Our History
MRCN 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 "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 repersentatives from diverse point of view can learn, share and discuss issues
about the Missouri River.
From 2003-2004, MRCN was a vital part of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial activities, which helped
participants explore the history of more than 30 towns. Learn more about what this project accomplished at the Lewis and Clark Project
web page.
In 2005, a partnership between federal, state and local organization created the Missouri Stream Team AmeriCorps Project,
placing Stream Team AmeriCorps Assistants throughout Missouri to aid local Stream Teams. Assitants have been placed in Kansas City,
Columbia, St. Louis, Kimberling City, and Pineville to help local Steam Team volunteers plan and implement stream improvements such
as: litter pickups, educational presentations, and volunteer water quality monitoring.
Mission & Objectives
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 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
