Celebrate 35 years of Missouri Stream Teams July 27 at Meramec State Park

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - To celebrate 35 years of river conservation, Stream Teams United and the Missouri Stream Team Program are hosting the 2024 Watershed Celebration at Meramec State Park on Saturday, July 27. Missouri Stream Teams from around the state are invited to attend the festival, which also celebrates the 25th anniversary of Stream Teams United, a non-profit partner of the program.

The Missouri Stream Team Program is a volunteer-led effort to conserve Missouri streams. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), the program focuses on education, stewardship, and advocacy for Missouri stream resources.

In 1988, a small group of anglers became fed up with unsightly trash disrupting their fishing in Roubidoux Creek in Pulaski County. These conservation-minded Missourians decided to clean this section of stream, thus forming the first Missouri Stream Team in 1989. The Roubidoux Fly Fishers Association (Stream Team #1) is still going strong 35 years later. The program has since grown to more than 6,000 Stream Teams around the state with more than 135,000 volunteers.

"The growth of the Missouri Stream Team Program showcases how Missourians care about conserving fish, forests, and wildlife, and how MDC, DNR, CFM, and Stream Teams United work with Missourians to conserve our natural resources," said MDC Volunteer Engagement Specialist Cara Coates. "Stream Team activities also provide unique opportunities to learn about nature in new and exciting ways."

Coates added the ongoing work of more than 6,000 Stream Teams and their volunteers have made significant positive impacts on the health of Missouri's streams over the last 35 years. That work includes volunteers giving more than 3.5 million hours of time, removing more than 14,127 tons of trash from Missouri waterways, planting 405,794 trees along streams, conducting 35,049 water quality monitoring trips, and stenciling 21,741 storm drains.

2024 WATERSHED CELEBRATION

To celebrate 35 years of service to Missouri's natural resources, the Missouri Stream Team Program invites all Teams to attend the 28th Annual Watershed Celebration at Meramec State Park on Saturday, July 27. The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes:

• Lunch provided by the Missouri Stream Team Program
• Kids games and crafts
• Tubing on the Meramec River with complimentary shuttle
• Fly-tying and fly-fishing programs
• Raffle including a kayak and other prizes
• Meet-and-greets with Stream Team Program staff
• Free camping offered to Stream Teams Friday and Saturday evenings (first-come, first-serve at Group Site A at Meramec State Park)

Registration is required to estimate attendance. To learn more and to RSVP to the 2024 Watershed Celebration, visit https://www.streamteamsunited.org/watershed-celebration-picnic.html.

To learn more about Missouri Stream Teams and how you can participate, visit mostreamteam.org.