Olivia Anderson

Photographer
   
River Relief
Public Story
River Relief
Copyright Olivia Anderson 2024
Updated Oct 2022
Location Miami, Mo
Topics Activism, Climate Change, Community, Conservation, Documentary, Editorial, Education, Environment, Family, Journalism, Missouri River Relief, Nature, Photo story, Photography, Photojournalism, River cleanup, Water
As the sun rises early Saturday morning,  Missouri River Relief rises with it.

Tuesday was the day for celebration. It was the organization's 20th-anniversary party, and volunteers came from far and wide to share in the festivities for the cause that many of them have watched grow from the beginning. But on Saturday, there is work to be done.

The work in question is the eighth leg of the 2021 Big Muddy Clean Sweep, a two-month-long river cleanup stretching almost 200 miles from Kansas City to Columbia that is meant to honor Missouri River Relief's 20th year. While the organization started simply to help clean up the Missouri River, it has since evolved into a way to get local communities engaged in the conservation and exploration of the longest river in America, and even includes an educational program for children.

With high spirits and friendly banter, the volunteers pile into two boats and set out onto the murky waters. The river is calm, the air is clear, and the day's river cleanup is underway.

This story was edited by  Tristen Rouse and published by the Columbia Missourian with an accompanying story by Connor Giffin.
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