The Great Rivers Greenway District, in partnership with the River des Peres Watershed Coalition, Missouri Stream Team, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, and City of St. Louis is inviting area residents to join them in their fight to clean up the rivers and creeks within the River des Peres watershed. On Saturday, Oct. 22, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the five organizations are sponsoring the 14th-annual River des Peres Trash Bash, a family friendly event with the goal of improving area neighborhoods and water quality in St. Louis City and St. Louis County.
Volunteers of all ages are needed to clean litter and trash from several sites, including Gravois Creek, Deer Creek, Engelholm Creek, McKenzie Creek, River des Peres and the Mississippi River.
Registration will take place from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. at three locations – Willmore Park, located at 7200 Hampton Avenue on the east side of the River des Peres and just north of the intersection of Hampton and Gravois Avenues in St. Louis City; the Heman Park Community Center, located at 975 Pennsylvania in University City; and the University of Missouri-St. Louis Urban Ecology Trailer, located at the South Campus on East Drive.
The clean-up will last from 9:00 a.m. to noon with a celebration and appreciation BBQ lunch at Willmore Park from noon to 2 p.m. Volunteers will also be rewarded with musical entertainment and prizes for the “best” trash finds in three categories—most expensive, largest and “weirdest” trash.
“Volunteers at the 2015 Trash Bash removed over 15 tons of debris from rivers and creeks within the River des Peres Watershed in less than four hours,” said Angie Weber, Conservation Program Manager for Great Rivers Greenway. “The final tally included 88 tires, 2.7 tons of scrap metal, 1.35 tons of recycling material, and over 11 tons of trash. We look forward to seeing long-time volunteers, as well as new faces from across the region, at this year’s Trash Bash as we work together to improve the River des Peres watershed.”
For more information or to register in advance, visit www.riverdesperes.org or call River des Peres Watershed Coalition at 314-503-1919 or 314-603-8834.
About Great Rivers Greenway:
Great Rivers Greenway is a regional parks and trails district created by a vote of the people to connect St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. We are making the St. Louis region an even better place to live by connecting our region with greenways to conserve natural resources, enhance our economy and improve our quality of life with more transportation and recreation options. For more information, visit www.GreatRiversGreenway.org.
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For more information, contact:
Pam Powell
(314) 436-9090