Goodbye, Stream Team AmeriCorps Assistants!

Tiffany Frey wanted a career change. Marina Cannon just wanted to do something positive for a while. Neither of these women had any experience with river work prior to signing up with AmeriCorps Stream Team, but both had a great desire to learn.

AmeriCorps, (a year commitment of service, sometimes referred to as ‘the domestic version of the Peace Corps’) provided the training they needed. This education, combined with their diverse experience, they tackled challenges with a fresh approach. Working on projects that ranged in size, scope and formats, the two have been “Getting Things Done” (an AmeriCorps’ slogan). From education (for small, informal groups to large, all-day festivals) to assisting stream teams, the possibities seemed limitless. This duo has also taken on new challenges as well, from teaching and implementing storm water practices, to using new media to reach a broader audience.

In an ongoing effort to combine their prior experience with current challenges, the two have placed the first StreamTeam geocache in the area to expand their outreach efforts. Geocaching is a relatively new outdoor hobby, a treasure hunt in which participants use clues and a global positioning system (gps). Geocache hunters who finds this stash will be rewarded with a free sticker, as well as information about the Stream Team program.

The pair will complete their year (Tiffany’s second) in August. Tiffany will embrace her new career, working with the James River Basin Partnership, while Marina will return to civilian life, taking with her all the rewards and lessons of her AmeriCorps Stream Team experience.

River Rescue 2008

Don't Miss
River Rescue "Beer Brats and Bluegrass" Benefit Concert
June 7, 2008, 6 pm

Music by Mincks & Miller Band, Gary Gallier, and Lyal Strickland

Food and refreshments provided by Springfield Brew Co., Tyson Foods, Inc. and Johnsonville Sausage.

This year's benefit concert begins at 6 p.m., at the beautiful Ozarks Mill. We'll have bands, food and lots of fun, just bring your own chair or blanket. Admission is only $6.00 ($3.00 for the clean-up floaters wearing their River Rescue t-shirt.)

Get tickets to our raffle to win a kayak donated by Dynamic Earth (a $850.00 value) that will be given away at 8pm. All proceeds benefit the James River Basin Partnership.

Last year, $6,573.66 was raised at the benefit concert. That money partially funded various projects to help keep our waterways clean (such as soil testing, septic pump out and storm-water management). So enjoy the evening, knowing you are also helping a great cause.

See you there!

Storm Drain Marking Event

It's AmeriCorps Week!

Lets Celebrate

With Some

Community Service!

Date: Thursday, May 15

Time: 5:30-7:30 pm

Place: Meet at the Discovery Center Parking Lot
Weather permitting (Conditions must be dry and over 40 degrees)

"What is AmeriCorps?" you ask. You are not alone if you don't know. In fact, that is the very reason we are having this special week, to get the word out about this great organization.

AmeriCorps is kind of like the PeaceCorps, only here, in America. Volunteers work on service projects to help with a wide range of issues, from education to housing to environment... It is a one-year commitment doing something good for your community.

But enough about me (and the other AmeriCorps volunteers, of course). To celebrate this week, we are having a make-up storm drain marking event. Our initial event was frozen out (click here for details) but this time, it's on! Well, unless it rains. Then it's off.

Storm drain markers are a great way to let people know what goes down their storm drain (not "sewer") goes straight to the river, and it carries with it all the debris, chemicals, pet waste and pollutants from the city. The last thing we need is someone to dump their used motor oil or paint thinner down there, so we have these markers.

And we stick them on the storm drain with incredibly strong glue. Then, we leave door hangers on the neighborhood doorknobs to reinforce the message. Then we smile, knowing we did a good thing, and did our AmeriCorps project proud. Come join us!

Earth Day Shoreline Clean Up Event!

Join Us at Beautiful Lake Springfield!

Okay, we'll admit, our lake has seen better days. Trash everywhere, like no one cares at all. With record floods, all this trash just sort of washed down here.

This Earth Day, let's pick up that trash and make Lake Springfield beautiful again.
DATE: April 22, 2008
TIME: 1 pm - 4 pm
LOCATION: Lake Springfield, at the boathouse parking lot click here for map to Boathouse
MORE: Gloves and trashbags will be provided for the clean up. Please call 836-4847 to RSVP. If you'd like to float that day, mention it when you call so we can reserve a canoe for you! And after all that work, you'll surely be hungry, so we're bringing snacks and drinks.

What are you waiting for? Earth day is just around the corner... C'mon, give us a call! 836-4847.

The 2008 Rain Barrel Reveal Event!

Wow! The barrels are back from the artists and they’re pretty amazing. See for yourself!

On May 3-4, these barrels will be “revealed” to the public at Artsfest on Walnut Street. Yep, that’s right, what you are seeing now is just a quick glimpse of the real event. They will also go up for auction on the 3 of May, so if you fall in love with a barrel now, you can bid on it soon.

But wait! Before the Rain Barrel Reveal Event, there is a preview event. All around Springfield, through the month of April, (beginning April 3) these barrels will be around. AND if you are really interested in seeing them all before they go up for auction, a quick stop at these locations will ensure you don’t miss a single barrel. They can be seen at:
Bass Pro, Battlefield Mall, Borders Books, Coffee Ethic, Cox Health Center, Gailey’s Breakfast Café, The Library Station, The Library Center, Mama Jean’s, The Moxie, Panera Bread, Springfield Nature Center, St. John’s Hospital, Well Fed Head Books

Thanks to all the artists for their time, talent and patience.

Our partners in this endeavor helped us make this event possible by sharing their space, labor and materials with us.

Special thanks to Austin's Auto Body for priming and clear coating all the barrels, Springfield Regional Arts Council for giving us a space at Artsfest and helping us with the moving, and Boy Scout Troop 24 (Jordan!) for cleaning the barrels and keeping them well-stocked with brochures, and using your muscles to help get this thing going.

What Rain Barrels Can Do

These rain barrels were painted by local artists for the “Rain Barrel Reveal ’07”, an awareness-builder and fundraising event sponsored by JRBP with SRAC. Using their talents, these artists transformed these plain barrels into works of art.

Rain barrels are one of the easiest ways individuals can make a difference in the quality of our waterways. It sounds crazy, but it’s true.

Rain falls on your property, and where it can, it soaks into the ground. That water helps recharge the water table, but the rest of the water runs off your roof, your driveway, your sidewalk, etc. It goes straight into the gutters or ditches, down the storm drain and into the river. (For more about storm drains, click here.)

All of that water at once can create a bunch of problems. One problen is erosion. The added volume of water has a lot of force, and can move soil from the banks, into the river, choking the invertebrates that live between the rocks. Another big problem is pollution. The water that runs off the surfaces in the city carries with it pet waste, fertilizer, pesticides, road dust, debris, and a host of other things that can turn the river into a toxic mess.

Rain barrels can help keep some of the water out of the river by capturing it before it runs off the property. Not only that, but the captured water can be used for many purposes: gardening, washing cars, watering lawns, to name a few.

There is nothing new about rain barrels, this is old technology, rediscovered. Rain barrels were once used to collect and save water. Everyone had them. Whenever anyone needed some water, they could get it from the barrel. Modern technology made them unnecessary, it's just so much easier to get water from the hose or faucet.

But the water from the hose or faucet comes from our limited supply of water for everything. And that water has to be filtered before it reaches your home, so there is a lot of resources and energy spent on this modern convenience.

With growing concern over our limited resources, rising water bills, and increased volume of run-off from cities, the rain barrel is making a comeback. Consider installing a rain barrel this spring. Attach one to the downspout of your house and watch the barrel fill with free, usable water!

MLK Day Storm Drain Marking Event, Jan 21 POSTPONED

NOTE: Due To Cold Weather, This Event Has Been Postponed Until Further Notice.

So you have the day off, and you are thinking to yourself , “Great, how can I best use this time to serve my community?”

You think hard, but come up empty.

Well, here at Stream Team Flexi #1365 headquarters, we are always thinking, always striving, and we have just the answer for you! Come join us for our “MLK Storm Drain Marking Event” (For more about storm drains, click here)

MLK Storm Drain Marking Event
Where: Meeting in the parking lot by the Discovery Center
(438 E Saint Louis St, Springfield, MO )
When: Monday, January 21, 2008, at 10 a.m.
(Note: Adhesives will work best in dry conditions, over 32 degrees. In case of precipitation or freezing conditions, this event will be cancelled.)


We will start with a short demonstration on how to mark the drain using adhesive and our pre-printed markers right there on the spot. Then, we'll show you locations in Springfield in need of markers. You can choose your spots, take a kit, and mark away! Finally, return the kit and you’re done.

Then you can relax, knowing you’ve made our world a little bit better. Your placement of this gentle reminder about storm water and where it goes will be seen for decades. Dr. King, no doubt, would be proud.