What better way to spend a rainy March Saturday than picking up trash along an abused urban waterway? The Lakeside Nature Center of Kansas City sponsored the annual Missouri Stream Team clean up on the Blue River on the 27th. My daughter and two of her friends braved the light drizzle along with several hundered other volunteers to pull plastic, styrofoam, bottles and other litter from the brush along the Blue. Our little group took on the stretch along Mine road. Fortified by donuts, coffee, and teenage energy, the girls picked up five bags of trash.
Follow the muddy track road!
The safety talk was sobering. On top of the usual "don't fall into the river" and "watch out for snakes" advice, we had a new one: "If you find human remains . . . If you find needles . . ." Yeah, this section of the Blue runs through a tough part of Kansas City. The girls took all it in-stride, facing the reality of decaying urban areas and the fact some people will pollute their own habitat as well as their lives. Happily, we found only trash and left the river a tiny bit better off for our efforts.
More plastic bottles.
Thanks to Missouri Stream Teams for providing this civic learning opportunity and the value they add to life in Missouri. Check out their website on the front page for more information.
Three amigos!
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