Trash Bash participants come in all sizes, genders and ages. This year they will end their Oct 26 clean-up activities with a picnic at Deer Creek Park, 3200 N. Laclede Station Road.
by Don Corrigan
It’s been called an open sewer, a polluted drainage ditch and the “River Despair.” When French priests settled on its banks in 1700, they found it to be a gentle, natural stream with diverse flora and fauna.
Residents using Interstate 44 to cross from Shrewsbury to St. Louis over the waterway pay little attention to it now, unless it’s brewing up a stench. River des Peres will likely never be restored to its former glory, but this urban stream does have its fans and caretakers.
Among the local waterkeepers is Open Space STL and its many partners. They’re inviting the public to be part of the 2024 River des Peres Trash Bash, happening Saturday, Oct. 26.
“For this event, we partner with multiple organizations to make an impact, not just in Shrewsbury or St. Louis, but for our entire region,” said Bonnie Harper. “Partners include Great Rivers Greenway, MSD Project Clear, the Earthways Center, St. Louis County Parks, and MO Stream Teams.”
Harper, executive director of Open Space STL, said the Trash Bash is an opportunity to clean up River des Peres and its tributaries, such as Black Creek, Deer Creek, as well as its confluence with the Mississippi River. Site leaders will be at each cleanup location to offer instructions and supplies.
“Open Space STL is Missouri Stream Team No. 5, and we see this as an extension of our other annual watershed cleanup, Operation Clean Stream,” Harper said. “Volunteers can choose from multiple cleanup locations or storm drain marking sites within the watershed.
“Volunteers don’t have to worry about climbing down dangerous rocks and riprap to get down to the waterway,” added Harper. “Site leaders know the safest pathways. We do recommend volunteers wear outdoor shoes that could get wet.”
Harper noted the River des Peres is pretty dry right now. This is a good time to clean it up, while the water is down. When the river comes back up with inevitable rains, it will be a cleaner watershed for local wildlife that can thrive in the urban watershed.
Webster Groves resident Katie Franke is a veteran of local trash bash and clean stream activities. Her rowing partner is Theresa Pawlicki, a master naturalist also from Webster Groves. Franke is a staff member of Open Space STL.
Shrewsbury Hot Spot
“We prefer people to go to volunteer.openspacestl.org to sign up to be part of the bash, but we will take last-minute walk-ups,” said Katie Franke, community conservation program manager. “About 20 sites are available to sign up for.
“The Shrewsbury site is right behind the MetroLink Station,” added Franke. “We were scouting site locations and we found a big couch in the riverbed at Shrewsbury. That sealed the deal. Our people love removing big stuff and it’s exciting to take on a big couch.”
Franke referred to old refrigerators, box springs, tractor tires and couches, as “true trash bash prizes.” She said the Open Space STL headquarters, located at Watson Trails Park in Sunset Hills, keeps some past trash bash souvenirs on hand from past cleanups.
“We do fish out some weird stuff,” said Harper. “We’ve been taking out a lot of remote control cars in recent years. Those are items we didn’t find 10 or 15 years ago.”
During the last River des Peres Trash Bash, the Open Space organization compiled some interesting statistics for its clean-up efforts:
666 volunteers enrolled
6.4 tons of trash removed
46 tires cleared out
22 clean-up sites addressed
272 storm drains marked
“The River des Peres gets to be a real eyesore, and an embarrassment for St. Louis,” said Franke. “It’s kind of sad that so much trash ends up in it. The city of Shrewsbury was pretty excited to hear our plans to come out and clean things up.
“Volunteers will be rewarded with a post-event picnic,” added Franke. “I’ve been going to it for years. I was a volunteer and a picnic participant long before I joined the Open Space staff.”
Trash Bash Picnic
The picnic this year is at Deer Creek Park, 3200 N. Laclede Station Road in Maplewood from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A “Passport to Clean Water” educational program for ages 5-18 will teach about water quality, conservation and wildlife. Trash Bash is sponsored by Missouri American Water and Spire.
“Residents in Webster-Kirkwood need to know that their creeks and streams are tributaries of the River des Peres and Meramec watersheds,” said Harper. “We all live in watersheds and we all have some responsibility for their health.”
Part of that health is about the habitat for wildlife. Wildlife suffers when it must deal with human trash, and sickening debris, or even chemical pollutants.
“Wildlife is suffering now from the plastic and microplastics getting into the aquatic environment,” said Harper. “So, our volunteers are not just cleaning up the ugliness, they are literally helping to save wildlife.
“I admit it can be a little disillusioning hauling out tires and old appliances year after year,” said Harper. “Why is this happening? Who is doing this illegal dumping? What’s wrong with this picture?
“On the other hand, the annoyance goes away a bit when you see all the volunteers caring for the watersheds,” said Harper. It helps to see their elation when they remove something big and harmful – and they make things better.”
Environmental Echo 