2009 Annual Report

Greenway Network, Inc.

Our Mission is to conserve natural resources, encourage sound management of the watersheds, and protect the quality of life for the residents of the St. Louis Metro area. We do that by creating a network of communication and consensus among citizens, government leaders and other organizations that share our goals. Most of all, we encourage everyone to 'act locally' to make it happen.

Our region is rich in water resources and native wildlife habit. It is a land of abundant river bottoms, fragile wetlands, tranquil riparian woods, and rolling hillsides along soaring bluffs. But, our region is also one of the fastest growing areas in the Midwest. Our western area population has more than doubled in the last twenty years!

We believe people can live in harmony with nature if we plan and make decisions wisely. Greenway Network is your "eyes, ears, and voice" in that process, working to conserve what is naturally best about the St. Louis Metro area.

Greenway Network organizes Mission: Clean Stream: St Charles County.  Through this effort, GN coordinates the efforts of seven municipalities and the county in cleaning local rivers and streams.  In 2009, in spite of high water and snow, 400 + volunteers cleaned 14 tons of trash from Dardenne, Peruque, Belleau and Spencer creeks and their tributaries. 

 

Greenway Network started working with local artists to convert metal trash from the streams to Art.  We call this the Start Stream Trash Art project.

 

Greenway Network volunteers also monitor Dardenne, Peruque, Sandfort, Cole and Spencer Creeks in St. Charles County.

 

In October Dardenne Creek Monitoring Day was held.  Many volunteers, mostly teachers and their students, tested 20 sites on Dardenne Creek

 

Greenway Network works with freshmen from Barat Academy as part of their environmental service-learning project.  Students are given training in water quality monitoring.  They are then supervised as they assist in sampling a site on Peruque creek.  Over the past two years, Barat students have been responsible for the removal of hundreds of invasive honeysuckle plants in the riparian corridor.  In addition to tasks in the field these students are also given a chance to work on the organizational side of a non-profit by doing office tasks and preparing materials for demonstrations.

 

Greenway Network is a willing participant in environmental education opportunities. 

 

In 2009:

 

Earth Day St Charles County:  The traditional Greenway booth included hands-on study of macroinvertebrates, key indicator species of water quality.

 

Earth Day St Louis:  Greenway Network volunteers assisted over 1000 children and their parents in learning about invasive species by making a sun-print.

 

Washington, MO Water Festival:  Greenway Network provided both macroinvertebrates and sun-printing activities.

 

Meeting of the Waters Symposium:  Greenway Network participated in the planning activities for this event.

 

Springboard Art in Science Conference:  Greenway Network provided a hands-on workshop for k-8 teachers combining sun-painting activities with learning about invasive species using the scientific method.

 

Classroom Water Quality Education:  Greenway members made presentations to elementary and middle school students in their classrooms about macroinvertebrates and water quality.

 

Assisting the Missouri Stream Team Program.  Two of the Greenway members have the highest level of Stream Team training in the state of Missouri.  They assisted in teaching the Missouri Stream Team classes held by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

 

Greenway Network, through an MDC grant, gathered 111 volunteers to plant 975 trees, bushes and grants to restore a section of the riparian of Kraut Run Creek.

 

Our Race for the Rivers event was a huge success. We had 82 paddlers racing 20 to 65 miles on the lower Missouri River from Washington, MO to the Confluence of the MO & Miss Rivers at Columbia bottoms Conservation Area.  We also had a festival on the Missouri Riverfront in St. Charles, and an estimated 1500 people were educated about streams in Missouri by MDC, DNR, and other vendors who set up booths.

 

Greenway Network is one of the 5 major partners in the Confluence Greenway Project surrounding the St. Louis Area.