A record 69 Adopt-the-Shoreline member groups participated in the 2011 Spring Shoreline Beautification Cleanup at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, cleaning 525 miles of shoreline. The 681 volunteers removed 1,091 cubic yards of trash and debris—weighing 70 tons. Many additional residents, second homeowners, and other individuals and businesses provided support for the event, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. The cleanup began in March, with some group cleanups continuing into May.
Participants again reported finding significantly less non-encapsulated foam flotation debris than was common in the past—indicating Ameren Missouri’s 2008 ban on the use of such material has clearly resulted in a cleaner lake. “We are finally cleaning the shoreline, rather than mainly just picking up discarded dock foam,” says Mike Smith of Val-E-Vue Resort, one of the cleanup volunteers.
“In past years, removing foam flotation material prevented cleanup groups from removing the smaller trash that accumulates along the shoreline,” says cleanup coordinator Bryan Vance, shoreline management field coordinator for Ameren Missouri. “Having less flotation to remove allowed our volunteers to walk many more miles of shoreline and concentrate on the recreational type of debris that accumulates each year.”
Vance says many groups were surprised at how clean their adopted sections of shoreline were, and in true volunteer spirit, offered to go clean areas that have not been adopted.
“We were able to take advantage of those offers and arrange a couple of special cleanups that concentrated on areas that have never been cleaned,” Vance says. “This allowed us to clean many more miles of shoreline than in any previous year, and we still collected the smallest volume of debris we’ve ever had.”
Ameren Missouri, which sponsors the Adopt-the-Shoreline program, paid more than $25,000 to dispose of the trash and debris collected. In addition, numerous local organizations and individuals donated boats and other equipment the volunteers needed to make the event a success.
“We have the best volunteer groups at the lake involved in the Adopt-the-Shoreline program,” Vance adds. “We cannot thank our adopting groups and other participants enough for their continued support for Adopt-the-Shoreline throughout its 20-year history.”
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Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than a century, and our electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. We serve 1.2 million electric and 126,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. Our mission is to meet their energy needs in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Our service area covers 63 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit AmerenMissouri.com.
Contact: Ameren Missouri Media Hotline, 314-554-2182