By Rachel Connell and Patricia Weatherly
On Saturday, April 16, Missouri River Relief held a river clean-up in New Haven. This non-profit organization has been holding events like these for sixteen years. This was the first year that they chose New Haven as a clean-up site.
On Saturday, April 16, Missouri River Relief held a river clean-up in New Haven. This non-profit organization has been holding events like these for sixteen years. This was the first year that they chose New Haven as a clean-up site.
The founders of this organization were inspired by Chad Pregracke’s Living Lands and Waters. Their first massive clean-up was in Easley, Missouri in 2001.
Since its beginning, River Relief has held over 130 events and brought together over 20,000 volunteers. River events from River Relief have been held in 8 states.
A Missouri River Relief official, Steve Schnarr, reported that “this event in New Haven alone surfaced 5 tons of trash, including 78 tires, a creepy baby doll, a giant metal tank, a natural ‘terrarium’ of plants growing inside a glass jar, a plastic see-saw, and a bottle full of hypodermic needles.”
Kate Weiser, from group Mud Cat, states, “It was a great event that more people need to experience. It gives you a first hand account of what the river is like and how much help is needed to keep it clean.”
Lucy Roth, also from Mud Cat, reports, “I really liked just being out with my friends, and doing something that I knew was making a difference.”
To encourage the collection of as much trash as possible, River Relief held a “trash contest.”
The categories for the rewards were biggest, oldest, most useful, weirdest, most likely to be used as a weapon, most fashionable, most artistic, and best muddy ball.
Bubba Gale, junior, won a $220 two-person tent for finding a baseball bat and entering it into the contest in the category "most likely to be used as a weapon." Lucy Roth, junior, won a self-inflating air mattress as an attendance prize.
If are interested in becoming affiliated with this organization, 8-12th graders can apply for the “Missouri River Academy” which is on July 10-14.
For more information about River Relief and future clean-ups visit the Missouri River Relief website, http://www.riverrelief.org/ or their Facebook page.
Since its beginning, River Relief has held over 130 events and brought together over 20,000 volunteers. River events from River Relief have been held in 8 states.
A Missouri River Relief official, Steve Schnarr, reported that “this event in New Haven alone surfaced 5 tons of trash, including 78 tires, a creepy baby doll, a giant metal tank, a natural ‘terrarium’ of plants growing inside a glass jar, a plastic see-saw, and a bottle full of hypodermic needles.”
Kate Weiser, from group Mud Cat, states, “It was a great event that more people need to experience. It gives you a first hand account of what the river is like and how much help is needed to keep it clean.”
Lucy Roth, also from Mud Cat, reports, “I really liked just being out with my friends, and doing something that I knew was making a difference.”
To encourage the collection of as much trash as possible, River Relief held a “trash contest.”
The categories for the rewards were biggest, oldest, most useful, weirdest, most likely to be used as a weapon, most fashionable, most artistic, and best muddy ball.
Bubba Gale, junior, won a $220 two-person tent for finding a baseball bat and entering it into the contest in the category "most likely to be used as a weapon." Lucy Roth, junior, won a self-inflating air mattress as an attendance prize.
If are interested in becoming affiliated with this organization, 8-12th graders can apply for the “Missouri River Academy” which is on July 10-14.
For more information about River Relief and future clean-ups visit the Missouri River Relief website, http://www.riverrelief.org/ or their Facebook page.
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