One – We spent time getting to know each other through introductions and team builders. The students even began their Missouri River Action Projects, by choosing an issue to explore. In the days to come they focused on mapping the impact of their issue, creating issue-related goals and objectives that they could achieve in their community and develop a plan for getting community members involved. 

We wrapped up the evening with campfire songs, stories and s'mores! And it could not have been any better!

Day Two - Was all about connecting to the Missouri River in a deeper sense using observation skills. We talked about things we noticed and wondered about while drifting down the big river. Artist Elizabeth Parris led a water-coloring activity next to the Katy Trail.

After lunch we headed up the hill to gain a historical perspective of the river from author and historian David Menke. We got to ride on a tractor and take in the views of native prairies and woodlands high above the river. We could imagine what life might have been like for all the cultures that have lived on and used the river over time. It was a great first full day, with a refreshing dip in Camp Trinity’s pool.

In the evening students continued to work on their Missouri River Action Projects and even had the chance to meet up with the local astronomy club to learn about the night sky. For a lot of these students it was their first time seeing so many stars and for all of us, it was our first time seeing the rings of Saturn.

Day Three - The day started off at 94% humidity and a whopper of a rain storm! So we did what we always do, and powered through it as best we could. 

The great folks from the Missouri River Bird Observatory set up some mist nets to give us a personal view of songbirds here in the woodlands at Camp Trinity. Sadly, because of the weather, all we caught was a cardinal! But we still learned a ton about the diversity of birds in this area. 

Then it was off to the river. Mike Smith, an educator from Washington, MO, joined us for a wetland and forestry discussion. 

Today's focus was all about understanding the interconnected communities that make up the Missouri River. After a hike through the bottom lands, we did a mini-river clean-up. Six bags of trash and two tires later, and we were back to the boats! We now have a deeper understanding of how humans impact this river, in both positive and negative ways. 

After lunch, we were joined by commercial fisherman, Cliff and Kathy Rost, along with MDC Big River Specialist Joe McMullen, who took us out fishing with gill nets! We got up close and personal with several different Missouri River fish, and even netted a few turtles! 

To wrap it all up, the Rosts brought us a special snack, caviar! Lucky for us, it turned out to be just another great day on the Missouri River.

Day Four – Was our last full day of the 2016 Missouri River Academy! Today was all about our human connection to the Missouri River. We began our morning with a phone conference with Janet Moreland, solo expedition paddler who was paddling the entire length of the Mississippi, and, in 2013, was the first woman and American to descend the Missouri River from source to sea! 

We spent some more time with historian David Menke in downtown New Haven, imagining what it was like when the steam boats arrived, taking a deeper look at the history of this town, how the area developed over time and the complexities and interactions of economic, environmental and social systems on the river. We also got to hear some really cool stories about New Haven legend and Mountain Man John Colter. 

Then it was over to Avant Garden CSA and the Riverfront Cultural Society! Carissa Cole gave us an idea of what it was like to farm this area and run a local business, while sharing some excellent produce. 

We headed to Hermann, and toured the Hermann Sand & Gravel operation where we learned all about the giant piles of sand and rock dredged from the Missouri River, and what it's like to work on a barge with Kathryn Ann Engemann, who just happens to have a tow boat named after her! 

Lastly, we headed over to the Public Works to learn what happens to the water when we flush the toilet. From history to the economics of a river town, and the environmental variations that shape this place, we took it all in stride as we went in and out of one of the hardest rain events we'd seen this week!

Day Five– Was all about connecting others to the Missouri River. Students worked hard to wrap up the last of their Missouri River Action project, a champion was named in our “Missouri River Olympics,” a game that we played throughout the week.  

In the afternoon, we headed over to the New Haven Old School House for lunch and to prepare for our Missouri River Action Project presentations. Parents, siblings, community members, teachers and friends all arrived to learn about what issues on the Missouri River sparked these young people’s interest, and the outreach and education plans that they had developed to address a specific issue in their community. The students shined and the audience asked great questions.

At the end, one student said “we engaged with so many different ideas and activities, that everyone really enjoyed. And I met so many presenters that I want to get to know further, outside of the Academy.” 

Another student said “I enjoyed every second of the Academy and I hope that I get to come again next year”. The Missouri River Academy not only engaged their innate sense of wonder and natural curiosity to explore the Missouri River, but also their desire to want to know and understand more about the longest river in North America grew!

• View a few of the photo highlights that we enjoyed during the Missouri River Academy.

• And check out an article titled "New Haven Welcomes Missouri River Academy", printed in the Washington Missourian Newspaper! 

Last but not least, a big shout-out to all of the individuals and organizations, who helped make the Academy possible this year:

• Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Education Grant
• Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation
• Missouri Environmental Education Association, Jan Weaver
• Katy Land Trust
• Magnificent Missouri
• Colliers International
• REI Co-op, St. Louis
• Dave and Fran Stous (Former Board and Committee Members)
• Emily and Eric Pherigo (Board Members)
• Camp Trinity
• Gloria Attoun and Michael Bauermeister 
• Elizabeth Parris
• Kory Kauffman
• Jeff Barrow 
• Steve Schnarr
•  Melanie Cheney
• Sarah Schulte
• Heidi Allemann, Counselor in Training
• Indian Ridge Farm, David Menke  
• Missouri River Bird Observatory, Dana Ripper, Ethan Duke and Crew
• Eastern Missouri Dark Sky Observors, Rick Schwentker
• Urban Foresty Council, Mike Smith
• Patch Work Farms
• Fontenelle Forest 
• Avant Gardens, Cariss Coyle
• Show Me Caviar, Alan, Cliff and Kathy Rost
• Missouri Department of Conservation , Joe McMullen 
• One Women, Three Great Rivers, Janet Moreland
• Hermann Sand & Gravel, Steve & Kate Engemann
• New Haven Public Works Department, Peter Otten
•  New Haven: John Colter Museum
•  Riverfront Cultural Society 
• Scenic Regional Library, New Haven Branch, Kate Keffer-Haynes 

15 Years of Tallying Trash

Well, I don't think we kept accurate trash tallies in years 1-7...but we did start compiling them and publishing them on here all the way back to 2008 under the tag "Trash Tally's.

2016 will mark 15 years for Missouri River Relief.  So what can we say about all of this trash that YOU have helped us collect?  Well, let's take a look.  (Also, check out a cool photo compilation of our 2015 Treasures)

Here is just a partial list of what YOU helped clean up in 2015, from St. Louis to Omaha:

2015 Trash Tally

1,340 bags of trash
139 bags of recyclables
7,070 lbs of scrap metal
485 tires
2 tire rims
312 chunks o' styrofoam
32 propane tanks
150 fireworks remnants
6 refrigerators
1 chest freezer
4 hot water heaters
1 pressure tank
1 Freon tank
27 coolers
13.5 chairs
4 TVs
3 gas cans
5 metal gas tanks
2 duck decoys
1 goose decoy
4 fishing poles
1 bow and arrow
9 - 5-gal. metal buckets
16 - 55-gal. metal drums
43 - 55-gal. plastic barrels
61– 5 gal. plastic buckets
9 2-gallon plastic jugs
2 small metal drums
2 20-gallon plastic water tanks
3 200-gallon oil tanks
1 trash can
2 mattresses
3 box springs
1 air mattress
3 fire extinquishers

15 Most Unique Finds in 15 Years

1.  Messages in Bottles (approximately 40-50 over 15 yrs)
2.  Chicken Dance Elmo
3.  1 Sturgeon DNA Sample from the USFWS
4.  Beavis & Butthead sitting on a Couch
5.  Wind Chimes made out of Bud Light Bottles
6.  1 pair of ruby red slippers
7.  Full Jug of Atrazine
8.  Pair of Angel Wings
9.  Giant Candle shaped like a Strawberry
10.  1957 fiberglass Saber boat
11.  1 set of national bylaws from the Hell's Lovers Motorcycle club
12.  1 Kilo of Cocaine wrapped in duct tape -turned into police
13.  Cobbler’s Shoes
14.  1 shot-up Sign that reads: “$50 Reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of any person or persons found willfully mutilating or destroying this sign. The O.J. Gude Co. NY”
15.  Dead Baby Dolls--Doll Parts-- and one Inflatable Love Doll

plus many, many more strange and unique items:

Saddest Item:  Dead Garter Snake entwined in Fishing Line
Strangest:  so many kids toys, how do these end up in the river?
Curious:  I always find it strange that we find so many fire extinguishers, we probably find at least 5 a year.

1 replica of the Ameristar Casino behind the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles
1 Leopard Print Stiletto
1 boot filled with concrete
2 1/2  Jet Ski's
1 Nintendo Gun
1 Blow Up Can of Pork and Beans
Hot Tubs (at least 3)
1 “The 4 Most Important Things I Know” CD by Pastor Brian Zahnd with the Word of Life Church in St. Joe, MO still in the wrapper
2 live blue catfish attached to a free floating jug
1 antique sewing machine
1 airplane sponson (pontoon)
1 frisbee "Look Who's Over the Hill and Can Still Get it Up"
1 plastic Swampthing Toy
1 Dog Collar w/ complete dog skeleton & rabies tag
 The body of an Electric Guitar
1 unopened bag of Fruity Pebbles
1 framed dolphin print
1 desk and the entire contents of a person’s office, including file cabinet, electronic goods, computer manuals, briefcase, a Bible and much, much more dumped along the Riverfront trail and covered with a tarp
1 Adam Sandler DVD "Going Overboard"
1 Glass Chandelier
1 Studebaker hubcap signed on the inside with a name & city from Oklahoma
1 full, sealed bottle of Virex AIDS medication (valued at $400)
1 steel trap w/ finger bones
1 My Little Pony Lunch Box
1 very ugly Old Woman Rubber Mask
3+ Christmas Trees
1 Teletubby
1 Piano
1 16” Ice Skate
Several Ceramic Toilets

And the Kitchen Sink!

and then there's the...

Top 10 Most Common Items Found on the Missouri River

#1 - Styrofoam
#2 - "single-use" Plastic Bottles
#3 - "single-use" Plastic Bags & Food Wrappers
#4 - Other Plastics (bottle caps, straws, chewing tobacco cans and 5-hour energy bottles)
#5 - Tires
#6 Plastic Buckets, Barrels, Tubs & Coolers
#7 - Scrap Metal (steel cables, rods, angle iron, metal strips, poles, t-posts, sheet metal, rebar, etc.)
#8 Balls of every shape, size & color
#9 Shoes & Flip Flops
#10 - Fireworks Remnants, Party & Fisherman's Trash

This is obviously a very generalized list for a graphic I'd like to work up.  But I think it reflects what we find out there based on compilations of trash tally's I have been pouring through.  Since we don't tear open every bag of trash and count it, I really can't give you accurate data.  Just pieces.  Like this one...