Students from the Missouri River Academy summer academy stopped by Peers Store Monday, July 10, to gain a better understanding of the ecology along the Missouri River. Missouri River Relief, a …
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Missouri River Academy students visit Peers Store
Posted
By Cindy Gladden, Record Staff Writer
Students from the Missouri River Academy summer academy stopped by Peers Store Monday, July 10, to gain a better understanding of the ecology along the Missouri River.Missouri River Relief, a not-for-profit organization designed to connect people to the Missouri River, sponsors the annual summer camp for high school students. The organization is known for its volunteer river cleanup events and river education efforts.During the camp, students learn about ecosystems, river flooding and protection of Missouri’s natural resources.Before biking to Peers from Marthasville, the students took a boat ride on the Missouri River. They participated in a watercolor painting session and learned about the history of Peers.Dan and Connie Burkhardt, owners of Peers Store and conservationists with the Katy Land Trust, acquainted the students with the changes that have taken place in the Missouri Bottom area near the store.“What you see in front of the store literally used to be the river,” Connie Burkhardt said. “It is great soil and an excellent place to be farming.”Dan Burkhardt told the students the corn they saw growing was used exclusively to make Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipes, located in Washington.Jeff Barrow, director of Missouri River Relief, said the students would learn to use their observation skills during the five-day camp.“Students learn about Missouri and how it affects their lives, and how they can affect it,” he said. “By the last day of the camp, they will complete an action project telling us what they would do to change the world.”Kristen Schulte, academy manager with Missouri River Relief, said one of the organization’s goals is to experience and connect with the Missouri River and the landscape around it.After cooling off with free ice cream in the Peers Store, Becky McMahon of DJM Ecological Services, gave the students a walking tour through the newly planted, waist-high prairie project between Peers Store and the Katy Trail.“Before this area was settled, the biggest landscape in the country was prairie,” she said. “It benefits wildlife and people. If we could get more prairie planted along the rivers, there could potentially be less damage due to flooding.”McMahon said natural prairie wildflowers and grasses have deep roots systems that help absorb much of the excess rainwater during seasonal flooding.Noah Kresse, a former camper, is now learning to be a camp counselor.“The Missouri River has always been a part of my life,” he said. “I like being with people who care about it and educate others to realize what it should mean to them. I want to be a part of it.”Students biked west to Treloar where they enjoyed dinner before returning to their campground.Students came from Missouri towns and surrounding states. They are staying at Camp Trinity in New Haven. The Katy Land Trust provided bikes for a Katy Trail ride.For more information about Missouri River Relief or the River Academy, visit riverrelief.org. To learn about conservation efforts along the Katy Trail, visit katylandtrust.org.
