RSS 1.0Missouri River Relief
Missouri River Relief is a community, volunteer and equipment-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River through hands-on river clean-ups, education events, and stewardship activities.
The organization emerged organically from a group of people in mid-Missouri who simultaneously recognized the need for engaged stewardship of the Missouri River and the desire of citizens to take part in watershed solutions. Inspired by a video of Chad Pregracke’s Living Lands and Waters barge clean-up crew, this group of Missouri River lovers puts together a coalition of public, private and citizen stewards that brought the barge up the river, holding the first massive Missouri River clean-up at Easley, MO, in 2001.
Since that time, the organization has grown each year. As of 2016, MRR has hosted 160 Missouri River clean-ups, bringing 23,985 volunteers to clean 876 tons of trash from 1,144 miles of the river. We have participated in and hosted clean-ups in eight states, from the Mississippi River to Yankton, S.D. In addition, the organization promoted local river education through countless outreach projects, aiming to build public awareness, action, and support for a healthy river.
To learn more Missouri River Relief visit: www.riverrelief.org
To learn more about educational resources visit: http://www.riverrelief.org/education/resources/
Last updated: August 29, 2017
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Piping plover : endangered species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"The Piping Plover's largest vulnerability comes from its nesting habits. Large, open sandy areas are the first places cities look when developing beaches. Unfortunately, Piping Plovers are also looking for this exact ... -
Pallid sturgeon : endangered species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Pallid Sturgeon were commercially harvested from the mid-1800s until they were listed as endangered in 1990. They were harvested primarily for their valuable eggs to make caviar. However, by far the largest threat to this ... -
Interior least tern : endangered species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Facing threats of habitat loss or degradation, Interior Least Terns have struggled to maintain their population throughout the United States. Man-made dams placed throughout the Missouri River reduce the occurance of ... -
Zebra mussel : invasive species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Reasons for Invasive Status: Originally from the seas of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, this species was accidentally brought over by cargo ships coming into the Great Lakes from the Black Sea. Zebra Mussels can spread ... -
Silver carp : invasive species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Reasons for Invasive Status: Silver Carp are native to eastern Asia, but were imported to the United States in 1973, primarily as a biological water quality control mechanism in fish hatcheries to clean up excess plankton ... -
Japanese hop : invasive species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Reasons for Invasive Status: Japanese Hop is native to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It wasimported to the U.S. from Asia in the mid-to-late 1800s for ornamental use. The plant twines to climb adjacent vegetation and ... -
Bush honeysuckle : invasive species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Reasons for Invasive Status: Bush Honeysuckle was introduced in the 1800s for ornamental purposes from Asia. Shade competition, when shrubs outcompete native plants by growing leaves sooner than native ones, yields negative ... -
Bighead carp : invasive species
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"The Bighead Carp is native to China and was imported to the United States in 1973, primarily as a biological water quality control mechanism in fish hatcheries to clean up excess plankton in the water. The fish were also ... -
Trash on the river : human-related issues
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"The issue of trash in the United States' rivers is an old and continuous problem. When almost any item we purchase has some component that goes in the garbage, it is not too surprising that we generate a lot of waste. All ... -
Sand dredging : human-related issues
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Sand dredging is a common sight on the Missouri River. This process is used to collect sand and gravel for construction work. This is done using specialized boats that suck up matter from the bed of the Missouri River to ... -
Dams and levees : human-related issues
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Mountain snowmelt is one of the primary sources that feeds the Missouri River, which historically caused significant flooding. After the Missouri River flooded particularly badly in 1943, the government passed the Pick-Sloan ... -
Combined sewer system : human-related issue
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"In a Combined Sewer System, the water that comes from industrial wastewater, home sewage, and rainwater runoff funnels into a single pipe going to a treatment plant. When there is too much runoff, such as after a heavy ... -
Channelization : human-related issues
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Channelization is exactly what it sounds like, the human process of straightening and deepening channels in rivers. Primarily, it is done to make the river easier and safer for larger boats to pass through, to provide a ... -
Agricultural pollution : human-related issues
(Missouri River Relief, 2018)"Agricultural pollution presents significant environmental concerns for the Missouri River. Ranging from pesticides to sediment and nutrients being deposited in the Missouri River, there are some urgent, but challenging ... -
Common trees of the Missouri River bottoms : a guide for students
(Missouri River Relief, 2017)This guide was created by Missouri River Relief, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River. This guide was designed to be used by elementary and high school students. The goal of this ...