Missouri River Relief (MRR) is hosting a large-scale, community-wide, boat-based trash clean up of the Missouri River on Saturday, mobilizing hundreds of volunteers from around the region.
The event will be headquartered at the Missouri River boat ramp at the Carl R. Noren Missouri River Access in Jefferson City. The clean up runs 9 a.m.-noon, rain or shine. Volunteers will enjoy a free lunch and live music after participating.
This is the MRR's annual river clean up in the Central Missouri Region. Each year, different stretches of the Missouri River are targeted for trash clean up by the organization. This winter's severe flooding increased the amount of trash polluting the Missouri River and its adjacent banks, islands and public recreation areas. MRR will take volunteers out to target these areas for trash removal. The boats are operated by MRR, as well as scientists and agents with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
River clean ups are great experiences for families, individuals, civic and church groups, school clubs, students and corporate teams. Children and youth are impacted and inspired to make a difference in their communities, by educating their friends and peers about the importance of protecting and keeping our waterways clean. MRR welcomes participants of all ages and abilities.
Volunteer sign-in starts at 8:30 a.m. to begin boarding the boats at the boat ramp at 9 a.m. Volunteers will be shuttled to pre-scouted locations along the river to pick up tons of trash. Help will be needed after lunch to sort the trash for proper disposal; MRR will recycle as much as possible.
Individuals, families and groups are encouraged to participate. People are urged to sign up online at www.riverrelief.org. Though pre-registration is preferred, it's not required; people can show up the morning of the clean-up to register. Groups, individuals or families who are interested in participating in the clean up also can contact the MRR office in Columbia, 443-0292 or email [email protected] for more information, as well as check out the event web page.
Event details can be found at: bit.ly/JeffCityClean2016.