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Greetings!
We had excellent participation in our Winter 2009 meeting on February 24th. If you missed that event, you might want to catch the March 8th Seminar and Expo this Sunday at the Creve Coeur Government Center, or check out the unique breakfast opportunity with Dr. Patricia Raven at the Green Center; see below for details. Also, be sure to sign up for the April 25th Day of Service if you haven't already!
Sincerely,
Rick Holton, Chair, Ladue Creeks Committee
of the Deer Creek Watershed Friends
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Winter 2009 Meeting Results
High Turn Out; Enthusiastic Citizens
More than 60 people attended the Winter 2009 meeting of the Deer Creek Watershed Friends at Ladue City Hall to enjoy an entertaining and informative presentation by horticulturalist Cindy Gilberg on rain garden design. By installing a rain garden in your yard, you can help to prevent stream erosion, sedimentation, flooding, water pollution, and property damage. Raingardens do not need to be located near a stream. By slowing down the rate of stormwater runoff anywhere in the watershed, a raingarden provides a positive contribution towards stream health.
For more information about rain garden design, go to:
 Saturday April 25th Deer Creek Day of Service
Event organizers Randy and Fiona Woods shared the extraordinary progress they have made in organizing a Deer Creek Clean up on April 25th for the City of Ladue. There are now 45 identified Creek Captains to facilitate clean ups on nearly every stretch of creek in the City of Ladue. Congratulations Randy and Fiona! Thanks also to Dion Schock for serving as Honorary Creek Commodore for this exciting event. There will be a Maplewood tree planting event on April 25th as well, co-sponsored by the River Des Peres Watershed Coalition. To register for a service opportunity in your city, or one near you in the Deer Creek Watershed, please sign up here.
Ideas for Future Projects
In a brief discussion at the end of the meeting, the following suggestions were offered:
- Provide guidance for what to plant along creek banks.
- Offer a presentation on invasive species removal.
- Offer a presentation on erosion control.
- Clarify whether MSD or the municipality is the correct entity to approach regarding adressing a creek problem.
- Name unnamed tributaries in the Deer Creek Watershed.
- Conduct more water quality tests. Liz Peterson also offered her 7th graders' water quality tests to be used for baseline data.
- Educate citizens who think that collecting yard waste along stream banks is helpful, when the opposite is true.
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| News From Creve Coeur
New Stream Buffer Protection Ordinance Passed
The Creve Coeur City Council recently approved a Stream Buffer Protection Ordinance. The ordinance identifies a 100 foot wide protected corridor along all creeks and streams in Creve Coeur that must remain free of development, grading or land disturbance of any type and a 150 foot corridor in which no structure can be built. A stream buffer is an environmentally sensitive area next to a stream where development is not permitted. Keeping these areas in a natural state, free of pavement and buildings protects water quality. Buffer areas allow vegetation to filter the runoff before it reaches the stream.
This ordinance is similar to ordinances in other municipalities in the St. Louis area and is consistent with the Metropolitan Sewer District's recommendations for stream buffer protections. Please contact Robert Gunn, Director of Public Works, if you have any questions about stream buffers at rgunn@ci.creve-coeur.mo.us or at 442-2074.
March 8 Spring Seminar & Environmental EXPO Creve Coeur is hosting a Spring Seminar & Environmental EXPO on Sunday, March 8 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in conjunction with the city's 60th anniversary celebration. The event will be held in the atrium and council chambers of the Creve Coeur Government Center at 300 N New Ballas Road. Chris Nejelski, the Coordinator of the Plants of Merit Program at Missouri Botanical Garden will speak on Plants of Merit at 2:00 p.m.
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The New Garden-Gardening to Benefit Nature
 Breakfast with Dr. Patricia Raven
Dr. Patricia D. Raven,
Research Associate, The Missouri Botanical Garden, invites you to join her for breakfast on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22nd 2009 from 8:30-10:00 am at The Green Center, 8025 Blackberry Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63130. To make your reservation today, please email Susan Mintz, The Green Center Executive Director, or call 314-725-8214, ext. 100.
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MSD Rain Barrels for Sale
For a limited time, MSD is selling recycled rain barrels at a reduced cost. To qualify, you must be an MSD customer who is current on your sewer bill. To purchase a rain barrel from MSD, customers need to call the MSD Billing Department at 866-281-5737 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Rain barrel sales take place from Monday, March 2 to Friday, March 20.
Payment is required at time of purchase in the form of a debit card or credit card payment. No cash or mail in payments accepted. MSD rain barrels are $45 per barrel, and customers can purchase a maximum of four barrels. Customers must also pick up their rain barrels from MSD and install the barrels themselves. Purchasing a rain barrel will not affect your stormwater impervious fee.
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About Deer Creek Watershed Friends
Our purpose is to assess and improve the Deer Creek Watershed. Membership in Deer Creek Watershed Friends is free; by registering to receive this newsletter you become a member. Please forward this email newlsetter to your friends and encourage them to become a Deer Creek Watershed Friend, too. Deer Creek Watershed Friends is sponsored by Missouri Botanical Garden.
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