Boone County, Missouri Stormwater

06/11/2026

Do you farm in the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed or know a farmer who is making a positive impact?
We are excited to announce the Water-Friendly Farmer Recognition Program.
Farmers are Invited to Apply for Inaugural Water-Friendly Farmer Recognition Program
The Greater Bonne Femme Watershed Initiative (GBFWI) is seeking nominations for its Water-Friendly Farmer Recognition Program. The program honors farmers who protect watershed resources through sustainable practices. Nominations will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1. Members of the GBFWI will choose one nominee to be recognized as the 2026 Water-Friendly Farmer.
Water-friendly farmers have adopted best management practices that support community health and promote environmental stewardship on their farms, thereby positively impacting the watershed and the stream it supplies. This program seeks to recognize those farmers who, through conscious effort, are improving water quality in the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed.
The farmer chosen as the 2026 Water-Friendly Farmer will receive a recognition sign to be displayed at their farm; public recognition at the Town & Country Dinner; a feature article on the Greater Bonne Femme website; and an infographic highlighting the award, which can be used on the awardee's website and marketing materials.
Nominations may be self-submitted or submitted for a colleague. Nominees must actively farm within the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed and must be landowners or farmers who lease land and have the authority to make land management decisions. Nominations may be submitted via online form, email, or standard mail. For more information on qualifications or to access an application, visit cavewatershed.boonemo.gov.

05/29/2026

🌿 Save the Dates for Creek Week 2026! 🌿Join us June 20–27, 2026, for Creek Week — a community-wide celebration of our local waterways hosted by the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed Initiative!

Creek Week features a full week of FREE educational, recreational, and volunteer events designed to connect our community with the outdoors while highlighting the importance of protecting our local water resources for future generations.

📅 Creek Week Schedule of Events:

🧹 Litter Clean
📍 Nifong Park (Gehrke Shelter)
📅 June 20, 2026 | ⏰ 9 a.m.
Help kick off Creek Week by keeping trash out of our creeks and waterways!
🔗 https://www.como.gov/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities/

🥾 Nature Hike – Gans Creek Wild Area
📅 June 20, 2026 | ⏰ 9 a.m.
Wade through Gans Creek and explore stream ecology with a park naturalist.
📧 Registration required: [email protected] | 📞 573-449-7402

🧘 Nature Meditation
📍 Rock Bridge Memorial State Park- Meet at the Billy Geilbert Memorial Shelter
📅 June 21, 2026 | ⏰ 2:30 p.m.
Experience mindfulness and connection with nature through guided meditation.

🎬 Ragtag Movie Night & Panel Discussion
📍 Ragtag Cinema
📅 June 22, 2026 | ⏰ 6 p.m.
FREE showing of Living Soil and Cardinal Valley: A Restoration Story
🔗 https://ragtagcinema.org/

🎣 Fishing Night
📍 Boone County Nature School
📅 June 23, 2026 | ⏰ 6–7:30 p.m.
Learn fishing basics and practice your skills — gear provided if needed!

🌱 Explore Native Plants
📍 Southern Boone County Public Library
📅 June 24, 2026 | ⏰ 3–6 p.m.
Free native plants while supplies last!
🔗 https://events.dbrl.org/event/16521557

🏛 Springs/Wells History Tour
📍 Downtown Columbia
📅 June 25, 2026 | ⏰ 6 p.m.
Take a walking tour exploring Columbia’s historic springs and wells.
🔗 https://missouriconservationcorps.org/.../creek-week.../

🌅 Three Creeks Hike
📍 Three Creeks Conservation Area
📅 June 26, 2026 | ⏰ 6 p.m.
Join a sunset hike exploring watershed connections and local ecosystems.
🔗 https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/.../EventDet.../218036

💧 Water Festival
📍 Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
📅 June 27, 2026 | ⏰ 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Enjoy guided cave tours, stream activities, wildlife education, and family-friendly fun!
🔗 https://mostateparks.com/event/water-festival-2026

Bring your friends, family, and neighbors and help us celebrate and protect the waterways that make our community special! 🌎💙 See less

05/14/2026

A fantastic experience for people who have never paddled on the Missouri River!

CHECK IT OUT, FOLKS! A free day on the Missouri River, paddling into Jefferson City! Hosted by Stream Teams United, Earth's Classroom professionals are the lead educators. Check out the details below and sign up! We are looking for 1st time Missouri River paddlers! What a unique, educational experience. If you know a Lincoln University student, please share this with them. SYOTR!

05/07/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞!
Grow Native! is proud to announce the launch of a new online resource, the Grow Native! Guide for Beginning Native Plant Gardeners.

The Beginner's Guide includes an introduction to native gardening in the lower Midwest with guided instructions for assessing your outdoor space, preparing your garden site, finding native plants, and installing and maintaining your new garden. The guide also features as an invitation to gardeners to explore native gardening goals, such as supporting pollinators and benefiting songbirds. To support each of those goals, the guide includes simple garden designs with a limited number of native plant species that are suitable for beginners.

Developed primarily by MPF's Director of Operations, Emily Gustafson, the Beginner's Guide was inspired in part by her own reflections on learning to garden with native plants.

Access the guide here: https://grownative.org/beginner-guide/

𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝐺𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑓𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝑉𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑀𝑐𝐹𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑

04/23/2026

04/14/2026

Boone County Stormwater, in collaboration with partners, is leading the initiative to restore and protect water resources within the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed for future generations. Recognizing the vital role the community plays in protecting the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed, Boone County and the project partners encourage members of the public to share their input and become a part of the process. The draft Watershed Management Plan documents can be found at cavewatershed.boonemo.org. Comments may be submitted by the website's contact page at cavewatershed.boonemo.org/contact.asp.
For more information about the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed Initiative, visit cavewatershed.boonemo.org.

The public is invited to review and submit comments about the proposed Watershed Management Plan for the Greater Bonne Femme Watershed. Comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. on June 2, 2026.

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03/16/2026

Complete the application below. Once we receive notice of your application a member of the City of Columbia, Office of Sustainability or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program staff will contact you to schedule a consultation.

03/13/2026

Join us for a monitoring blitz at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park on Saturday, March 21st! Catch aquatic animals, conduct chemical tests to evaluate water quality, and check on the health of park streams as part of an ongoing citizen science project for the Bonne Femme Watershed. No prior training is necessary. Participants will be placed with experienced Stream Team volunteers.

Volunteer Opportunity: Monitoring Blitz

Event Date: March 30th, 2024

Event Time: 9 AM to 12:30 PM

Event Address: Devil's Icebox Parking lot; 5901 South Highway 163, Columbia, MO

Register: https://forms.office.com/g/M5av02t0TE

Image description: Flyer with images of people testing the steam health, event date, time, location, and registration, and logos for the Missouri State Parks and the Greater Bonne Femme Initiative.

02/03/2026

The MU Soil & Plant Testing Lab is excited to announce a new, faster, and more affordable soil testing method! For just $15 per sample, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of your soil’s nutrient health.

With results typically returned in about three days and a broader range of nutrients analyzed, you can make smarter decisions about fertilizer and lime, save money and improve crop and garden performance.

The Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory offers unbiased, research-based recommendations that promote economically viable and environmentally responsible nutrient management.

Discover the advantages of soil testing and read about the services offered: https://brnw.ch/21wZfnx