Fulton Stream Team receives award

<p>Helen Wilbers/FULTON SUN</p><p>Fulton Stream Team members, from left, Scott Carlson, Courtney Coffelt and Doreen Houck — along with Mayor LeRoy Benton — received an ambassador award from Missouri Stream Team for their work. Amy Meier, the Missouri Department of Conservation coordinator for the Missouri River Unit, presented the award.</p>

Helen Wilbers/FULTON SUN

Fulton Stream Team members, from left, Scott Carlson, Courtney Coffelt and Doreen Houck — along with Mayor LeRoy Benton — received an ambassador award from Missouri Stream Team for their work. Amy Meier, the Missouri Department of Conservation coordinator for the Missouri River Unit, presented the award.

By Helen Wilbers

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According to the Missouri Stream Team Organization, the Fulton Stream Team is going above and beyond as it recognized the local chapter with an ambassador award.

“This award recognizes teams that have shown aptitude in all the Stream Team goals: education, stewardship and advocacy,” said Amy Meier, the Missouri Department of Conservation coordinator for the Missouri River Unit. “They’ve done a little bit of everything and done it well.”

The Fulton Stream Team was formed in November 2015 and is run by Scott Carlson, Courtney Coffelt and Doreen Houck, of the city engineering department. City Engineer Kyle Bruemmer oversees the crew. Since its formation, the team has worked closely with local institutes to do education and stream cleanups along Stinson Creek.

“Last month, the cheer squad from Fulton High School helped clean a section of the stream,” Carlson said. “Before that, we did an educational program for College for Kids.”

Meier said there are 5,500 Stream Teams in the state, but not many are as active as Fulton’s.

“Scream Clean (last year’s Halloween event) was the cutest and most awesome idea,” Meier said. “You took the idea and ran with it.”

Stream Team members claimed their work wouldn’t be possible without the support of the community and the city government, including Bruemmer, Mayor LeRoy Benton and Director of Administration Bill Johnson.

“They’re behind us 100 percent,” Carlson said.

While the team had a relatively quiet summer, they’re planning to start ramping up activities again soon. There will be a Stream Team meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at Fulton City Hall.

One of the team’s goals for the future is getting a 501(c)3 status, so it can apply for more grants and expand its activities. The team hopes to extend study and cleanup efforts to more of the Stinson Creek watershed in the future. That will be discussed at the meeting.

So will the team’s latest cleanup idea: Battle of the Bags.

Carlson said they’re planning an event pitting William Woods University and Westminster College students against each other. The school that collects the most trash will be declared the winner.

The meeting will be open to the public.