Whitewater River Riparian Mitigation

LL Foundation completed a riparian restoration project on the Whitewater River in southeast Missouri in December, 2020. The Whitewater River is located in the Upper St. Francis Ecological Drainage Unit (EDU). LLF restored 3,000 linear feet of streambank. LLF worked with three landowners to protect their land from severe erosion that had been causing land loss and sedimentation. We established a riparian corridor which will filter nutrient from runoff and protect the streambank from losing soil.

LLF cleaned up trash along a tributary to the Whitewater River. We engaged local high school students in need of volunteer hours to help with the trash cleanup.

“We are grateful to the Land Learning Foundation for its willingness to tackle the dump clean up on our family farm as part of the streambank stabilization conservation project,” said Sharon Hahs, one of the landowners at the Whitewater Creek project. “The work has been amazing and we are thrilled. We appreciated the volunteer students from St. Vincent’s in Perryville. They were energetic, cheerful, and pulled dozens of old tires from the dumpsite– a job that could only be done by hand on the steep hillside. Thank you for restoring this area of our farm!”

Illegal dumping may be one of the worst eyesores and causes immeasurable environmental harm. The dump site was riddled with household trash, tires, deep freezers, and mattresses. LLF will prevent any future dumping into the site.

In addition, LL Foundation restored and protected 2.6 acres of a forested wetland. The wetland will also help filter nutrients and slow water before it enters the river. Overall, this project will improve water quality throughout the Whitewater River and increase available habitat for aquatic and terrestrial animals.