Team of the Month - October 2011

This month, I would like to introduce a Stream Team that I have worked with in the past, but unfortunately have not had the time to work with recently - the Grand Glaize Stream Team 3491 led by Bob Jung and Darlene Haun.  This group came into being in 2007 to respond to a call for help from the St. Louis County Health Department.

The Health Department had earned a grant to improve water quality in several watersheds, including Grand Glaize.  They were hoping that Stream Team volunteers would be able to help them track water quality conditions in the streams they were working to improve.  I got together with Bob and Darlene and we put together a plan - what should we monitor, where, how often, etc. - all of the things that go into a solid water monitoring plan. It would seem that our plan was more realistic than that of the Health Department, because after about a year of effort, they ended up backing out on the grant.

Since this group began, they have monitored water chemistry at 13 sites in the Grand Glaize Creek watershed four times per year.  They have also done macroinvertebrate counts at each site.  Though the Health Department is no longer working on their grant in the Grand Glaize, the dedicated members of this Stream Team continue to collect their data.  Hopefully this data can be compiled into a report of some kind soon so that the Level 2 and 3 volunteers (as well as the many Intro Level, Level 1, and untrained participants) who have helped on this project will be able to see what this data can tell us about Grand Glaize Creek.  I'll keep you updated...

Well done Stream Team 3491!

Team of the Month - August 2011

A look at Stream Teams in the St. Louis area would be incomplete without a shout-out to the Mighty 211.  Led by Brian Waldrup and Bernie Arnold, the 500+ members of Stream Team 211 have removed several thousand tires from the bed and banks of the Meramec River and its tributaries.  They are experts at hauling waste of all sizes out of rivers of all sizes, including discarded chemical drums, hot water heaters, and large chunks of vehicles.

Bernie and Brian between a pile of tires and a dumpster of non-rubber trash at a clean-up in January 2011.

Each year, the Team holds major clean-ups on the lower 12 miles of the Meramec River in both winter and summer, regularly drawing about 100 volunteers.  They draw these kinds of crowds because not only are they good at what they do, they are also personable and very passionate!  They know how to excite others about Missouri streams.  When I did a Google search to dig up some extra information on these great folks, I found lots of great things, including their own YouTube video, featuring Brian!

The Mighty 211 is based in Arnold, MO, but they are always ready to help out other teams in need, especially where there is litter removal involved.  So the next time you go to a Stream Team event in the St. Louis area, have a quick look at the cars - you will likely see a "Mighty 211" sticker around somewhere!

Team of the Month - July 2011

Since this is not an award, but rather a way for the Stream Teams in the St. Louis area to get to know each other, our first Team of the Month was easy for me to pick - it is the team that I run at the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center.

Deer Creek near Laclede Station Road

Stream Team 2760, the LREC Stream Team, has been working together since about 2005 to collect water quality data on Deer Creek, a tributary of the River des Peres that flows through several communities in the 'inner ring' suburbs of St. Louis.  For the past 3 years, the team has been monitoring water quality on a monthly basis at seven sites in the watershed.  A recently completed report summarizing the results of their monitoring shows that high chloride and low dissolved oxygen are threatening aquatic life in Deer Creek.

In addition to the monthly water chemistry, the LREC Stream Team has been monitoring aquatic macroinvertebrates twice per year in Deer Creek near Litzsinger Road.  The stream has had surprising diversity, including caddisflies, riffle beetles, and at least two families of mayflies!

Besides their frequent water monitoring activities, the LREC Stream Team teaches children about watersheds, water pollution, and other related topics using their stream table, an EnviroScape model, and walking trips at the Ecology Center. They also hold periodic litter pick-up events to remove trash that floats into their half-mile stretch of Deer Creek.

This Stream Team is always open to participation of new members, including those who have been recently trained and need to get a bit of experience under their belts before going out on their own.  For information on upcoming monitoring opportunities with Stream Team 2760, contact Danelle.