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Back to Nature: Honeysuckle Hack at Your Local Park

Honeysuckle Hackers

WHAT: As a part of our Operation Wild Lands program and the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Back to Nature StL grant, The Open Space Council is partnering with the City of Crestwood’s Beautification Committee on a series of stewardship events at Crestwood Park. This volunteer opportunity will focus on removing the invasive Bush honeysuckle shrub from the park during National Public Lands Day.

After the volunteer work day, the City of Crestwood will be hosting an outreach event at the park that includes a food truck and nature-themed scavenger hunt. Partnering organizations will also be on hand to share details about the habitat restoration efforts currently underway at the park. Volunteers are encouraged to attend and celebrate their contributions to the community. The event will run from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.

WHEN: 9:00am, Saturday, September 24th. Volunteer check-in will begin at 8:45am.

WHERE: Crestwood Park, 9739 Meadowfern Dr, St. Louis, MO 63126. The meeting location will be the upper pavilion — see map for exact location.

WHAT TO WEAR:

Long-sleeves and pants - there are some areas within the project site that have poison ivy
Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty
Closed-toe shoes
Sunscreen

WHAT TO BRING:

A filled bottle of water - we recommend reusable!
Your own work gloves/tools, if preferred - otherwise they will be provided
Bug/tick spray, if preferred

REGISTRATION NOTES:

Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ups the morning of are always welcome.
The annual OSC liability waiver must be signed and approved before a volunteer can register for this opportunity. To see if you have met this qualification, please view your profile here.
This volunteer opportunity is family-friendly and open to all ages. Must be 18 years or older to handle herbicide. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

“. This event will occur on Sep 24, 2022.

We’re glad you will be lending a hand, and we are looking forward to meeting you.

Thanks and see you soon,
Your friends at The Open Space Council for the St Louis Region

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Shutterbee Pollinator Photography Training Session In Forest Park

With two previously competed training sessions, participants were ready to photograph bees on this outing to Forest Park. After signing in we walked to the Albrecht Nature Playscape to photograph the many different varieties of bees there for the Shutterbee research project.

© 2022 abc@educationalorganization.org

We were looking to capture specific features of bees to help biologists identify the species. We were also familiar with the phone app iNaturalist where we upload useable photos into the project’s online database. Biologists at several universities in the Midwest then identify the species of the bees for the project. Once fully trained, volunteers conduct about 20 photo surveys of their neighborhoods during the next 40 weeks. Each outing takes about 45 minutes of time.

© 2022 abc@educationalorganization.org

Besides the training sessions, ShutterBee also hosts additional events throughout the year, including site visits, a bee ID camp, and end of the season celebration with the entire ShutterBee community. On November 12th, we will have our first ever Shutterbee Symposium, featuring talks by the research team and our citizen scientists. This month’s bulletin is full of activities. Here is the link: https://shutterbee.net/2022/09/07/september-2022-bulletin/

© 2022 abc@educationalorganization.org

Shutterbee is collaboration among Webster University, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden, with additional support from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Academy of Sciences, St. Louis and the Living Earth Collaborative. 

© 2022 abc@educationalorganization.org


The Shutterbee project can be found online on Instagram (@shutterbeebuzz), Twitter (@shutterbeez) and on Facebook (Shutterbee Community).
Those who are interested in volunteering should complete this survey to register and sign-up for a training session. For more information, you can contact Miller-Struttmann at shutterbee@webster.edu. 

© 2022 abc@educationalorganization.org
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Operation Clean Stream

Since 1967, The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region has organized Operation Clean Stream, one of the country’s most significant and longest-running river restoration projects. Every August, volunteers take to the Meramec River and its tributaries, working to undo the damage caused throughout the year by flooding, careless littering, and the unlawful dumping of debris. Volunteers participate in canoes and boats, on the shore, in nearby parks, and along trails.

2022

Registration for Operation Clean Stream 2022 is OPEN! This is one of the largest river clean-up efforts in the country and we are excited to offer a new volunteer portal to make it easy for you to register, receive updates about your clean-up, and share your experience with us.

Click here to register and learn more about how to join a team and Get Connected with the Open Space Council. 

We are proud to be celebrating 55 years of Operation Clean Stream (OCS) this year and whether you are a returning volunteer or are new to the clean up we hope you will join us!

*~* Click Here to listen to the KDHX interview with Jean Ponzi celebrating 50 years of Operation Clean Stream

We organize clean-ups for groups, organizations, and corporate and small businesses. There are also sponsorship opportunities available. So please contact us if you have a group interested in volunteering or an organization interested in becoming a sponsor.

2021

In 2021 our #OperationCleanStream event took place from August 21st thru the 29th. The format of these clean-ups was a hybrid of both self-guided independent and group-led sites.

The Annual Operation Clean Stream group clean-ups and picnics took place on August 28th, 2021, at various locations throughout the Meramec Watershed. Over 2,000 volunteers participated as we celebrated 54 years of improving local rivers and open spaces! This year there were both group and self-guided clean-up options. Volunteers signed up to participate anytime between August 21st and 29th or in group clean-ups on August 28th. In addition, Our Passport 2 Clean Water Event also took place in a socially distanced format with safety in mind. Read more about last year’s Passport 2 Clean Water Event on our Blog.

Over the last couple of years, we have seen how important open spaces and clean water are to our communities’ health and well-being. So we thank you for helping to keep them beautiful and clean! Click here for this year’s Operation Clean Stream Program Report.

Special thanks to our partners, Great Rivers Greenway, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Conservation Federation of Missouri, Missouri Stream Teams, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri State Parks, Saint Louis County Parks, and many more for supporting this year’s event! 

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Thanks to all who volunteered for Operation Clean Stream 2021!

Additional thanks to Bayer, Great Rivers Greenway, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Missouri American Water, the Meramec River Recreation Association, On the Run, Missouri Stream Teams, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri State Parks, Saint Louis County Parks, and so many more for supporting Operation Clean Stream 2021!