Watershed School Festival 04/30/2026 - Aimed at teaching middle school students the important role played by the Missouri River to their communities, over 460 students attended a half day educational event held at Riverside Park in Yankton, SD. Rotarians who volunteered to assist with the event included Brittany Trimble, Shane Bertsch, Bob Foley, and Barbra Yelverton.
The Watershed School Festival is supported by the National Park Service; South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks; City of Yankton, SD; Area schools from Nebraska and South Dakota; Izaak Walton League; and numerous NGOs including Yankton Rotary. Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR) Clean Up Event 05/03/2026 - Over 60 volunteers including local area Rotarians spent the day removing almost a ton of trash over a 4 mile stretch of the MNRR starting from Gavins Point Dam and going down river. The event is sponsored by the National Park Service; South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks; the City of Yankton; and numerous NGOs including Yankton Rotary. The purpose of the event is to keep the MNRR safe for people to recreate, improve habitat, and restore scenic qualities along this stretch of the Missouri River.
Motagua River Habitat Restoration Project 03/21/2026 - Serving as the International Partner and working with the Rotary Club of Puerto Cortes, Honduras, Yankton Rotary and District 5610 provided financial assistance to host Rotaract youth from Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize who spent a weekend planting native vegetation within riparian zones along the stretch of the Motagua River in Honduras. Just a year ago, this same stretch of river was completely covered in human discarded trash and plastic waste. The purpose for the event was to involve and educate youth about the importance of restoring/maintaining ecosystems which are not only critical to preserving habitat, but also for improving water quality, especially where the River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The Motuga River habitat Restoration Project was put on by the Rotary Club of Puerto Cortes, Honduras and the Motagua River Alliance.