Rain Barrels for Sale

It has been months in the works, but the River des Peres Watershed Coalition is now selling rain barrels. After attempting several designs, we are satisfied in the quality of the barrels we can build. We offer our thanks to the Coca Cola Company for their generosity - their food-grade barrels are the foundation of our rain barrels.

Download our order form (.pdf 145kb), informational package (.pdf 238kb), or our installation guide (.pdf, 1.7Mb).

"FunRaiser" Campaign Launched

The River des Peres Watershed Coalition is launching its first major fundraising campaign. While the River des Peres will receive the benefits, the focus of this fundraiser is a bit further north - the Missouri River.

Hogan Haake and his brother Henry will be racing down a 340-mile stretch of the Missouri River in a canoe for the benefit of the River des Peres. This will be the second time the pair will compete in the Missouri River 340 (MR-340) - a canoe race from Kansas City to St. Charles beginning at 8:00AM on Tuesday, August 4.

When asked why he wanted to race for the River des Peres this year, Haake said, "In a city with big rivers like the Mississippi, the Missouri, and even the Meramec, something as small as the River des Peres doesn't get as much attention. I'm hoping this race will bring a little attention to all the rivers in St. Louis, especially the River des Peres." To read more about Hogan's thoughts before, during, and after the race, check out his race blog (COMING SOON).

MR-340 race participants are allowed 100 hours to complete their 340-mile trek. Last year, Hogan and Henry raced in a small canoe designed for paddling on lakes rather than rivers. They completed the race in 82 hours and 3 minutes (see photos and a summary of their trip last year). Hogan is currently in the process of building his own canoe for this year’s race. With the help of their river-friendly design, they hope to finish the race in 60 hours or less, bringing them into St. Charles by 8:00PM on Thursday.

Download a donation form! (.pdf, 103kb)

Habitat Restoration Underway

If you haven't been to Mona Terrace or Deer Creek Park in a while, you may want to plan a trip over there. Both sites are in the midst of a habitat overhaul.

On March 28 and April 4, volunteers gathered at Mona Terrace. Special thanks go to NHS members at Cor Jesu, SLU students, and River Kids who put in so much effort to remove the regrowth of bush honeysuckle along a 150-foot segment of the River des Peres and to plant over 700 native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plugs.

On April 18 and April 25, Deer Creek at Deer Creek Park got a bit of a face lift. A group of 25 volunteers from Washington University took on the patch of Japanese knotweed, pulled honeysuckle and Japanese hops, and planted 350 herbaceous plugs on the 18th. Employees from Coca Cola and Wal-Mart joined a Master Naturalist and students from Rohan Woods school to take on re-sprouts of knotweed and to put in another 350 plants.

May 29-June 1, 2009 - River Rally 2009 - Baltimore, Maryland.

July 15, 2009 - Steering Committee Meeting - 6:30 to 8 pm at The Green Center.

July 26, 2009 - Missouri Watershed Coalition Meeting.

August 4-7, 2009 - Missouri River 340 Race - Go River des Peres Bouys!!.

September 16, 2009 - Steering Committee Meeting - 6:30 to 8 pm at The Green Center.

September 26, 2009 - National Public Lands Day.

October 3, 2009 - 4th Annual Watershed-Wide Monitoring Day.

November 7, 2009 - 10th Annual River des Peres Clean-Up.

November 18, 2009 - Steering Committee Meeting - 6:30 to 8 pm at The Green Center.