“Nice work, if you can get it,” “You’re living the dream” and other phrases are frequently uttered when I tell folks that I am a level 2 river kayaking instructor with the American Canoe Association (ACA). For me, it’s a privilege to play a role in helping educate folks on how to stay safe while…
“If the rock garden doesn’t get you, the panther will.” A somewhat ominous thing for a river guide to say on a float, but it still made me smile. And Mountain View resident Mike Gaddy certainly didn’t disappoint when it came to his knowledge of the Jacks Fork. My former kayak instructor and friend, Dave…
In 2022, James River Basin Partnership officially closed the book on our Wilsons’ Creek 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) Grant project, which focused on the largely urban Wilson’s Creek sub-watershed in southwestern Greene County. The Wilson’s Creek implantation project ran from 2017 to 2022, and included tree planting, streambank stabilization and restoration along Wilson’s and Fassnight…
Recently we’ve been enjoying some local brews at Wire Road Brewing Company in Battlefield. The place just oozes Ozarks history. Its outdoor beer garden is a throwback to the biergartens that German immigrants used to frequent in the days before Prohibition. Even several of the beers are named for historic persons and places in Missouri….
By Todd Wilkinson With winter coming to an end (hopefully), my thoughts have turned to paddling. I can’t wait for warmer temperatures – air and water – and getting underway again on the James, Finley, Current or one of other Ozark streams. For those of us who are kayak instructors with the American Canoe Association…
Loring Bullard, author of “Living Waters: The Springs of Missouri” and longtime water-warrior, speaks to a group about the history of the Jordan Creek “box.” Last month, James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) staff and volunteers conducted water quality monitoring on Jordan Creek in central Springfield (Mo.) for the City of Springfield. JRBP partners with the…
What’s a flivver? A quick Google search produced this definition: “a cheap car or aircraft, especially one in bad condition.” It was also the nickname for Henry Ford’s mass-produced Model T in the early 20th century. The famed Ozarks folklorist Vance Randolph documents the story of the “Phantom Flivver” in his magnum opus, Ozark Magic…
As part of our 25th anniversary celebrations, the James River Basin Partnership recently hosted the inaugural Paddle MO James trip with Stream Teams United last month. For three days, 50 attendees, including staff and volunteers, floated a 22-mile stretch of the lower James from Hootentown Campground to Galena, Missouri. Paddlers came from as far away…
