Columbia FRO staff participate in the Missouri River Relief Event on October 7, Kansas City, Missouri. - FWS photo

Columbia FRO Fishery Biologist Jennifer Johnson, Biological Science Technician Tammy Knecht and Fisheries Trainee Chris McLeland served as boat captains for the last Missouri River Relief event of 2006. 

Missouri River Relief conducted six events this year.  The first was held at St. Charles in April, then on to Bonnett’s Mill in May, and Atchison Kansas and Omaha Nebraska in September.

They finished up the regular cleanups with the event in Kansas City with a special Canoe Clean-up to finish off the year.

The cleanup targeted three parts of the river in the Kansas City area.  Volunteers traveled by boat to pick up trash that had accumulated near dikes and logjams. This year the cleanup concentrated efforts on trash that spills out of the city.

Bottles, cans and other debris washes into urban storm drains and eventually flushes into the Missouri River.  An estimated 300 volunteers cleaned 13 river miles removing 6.5 tons of trash and debris.

Nineteen boats were used to transport volunteers including two from the Columbia FRO. At the end of the day the Missouri River was noticeably cleaner.  To learn more about Missouri River Relief you can visit their web site at www.riverfelief.org.