Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor

Missouri -  No MOre Trash! mascot, Peanut the Turtle, is a living example of how litter can affect wildlife. When young, the red-eared slider crawled into a plastic six-pack ring that someone had thrown on the ground instead of a trashcan. The ring got hung on her shell. Eventually, her shell grew but the ring stayed on, giving her the shape of a peanut. She was found and taken to the St. Louis Zoo where the ring was cut off. She has lived with the Missouri Department of Conservation since 1993.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) encourage Missourians to do some spring cleaning outdoors and help fight litter through the state’s No MOre Trash! annual Trash Bash throughout the month of April.

The Trash Bash is sponsored by MDC and MoDOT as part of the ongoing No MOre Trash! statewide anti-litter campaign. Volunteers are needed all around the state to clean up litter from roadsides, parks, neighborhoods, rivers, streams, trails, and other places. 

Participants are encouraged to report cleanup efforts and will receive a No MOre Trash! thank-you pin specially designed to commemorate the 30th birthday of campaign mascot Peanut the Turtle. When young, the red-eared slider crawled into a plastic six-pack ring that someone had thrown on the ground instead of a trashcan. The ring got hung on her shell. Eventually, her shell grew but the ring stayed on, giving her the shape of a peanut. 

For more info on the April Trash Bash and how to participate, visit nomoretrash.org/trash-bash, or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).

Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor

Dexter and Advance, Missouri - McCafé invites coffee drinkers across the U.S. to wake up and taste the free coffee. Beginning March 31, customers are encouraged to stop by their local participating McDonald’s restaurant for a freshly brewed small McCafé coffee during McDonald’s first-ever national Free Coffee Event.  Free McCafé coffee is available during breakfast hours starting March 31 through April 13 in participating restaurants. 

Both the Dexter and Advance McDonald's are participating.

“We’re excited to share our coffee with our customers,” said local McDonald’s Owner-Operator, John Moreland.  “This is a great opportunity for them to try McCafé coffee and gives them another reason to come to us in the morning.”

McDonald’s launched its McCafé line-up in the U.S. in 2009. The collection included McCafé’s signature blend coffee and quickly expanded to include iced coffees, espresso-based drinks, such as lattes and mochas, blended-ice beverages including smoothies and frappes, triple thick shakes as well as limited-time seasonal offerings. 

Should you decide to cover this exciting news on any of your media platforms, please send me a copy! Feel free to reach out with any questions you have regarding The Free McCafe Coffee Event!

About McDonald's USA

McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 27 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McD_MidwestTri and Facebook www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.

About McCafé

McDonald’s collection of coffee and espresso based McCafé beverages are made with 100 percent Arabica beans sourced from the rich soils of Central and South America. In addition to the existing variety of McCafé beverages, McCafé also introduces limited-time seasonal offerings at participating restaurants throughout the year. For more information and to keep up with flavors of our McCafé line, visit www.mcdonalds.com/mccafe, or follow us on Twitter (@McCafe)

Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor

Missouri - In 1988, a small group of anglers got fed up with unsightly trash disrupting their fishing in Roubidoux Creek. These conservation-minded Missourians decided to clean this section of stream in south-central Missouri. In doing so, they formed the first Missouri Stream Team in 1989. The Roubidoux Fly Fishers Association (Stream Team 1) is still going strong 25 years later. During that time, the Missouri Stream Team Program has grown to more than 4,000 Stream Teams around the state with more than 85,000 volunteers.

The Missouri Stream Team Program is a citizen-led effort to conserve Missouri streams. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), the Program focuses on education, stewardship, and advocacy for Missouri stream resources.

“The success of the Stream Team Program is a great example of how Missourians care about conserving fish, forests, and wildlife, and how MDC, DNR and CFM work with citizens to conserve our natural resources,” said MDC Fisheries Biologist Amy Meier, one of several Stream Team biologists with the Conservation Department. “Stream Team activities also provide unique opportunities to discover nature in new and exciting ways.”

Meier added that the ongoing work of more than 4,000 stream teams and their more than 85,000 volunteers have made enormous positive impacts on the health of Missouri’s streams over the last 25 years. That work includes volunteers giving more than 2.2 million hours of time, energy and passion, removing more than 10,000 tons (20 million pounds) of trash from Missouri waterways, planting nearly 265,000 trees along streams, conducting more than 25,000 water quality monitoring trips, and stenciling more than 17,000 storm drains.

“Stream Team volunteers have a passion for clean, healthy streams and do amazing work to help improve our streams and other waters so Missourians can enjoy clean drinking water and outstanding recreational opportunities” Meier said.

To celebrate 25 years of education, stewardship and advocacy for Missouri stream resources, the Missouri Stream Team Program is inviting all Teams (and new volunteers) to participate in “25 Days of Stream Team” events around the state. Running from March to October, events include stream cleanups, water monitoring efforts, education activities, storm-drain stenciling, and more. For a calendar of events, visit mostreamteam.org.

“The anniversary celebration is an effort to increase awareness of citizen-led stream conservation efforts, to encourage participation in the many types of activities that Stream Teams perform, to recognize the accomplishments of Stream Teams over the last 25 years, and to demonstrate how Stream Teams benefit our aquatic resources,” Meier said.

She added that participants can track their activities to receive special appreciation items for attending multiple events, and be entered into a drawing for larger prizes at the end of the year.

“Missouri is fortunate to have 110,000 miles of flowing waters, and the Stream Team Program continues to spread the word about keeping them clean, healthy, and safe,” Meier said. “Even seemingly little things citizens do to help streams makes big differences, such as planting trees and native vegetation along streams, picking up litter, performing water-friendly lawn practices, and educating others about the importance of clean water.”

The Stream Team Program is open to anyone in Missouri with an interest in streams and offers a variety of activities for individuals, families, schools, and communities regardless of age, background, or ability. For more information, visit the website at mostreamteam.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/mostreamteams.

Shown in the photo: Bernie Arnold of Stream Team 211 digs muck out of a 1,200 pound tire during a massive two-day roundup in Southeast Missouri in 2013.  This particular tire was so massive it could be seen in the stream via satellite image.  Nearly 900 tires were removed from streams and sinkholes in two days.

Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor

Southeast Missouri - For Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) crews, spring marks the beginning of striping season. Work to re-stripe various state routes throughout Southeast Missouri will begin the week of March 17, weather permitting. As work is underway, drivers should be prepared to slow down significantly when coming up behind a slow-moving striping caravan.

Striping in Southeast Missouri will start on Interstate 57 in Mississippi and Pemiscot Counties. Crews will then move to Interstate 55 at Sikeston, Mo., and work south to the Arkansas stateline. While working toward the stateline, stripers will also work on Route 412 and Interstate 155 in Dunklin and Pemiscot Counties. After reaching the Arkansas stateline, stripers will work on I-55 north.

MoDOT's Southeast District striping crews will focus on major four-lane routes within the 25-county region throughout spring 2014. In June and July, crews will work to re-stripe state routes within cities and towns. Additional information will be released prior to night work on major routes.

The striping trucks move between 8 mph and 12 mph when work is underway. A driver traveling at highway speed can approach a slow-moving striping caravan much quicker than he or she expects because of significant differences in speed.

For example, where the speed limit is 70 mph on interstate highways, cars are covering at least 103 feet per second. If not paying close enough attention while approaching the striping caravan, a driver suddenly may have to brake and swerve to avoid a high speed, rear-end crash.

Drivers are asked to watch for yellow MoDOT trucks with flashing strobe lights and boards with flashing arrows and messages.

Many MoDOT striping crews work 12-hour days, Monday through Saturday and even early Sunday morning in some cases. Although most of the striping is done during daylight hours, nighttime work will be scheduled to avoid peak travel times in high traffic areas.

            MoDOT encourages drivers to use caution in and around the striping equipment and crew workers.  Here are driving tips to remember when coming upon a striping project:

·    On multi-lane highways, be prepared to slow down and pull around the striping train by merging carefully into the open lane. Avoid pulling in among the trucks in the work train to keep paint from getting onto your vehicle and to avoid damaging the newly painted stripe.

·    On two-lane highways, stay behind the last truck in the striping train, placed well behind the striping truck. This will give the new paint the few minutes it needs to dry. If traffic backs up behind the striping train, MoDOT crews will pull out of the way where it is safe to do so and let congestion clear.

·    If you drive through wet paint, which is water-based, clean your car as quickly as possible with a high-powered water hose, such as those used in car washes.