Missouri River Relief: Kansas City Clean-up '09.

Missouri River Reliefis a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the health and welfare of the Missouri River both as a source of drinking water and recreation.  This organization does this in-part through grassroots, volunteer river clean-up days from St. Louis to Yankton, South Dakota, and by raising public awareness of the issues.  Impressed by their website www.riverrelief.org, I took my teen-aged daughter and one of her friends to the Kansas City Clean-up on the first Saturday in October. 

The temperature was cool even for early October, fifty-two degrees starting out, with a wind that came across Kansas at 13-15 mph.  The sky was overcast, heavy with low-slung clouds.  Kaw Point was crowded, the parking lot full and lined in places with school buses.  We joined the lines of volunteers, checking in at the registration desk, moving on to get issued gloves, a T-shirt, and water bottle, all ours to keep free of charge.  People of all ages and persuasions milled about, trying on their gloves and shirts, talking with excitement, eager for action.  The energy was contagious.  My girls, who had been somewhat unsure of the event, now perked up and became interested in the particulars (although a couple of Starbucks' consumed en route may have also been a factor).  They listened to the safety lecture and were pleased to find that a trash contest (most odd item, largest, etc) meant the possibility of prizes. 

Kaw Point.  The Friends of the Kaw have done great work on this park and ramp.

I had brought my life jacket, a PFD, but River Relief issued life jackets to those without.  Suitably outfitted, we were partnered with a sociable silver-haired couple and sent down the river with Captain Jeff, a genial, mustached man who piloted our boat with great skill and confidence.  He and his first mate explained we would be dropped off five miles down-river with bags for the trash and be picked up for lunch several hours later.  Captain Jeff gave us his cell phone number for emergency contact, and went over the safety tips again.   

 Captain and crew.  One boat of many.
 

Once ashore, we waved goodbye to Jeff and his first mate, and decided the girls and I would head upriver, while our partners, Greg and Linda, would start their pick-up downstream.  Plastic and aluminum went into the clear bags for recycling; all other trash went into a blue bag.  The shore was high, the banks steep in places, and the top was often choked with large patches of cottonwood seedlings, willows, and driftwood.  One spot was clogged with a large debris field, the log-jammed high water mark of a previous flood.  The girls went about their work with enthusiasm, creating an impression they were on a scavenger hunt rather than picking up muddy wet trash.  They chatted as they worked, an occasional "Eeeww!" marking an especially gross find. 

Hoping not to find another diaper!
 
Of the four and a half bags of trash the girls and I pulled from the mud or weeds, plastic bottles (water and soda) were by far the most numerous finds.  Styrofoam was a close second.  Sadly, the legion of empty beer and liquor bottles I found had not washed up from somewhere upriver, accidental tourists from a environmental mishap, but were flung into the weeds by fishermen (empty plastic bait containers identified the culprits) who had built fires and stayed awhile.  Non-bagable items: I pulled a large diameter 2 ft section of industrial plastic pipe from the mud; Greg found a Coast Guard buoy but could not pry it from the log jam--he settled for a thick plastic piece that looked a bit like a car bumper.  Strangely, we each found a softball. 

The results are in the bag.

About the time we were getting tired, Captain Jeff arrived, swinging his boat into the slack water behind the wing dike with expert ease.  We loaded the recycle bags onto his boat but left the others for later pickup, something just the River Relief crew did without the volunteers. 

The ride back gave me a chance to talk with the first mate and get a better idea of the scope and efforts of River Relief.  It is an impressive organization, engaged in a worthy and important cause.  The Missouri River provides drinking water for several major cities and hundreds of smaller ones.  As water becomes more precious to a growing population, the true importance of potable water sources will become apparent to all.  Missouri River Relief is spearheading the effort to raise that awareness now, before the situation becomes serious as it has in California and the Southeast (Georgia for one).   

The girls and I had a great time.  We helped the river environment by finding and removing a couple bottles of oil and chemicals, removed a bit of eyesore from a natural setting, and reminded ourselves of our social responsibility.  Please consider joining in the next river clean-up.  It is fun on many levels and improves our world just a little bit more.  Plus, you get a really cool T-shirt. 

Comments

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705099203]

Wow! What a great write up Marty! Thank you so much, I am one of 4 staff members that work with River Relief, and was working dispatch on the ramp all morning, it was so nice to read about your experience and the enthusiasm that I definitely saw from many of the volunteers on Saturday. KC has a really great turnout for these events, and without your involvement, it would not be possible to literally pull out tons of trash out of our river. Stay posted on our blog & website as well, and we'll be posting the results (tonnage & trash tally) from the cleanup in a week or two.

Melanie Cheney
Missouri River Relief
PO Box 463
Columbia MO, 65205
office (573) 443-0292
www.riverrelief.org

"Boundaries don't protect the rivers, people do." ~Aristotle

[Marty]

Thank you, Melanie, for your comments. It is always a pleasure to give credit where credit is due and spread the word of good works. See you on the river!

[Allison Kellenberger]

Great blog! My husband, Joe, was the "first mate". I am almost always there at the clean up too, but couldn't be there because of a prior commitment. Thanks for bringing it to life for me! I frequent KC to visit my best friend almost every month so I am so glad we did this to clean up one of my favorite places.
Allison Kellenberger

[Marty]

Thanks, Allison for the kudo. I didn't get Joe's name on the boat ride, too busy talking about river issues and caught up in the moment. The next KC clean up I'll do better for all concerned.
>Marty

[ruthie moccia]

Thanks, Marty! I enjoyed this recap. I didn't get to come up from Columbia for this cleanup and always like to hear about it. I'm especially glad you brought the girls.

[Marty]

Thanks, Ruthie!

[KinyAnaenny]

молочница младенца