James River Basin Partnership

A hero is someone who puts others before his or herself, someone who goes above and beyond to help, and someone who doesn’t have to be asked to help. He or she just does what needs to be done and then some. The James River Basin Partnership is an organization that makes a big splash as they help with water rescue projects in southwest Missouri. The Partnership is located in Springfield, Missouri. Missouri is known for, and benefits from, numerous rivers and streams. With the projects that the Partnership is currently presenting, like the Rain Barrel Reveal, River Rescue, and the Lake Springfield Cleanup, they are achieving great things for our area.

The Rain Barrel Reveal is one of the many projects that James River Basin Partnership is providing. The goal for this project is to help conserve water and keep it from being wasted. Also, it helps cut back on storm water which can help with flooding issues. The project doubles as a special form of art with each barrel painted in a unique style. The rain barrels are auctioned off and the proceeds help the James River Basin Partnership fund future programs. Helping to conserve water will do a lot for our local environment.

The River Rescue is another project James River Basin Partnership is offering to help save Missouri waterways. This project is to get many people together to help clean the rivers by picking up trash that is currently in, or alongside, the rivers. Sometimes they find the smallest things such as candy wrappers, but other times they might find bigger things such as broken down bikes or even old refrigerators. Picking up this trash helps water life thrive and creates a healthier habitat. The River Rescue is very important because we rely on the water ways for drinking water and recreation.

The partnership doesn’t limit cleanup projects to area rivers only; cleanup includes area lakes as well. One of those lakes is Lake Springfield. The Partnership has a cleanup similar to that of the river cleanup for the lake. It is a big volunteer effort with many, many, people participating.

James River Basin Partnership is our hero because of the many benefits it provides to our entire area. Being a river and lake community, water quality is very important for tourism and recreation. The Partnership has created a community effort in keeping our water safe for drinking and clean for recreation.