Taking care of the Earth is an everyday mission for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but each spring the St. Louis District finds ways to increase its emphasis on sustainability and environmental stewardship.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a substantial stake in the health of the environment. The Corps’ water resources missions include environmental stewardship, ecosystem restoration, and regulatory responsibilities under the Clean Water Act.
Some of the best places to see environmental missions in action is at Corps’ lakes and recreation sites in the St. Louis area. Since 1989, the St. Louis District has planned and hosted numerous events celebrating Earth Day. From special events for area schools to public celebrations, the Corps of Engineers is part of Earth Day throughout the region.
Wappapello Lake:
Wappapello Lake hosted a two day Earth Day workshop in partnership with the University of Missouri Extension Office April 7 & 8 for more than 450 local 8th graders. Students learned about on forestry, stream tables, flint knapping, Ozark Chinquapin, fisheries, conclave, snakes, macro invertebrates search, geocaching, primitive bow making, environmental emergency response and cleanup, soils and ecology, gate house operations, and lands management.
Mark Twain:
The M.W. Boudreaux Memorial Visitor Center at Mark Twain Lake and Clarence Cannon Dam, Mo., celebrated Earth Day April 17 & 18 hosting a landscape maintenance event along with an event that taught children the importance of flowering plants for pollinators along with their seeds and nectar for food, and plants that help clean the air. The staff helped the participants with planting sunflower seeds in paper cones.
Carlyle:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Carlyle Lake is hosting the 20th Annual Celebrate the Earth Event on Friday, 24 April 2015. This event will be held in the Dam West Day Use Area from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with approximately 3,000 students and teachers from 32 local schools in attendance. The event brings in 36 professionals from organizations including the St. Louis Science Center, Wild Bird Sanctuary, Butterfly House, Ronald McDonald, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Illinois Extension Office will present safety and environmental education programs to classes. The Celebrate the Earth Event is only open for those schools that have pre-registered for the event and not open to the general public. This event is one of the most popular events held at Carlyle Lake and offers the perfect setting for school children to experience environmental education.
Rend Lake:
The 2015 Rend Lake Earth Day Celebration Event is April 30 and May 1 at the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center (participation is by reservation only). The event gets students out of the "indoor classroom" and into the "outdoor classroom." Students will experience many aspects of the natural world by participating in a variety of hands-on activities, hikes, wildlife programs, and games, all with an environmental focus.
Jefferson City:
Team members from Mark Twain Lake, Rivers Project Office and our St. Louis District Operations team will represent the Corps of Engineers at the Missouri Dept of Natural Resources 21st Earth Day at the Capital. The theme for 2015 is "Our Missouri Waters - Go with the Flow.” Held in the shadow of Missouri's historic Capitol, Earth Day 2015 will offer a variety of fun and educational opportunities for students interested in finding out more about how they can improve the world around them.