Nonprofit Tackles Meramec River Conservation for 40 Years

Protecting Missouri's land and water resources has been a mission of the Open Space Council (OSC), a nonprofit based at the outskirts of Shrewsbury, for more than 40 years.

The group's most impressive effort is Operation Clean Stream, one of America's longest and largest ongoing river restoration projects, OSC Executive Director Ron Coleman said. Started in 1967, Operation Clean Stream and its thousands of volunteers helped revive the Meramec River, which at that time was considered one of the most degraded streams in the country.

Every fourth week in August, Operation Clean Stream brings out thousands of volunteers to help remove debris and other trash from more than 500 miles of the Meramec and its tributaries.

"Today, the Meramec River is a model of river restoration—then, it was a bankside landfill," Coleman said. "The Meramec River Greenway now has nearly 40,000 acres of public land for outdoor recreation, mountains of trash are gone, water quality is better, and an estimated 200,000 South St. Louis residents derive their tap water from the Meramec River."

In addition to the annual cleanups, Coleman said OSC raised private funds to help purchase St. Louis County Bee Tree Park on the Lower Meramec in the 1960s and later Castlewood State Park in the 1970s. All total, OSC has helped to set aside more than 5,000 acres of land for parks and recreation in the Meramec River Basin.

"We are finally beginning to see more treetops than rooftops," Coleman said.

OSC is actively involved in promoting conservation and sustainability in other ways as well. As a land trust, it works to either buy land from willing sellers for open space or establish conservation easements while running other programs and education workshops, such as Operation Wild Lands, Meramec Expedition and Open Space Hikes.

This year, Coleman said OSC is focused on connecting youth, families and communities to the great outdoors.

"Open space is good for you...individuals need a good shot of it on a regular basis," he said.

The organization also encourages Missouri residents to become involved with environmental issues in their area. Coleman said it's easy for citizens to become "environmental stewards."

"Go to town meetings and advocate for more energy efficient and conservation design. Promote parks and urban forestry to help cool down the planet. Promote alternative modes of transportation like buses, trains and bikes," Coleman said.

For more information on events or volunteer opportunities check out OSC's website or call 636-451-6090. You can also become member and have access to timely information by mailing a check for $25 (Individual) to OSC Member Services, P.O. Box 1468, Ballwin, MO.