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Missouri River Communities Network (MRCN) 
is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and restore the historic, cultural and natural resources of the Missouri River and its surrounding communities, and to encourage citizen participation in these endeavors.

MRCN offers projects that:

• Clean up the river and its banks
• Educate people about the history and culture of the river
• Help balance competing agendas for the river, such as recreation and agriculture, through activities that promote communication and partnerships.

MRCN was a vital part of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial activities, which helped participants explore the history of more than 30 towns along the Missouri River.

Objectives

• To increase awareness of the Missouri River and involvement of citizens in management of the river
• To reconcile the interests of navigation, agriculture, recreation, riverfront development, tourism, historic preservation, flood prevention, land use, ecosystem restoration and water quality
• To inform land owners about support systems for instituting best management practices along the river
• To promote compatible economic development opportunities along the Missouri River
• To help plan for historic preservation and tourism in the Missouri River corridor
• To encourage water quality improvement and maintenance of water supply from the river.

History

The Missouri River Communities Network was formed following the 1993 Missouri River floods, which devastated dozens of small communities along the river. At this time, the need for average citizens and river communities to become educated about the river, and more involved in its management, became apparent.

In 1994, MRCN sponsored the Missouri River Dreamin’ town hall meetings in eight communities from St. Charles to St. Joseph. More than 350 persons attended and expressed their vision for the river's future. Ideas varied, but everyone agreed that the Missouri River is a valuable resource that must be preserved for future generations.

In 1998, MRCN started work on the Manitou Bluffs Project that focuses efforts on the Missouri River corridor between Rocheport and Jefferson City. The goal of the project is to create a broad-based forum where representatives from diverse points of view can learn, share, and discuss issues about the Missouri River.

A new partnership between federal, state and local organizations has created the Missouri Stream Team AmeriCorps Project, placing twelve Stream Team AmeriCorps Assistants throughout Missouri to aid local Stream Teams. Assistants have been placed in Kansas City, Columbia, St. Louis, Springfield, Kimberling City and West Plains to help local Stream Team volunteers plan and implement stream improvements such as: litter pickups, educational presentations and volunteer water quality monitoring.

The Missouri Stream Team Program was started in 1989 to encourage citizen volunteers to educate themselves about their local watershed and participate in improvement activities such as litter pick-ups, monitoring, educational presentations, tree planting and storm drain stenciling, among others. The program is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the nonprofit Conservation Federation of Missouri and has grown to 3,200 Stream Teams in the state and includes more than 60,000 volunteers.

Missouri River Communities Network is the nonprofit administrator of the state-wide Stream Team AmeriCorps Project. Funding for the AmeriCorps Project is provided by the Missouri Community Service Commission in the Department of Economic Development. Training and staff support are supplied by the Missouri Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources. Local funding and logistical support for each AmeriCorps member is provided by the following local community nonprofit organizations: Blue River Watershed Association, Bryant Watershed Education Project, Great Rivers Greenway District, James River Basin Partnership, Kansas City Wildlands, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri River Communities Network, Open Space Council of St. Louis, Table Rock Lake Water Quality Incorporated and Watershed Committee of the Ozarks. Additional funding has been provided by the Mid America Regional Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, Region VII and the members of Missouri River Communities Network.

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