See information below about a volunteer project Sierra Club members might wish to join for a day or two, or for the entire week.  

FIRST ANNUAL RIVER CLEANUP AND WATER QUALITY EXPEDITION PLANNED FOR JUNE
Focus on Watersheds and Water Quality
        The Dept. of  Natural Resources KEEPERS  OF THE LAND volunteer program and the IOWATER citizen water quality monitoring program are sponsoring a week-long river canoe trip to focus attention on watersheds and Iowa's water quality.
        The first annual Project A.W.A.R.E. (A Watershed Awareness and River Expedition) will take place on the Maquoketa River starting June 1, 2003.  DNR Director Jeff Vonk will welcome participants at the Maquoketa's source in Backbone State Park.  IOWATER and Keepers of the Land program staff and invited experts will host volunteers during the week of June 1-8, starting at Backbone State Park and finishing near the Maquoketa's confluence with the Mississippi River.  Participants on the trip are encouraged to pick up stream side trash, learn first-hand about Iowa's water quality and the Maquoketa River ecosystem, and attend evening programs.  Geologists, botanists, water quality scientists, wildlife and fisheries experts will accompany the trip on certain days to provide their expertise to the expedition.  The nightly community programs include Freshwater Mussels and Aquatic Life; Geology and Water Quality; Iowa Poet Michael Carey and the River of Words Program; Paul Johnson and!
  Land Ethics, Chad Pregracke of the Mississippi River Clean Rivers project, and more.
        Registered volunteers are invited to join the Department of Natural Resources IOWATER volunteer monitoring program and Keepers of the Land Volunteer Program for an afternoon, a day or for the entire week.  Free camping is provided, registration is free, and meals will be available for approximately $15 per day.
        For a complete agenda and registration forms CONTACT:  www.keepersoftheland.org or www.iowater.net, look for Project AWARE for details and the registration form; or call Tom O'Neill, Keepers of the Land Program Administrator at 515-281-4539 for more information. 

Diane Ford-Shivvers
Keepers of the Land 
DNR Volunteer Program Coordinator
502 E. 9th St.
Des Moines, IA  50319
515.281-0878
FAX:  281-6794

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