The Meramec River draws most attention in the Jefferson County area when it overflows its banks. But a big event later this month promises to provide assistance to the natural resources along the stream.
In addition to cleanup activities on the river, simultaneous events will take place at other public places along the watershed. After the work, some fun is planned with a festival and musical entertainment.
The Dome Life Stream Team Mid-Meramec River Cleanup will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 19 in multiple locations, including Don Robinson State Park, Pacific Palisades, LaBarque Creek and the Hilda J. Young and Myron and Sonya Glassberg Family conservation areas in Jefferson County.
Other nearby locations scheduled for cleanups that day are the Robertsville and Route 66 state parks, Catawissa Conservation Area and Allenton Access. Efforts will focus on land and water trash collections as well as invasive plant species removal.
Robertsville State Park will host the post-cleanup festival that afternoon and evening. Beginning at 3:30 p.m. food trucks will open in the park along with educational and informational booths, nature programs and activities for all ages. Live local music performances are scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m.
The event and festival are free, but participants must register online at short.mdc.mo.gov/4os to select an activity location.
The state Department of Conservation is coordinating the event along with the Missouri Stream Teams organization and Dome Life, a camping life-style clothing brand that commits 10 percent of each purchase to cleanup events at public campgrounds, trail systems and waterways.
With the exception of Pacific Palisades, the four other cleanup sites in Jefferson County will focus on improvements to the LaBarque Creek watershed. The stream’s headwaters begin near Don Robinson State Park and the LaBarque Creek Conservation Area. The stream flows northeast through the Glassberg and Young areas, where the creek joins the Meramec River.
Considered one of the pristine wildlife spaces in the St. Louis region, the creek and its tributaries are home to at least 54 aquatic species, which is about three times more than are found in other area streams that feed the Meramec River.
Contrary to the wildness of LaBarque Creek, evidence of human habitation and development is a feature of the lower Meramec River. Cleanup and improvement efforts have made great progress, and this event is an opportunity to do more for a resource that has much to offer.
The scars of industrialization and so-called civilization are most evident on the Meramec from its confluence with the Mississippi River at Arnold and throughout most of St. Louis County. In the 26-mile segment designated for the cleanup, the river begins its transition toward the more wild reaches of its upper flows.
Fishing on the river, from its cold-water trout areas and along its entire length, can be good. The smallmouth bass special management area in Crawford County was one of the first to be implemented in the state. Other popular game fish to target in the Meramec are largemouth and spotted bass, rock bass, catfish and suckers. Winter Park near Fenton will see plenty of paddlefish snaggers when that season opens on March 15.
When the river floods again – a question of when, not if – the community’s attention will be drawn to its potential for devastation. But on March 19, volunteers can pay it forward for all the good times the Meramec River is capable of providing.
John Winkelman is Marketing Director for Liguori Publications near Barnhart, Mo., and Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas to share for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.