Clean Water

Stream Team

Bourbeuse River Clean Stream

• Stream Team #: 3
• Date formed: March 1985
• Location: Franklin County
• For more info about Stream Teams: see links listed below
  

Bob Snowski and the late Larry Vogler started Bourbeuse River Clean Stream after a flood revived talk of building dams in the Meramec River Basin. After settling the dam issue, they tackled a flood of trash in their beloved Bourbeuse. “In the beginning, we couldn’t get all the debris in seven or eight canoes,” says team member Bruce Templer. “Now we’re lucky to fill four or five trash bags.” In contrast, the number of discarded tires in the river is increasing. “People throw tires in gullies and think that’s going to hold their soil,” says Templer. “The first good toadchoker rain washes them right into the stream.” Each year, the group fills three tandem axle dump trucks provided by Franklin County with tires pulled from 140 miles of river. Ameren-UE shreds the tires and burns them in its power plants. Wal-Mart and a host of local sponsors also support the group’s efforts.

Forest Management Tips

Harvest timber while protecting streams.

Stream-side forests produce valuable trees. Missouri Watershed Protection Practice is designed to help stream-side forest owners manage their land for profit while ensuring their land’s future productivity and keeping streams healthy. The 28-page booklet explains how economical measures, such as filter strips, properly designed stream crossings and water turnouts, can permit timber management while preventing erosion and loss of water quality. You can download a copy of the booklet online. You also can write to MDC, Missouri Watershed Protection Practice, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 or e-mail pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov.

Wildlife and Recreation Win

MDC, CoE partner at Columbia Bottom

Fish and wildlife habitat along the Missouri River are getting a $9 million boost from a joint effort of the Conservation Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CoE). More than 300,000 acres of flood-plain forests, sandbars, wetlands and fish habitat have been lost to development of the river for navigation and flood control. To help compensate for this loss, the CoE is funding habitat work at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. The 4,318-acre area at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers is perfectly positioned to help millions of migrating ducks, geese and shorebirds on the Mississippi Flyway. Corps-funded work includes planting 275 acres of native grasses, establishing hardwood forest and creating nearly 800 acres of shallow-water wetlands. State-of-the-art technology will maintain water levels in seven managed wetland pools at optimum levels throughout the year. Deer, turkey and the federally endangered pallid sturgeon also will benefit from the project. Recreational opportunities created by the work will include hunting, fishing, nature viewing, hiking, bicycling and paddle sports.