A frigid turn in the forecast for the weekend has bent scheduled plans for local rivers' clean up, and the current plan is to postpone the volunteer effort until June.
The nonprofit, volunteer-based organization Missouri River Relief originally had scheduled a clean-up by boat of local stretches of the Osage and Missouri rivers Saturday, rain or shine, but the clean-up has been rescheduled for June 2 - still at the Bonnots Mill River Access, south of Jefferson City - on account of snow and low temperatures in the forecast.
When the event does happen, volunteers will be picked up by motorboat and taken to pre-scouted, strategic sites along the banks of the rivers to pick up trash left behind in low-lying areas after flood events in years past.
"So much plastic, primarily plastic and Styrofoam," event coordinator Jen Davis said of what is typically found, although Davis added that children's balls and even appliances are not uncommon finds.
Missouri River Relief has conducted 168 community-based cleanups in its 17-year history. Through those events, more than 25,000 volunteers from across the state have cleaned up 900 tons of trash from banks of more than 1,000 miles of river, according to a news release.
Further event details can be found at bit.ly/OsageCleanup2018.