Community Stewardship Alliance at Lower Meramec Park

Through a collaborative partnership led by the Open Space Council, the Community Stewardship Alliance (CSA) is an exciting new conservation program intended to provide focused, trained volunteer leadership to restore and maintain the natural areas within the park. Lower Meramec's Site Ambassadors, Laura Yates, Blake Ritter, and Kathy Heffern, are the local conservation leaders for this park. Their stewardship team members support their efforts by helping plan and organize volunteer days and engaging other community members to invest in their neighborhood. Join us for an event, our site ambassadors, and learn more about how you can become part of the team!

Lower Meramec Park is 270 acres within South St. Louis County. The park features one of the last remnants of high-quality bottomland woodlands in the Lower Meramec River valley. As a result, the site has excellent diversity with pecan, swamp white oak, pin oak, and other species, making up an 80-foot high canopy. Unfortunately, the understory is somewhat limited due to flood frequency and duration, as well as a strong community of invasive bush honeysuckle that shades out young tree seedlings. Through our collaborative CSA partnership, Ambassadors support conservation efforts to restore habitat and control invasive species within Lower Meramec Park with volunteer efforts. 

Our CSA partners include Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Great Rivers Greenway District, Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Master Naturalists Great Rivers Chapter, Missouri Stream Team, Open Space STL, St. Louis Audubon Society, St. Louis County Parks, St. Louis County Parks Foundation, and St. Louis City Forestry.

For The Environment

CSA projects at Lower Meramec include:

• Reforestation - Led by Great Rivers Greenway and St. Louis County Parks, a former agricultural field is being converted into a floodplain forest, featuring trees like the Kentucky coffee tree, the American sycamore, and Swamp white oak, to name a few. To date, over 200 trees have been planted, mulched, and protected as a part of these efforts, with a plan to phase in additional plantings in the future. 
• Riverbank stabilization - Since 2019, the Open Space Council and its partners have been coordinating live willow stake harvesting & staking opportunities to reduce erosion along the Meramec riverbank. This process includes pruning branches from live willow trees and then replanting ("staking") them into the riverbank. Eventually, these branches will grow roots that begin to hold the soil into place. For more information, check out OSC's Best Practices Report on our website.
• Invasive species management - CSA Site Ambassadors have led several honeysuckle removal events at Lower Meramec Park, and are continually monitoring the areas in order to intervene again if necessary. In recent years, scientists have learned that this invasive plant also has a negative impact on water quality and aquatic life. Just another reason to hate and hack some honeysuckle!
• Litter pickup -  Due to flooding and pollution, litter and debris is constantly deposited in Lower Meramec Park and along its riverbanks. Whether you join us at an event, or go out to enjoy the Meramec Greenway, consider bringing a trash bag with you!

For The Community

CSA projects at Lower Meramec benefit:

• Community members and volunteers by helping to create lasting relationships that empower local friends and neighbors while bringing people together who value this community treasure and want to see it sustained and thrive. 
• Park & trail users by improving natural communities within the park for everyone who enjoys these outdoor spaces for recreation.