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…
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…
Timber rafting in Checkoslovcka By Len Stagoski Here is a bit of trivia, but it’s historically significant trivia. Missouri supplied a very significant number of the railroad ties used in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. “As the Civil War drew to a close, everything was in place for the railroads to prosper. Advancements in…
Dale Ellis, of Neosho, has had a woodworking hobby for over 10 years and in March 2021, decided to take that to the next level. With a love for canoeing and getting out on the water, Ellis decided to make his own wood canoe. “I make a lot of tables, benches, porch swings, chairs, and…
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…
Here are five great opportunities to paddle and float in central and northeast Missouri. Learn more about these, and other public paddling opportunities, at www.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places, download the MO Outdoors App for mobile devices, or get a copy of A Paddler’s Guide to Missouri from riverhillstraveler.com. Summer is a great time to cool off on a…
By Todd Wilkinson Volunteers hard at work during a May cleanup of the Finley River, organized by James River Basin Partnership and the City of Ozark, Mo. I learned to kayak on the Upper Current. My job frequently finds me underway on the James. But the Finley is my “fun” river. One Legend says the Finley…
Report shows visitor spending supports 886 jobs in local economy A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 1,328,773 visitors to Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) in 2021 spent $64,433,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 886 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy…
