Stream Teams United receives grant support from Missouri Humanities Council

Missouri Humanities Council awards grant for “Paddle MO 2019 – Exploring the Culture and History of the Missouri River”
 
The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) has awarded a grant of $2,500 to the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition in support of the project “Paddle MO 2019 – Exploring the Culture and History of the Missouri River”. The MHC is the only state wide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971.

Paddle MO 2019 will be held September 21-25. Paddle MO is an educational journey down the last 100 miles of the Missouri River, beginning at Hermann and ending at the confluence with the Mississippi River. Participants travel by canoe or kayak over five days and float through the confluence with the Mississippi River during the last mile of the trip. Along the way, participants stop at the historic river towns of New Haven, Washington, Augusta, and St. Charles.

Participants travel together and stop at locations along the route where scientists and historians provide presentations about the ecology and history of the river valley. This year’s journey will have a special focus on the Native American history of the Missouri River Valley, the German heritage of the Missouri River towns along the route, and historical details from the Lewis and Clark journey, including how the Missouri River has changed in the last 200 years.

The program will include a presentation by educators dressed in authentic period clothing representing Native Americans and French traders from the years 1740 – 1820, discussion of important historical landmarks and sites of interest related to the Lewis and Clark journey, a presentation by Missouri River Relief entitled “The Only Constant On the Missouri River is Change”, and songs and stories of the Missouri River and local history. The MHC grant for this project includes honoraria, travel expenses, and meeting space for educators.

The Paddle MO route covers between 12 to 27 miles each day during only daylight hours. Lead river guides include professional canoe instructors and educators from Earth’s Classroom. Participants are also accompanied by a motorized safety boat provided by Missouri River Relief. This year’s event will have over 75 total participants, including over 20 support staff.

The daily route for this year’s journey is:
Saturday, September 21st – Hermann, MO to New Haven, MO
Sunday, September 22nd – New Haven, MO to Augusta, MO
Monday, September 23rd  – Augusta, MO to St. Charles, MO
Tuesday, September 24th – St. Charles, MO to Florissant, MO
Wednesday, September 25th – Florissant, MO to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area

This is the 4th annual Paddle MO trip and is hosted by the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition (D/B/A Stream Teams United), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1999 that promotes the stewardship of streams in Missouri and brings together 21 volunteer Stream Team Associations from across the state.  2019 sponsors, grantors, and partners also include Missouri American Water Company, Magnificent Missouri, Patagonia, Alpine Shop, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

For more information about Paddle MO, visit https://www.paddlemo.org/, call 573-586-0747, or write to Stream Teams United at PO Box 483, Shelbina, MO 63468.  For more information about the grants program of the Missouri Humanities Council, call 314-781-9660 or 800-357-0909 or write to the MHC, 415 S. 18th Street, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63103-2269.