The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region

What The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region does

The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region, operating publicly as Open Space STL, is a 501(c)-style nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1965 and headquartered at 12450 West Watson Road, St. Louis, Missouri. It is the St. Louis region's first activist environmental and conservation group and is credited with catalyzing the creation of Queeny Park, Bee Tree County Park, the Chubb Trail, and Castlewood State Park. Its core offerings are organized into watershed programs (Operation Clean Stream, Watershed Planning, Trash Bashes), land programs (Operation Wild Lands/OWLs, Community Stewardship Alliance), and a Land Trust function covering conservation easements, land acquisitions, and land donations, supplemented by the Passport to Clean Water youth education program, the Tool Loaning Program, and fundraising events such as Paddle After Dark, the Annual Silent Auction, a Pickleball Tournament, and the Earth Day Festival. It serves individual volunteers, corporate sponsors, government agencies (notably St. Louis County Parks and the City of St. Louis Forestry Division), and a coordinated network of conservation partners including Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Department of Conservation, Great Rivers Greenway, Forest ReLeaf, St. Louis Audubon Society, and Missouri Master Naturalists.

The organization is volunteer-driven and community-led, with a small paid staff (1-10 employees) and a Galaxy Digital-powered volunteer portal at volunteer.openspacestl.org for registration and event coordination. There is no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability disclosed; operations rely on standard nonprofit tooling (Squarespace-hosted website, email newsletter, organic social media on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn).

Revenue is generated exclusively through charitable contributions: individual donations and memberships, corporate and small business sponsorships (including employee matching programs), planned/legacy giving, and event fundraisers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Operations are concentrated in the St. Louis metropolitan region with no stated global footprint and no institutional investors, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A history.

Name

The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region

Legal name

The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region

Website

https://openspacestl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Open Space STL is a St. Louis regional nonprofit founded in 1965 that conserves land, water, and wildlife through volunteer-led programs including Operation Clean Stream, Operation Wild Lands, and the Community Stewardship Alliance, serving individual volunteers, corporate sponsors, and municipal park partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK), Citizen Science & Conservation Volunteer Tourism Programs (On-Site) (THAAAFAH)

Keywords

• Environmental conservation services
• Land trust management
• Watershed restoration programs
• Volunteer habitat restoration
• River cleanup programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: The organization generates revenue through individual donations, membership programs, and direct giving from supporters committed to environmental conservation in the St. Louis region.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate and small business sponsorships provide funding support, including employee matching programs.
3. Planned Giving: Legacy giving programs allow supporters to include the organization in their estate planning.
4. Event Fundraisers: Revenue generated from events including Paddle After Dark (major annual fundraiser), annual silent auctions, and pickleball tournaments.
5. Paddle After Dark: Annual evening paddling event described as the organization's biggest fundraiser of the year, featuring food, drinks, and activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region (Open Space STL) is a nonprofit environmental conservation organization that operates land trust, watershed restoration, and volunteer-based conservation programs in the St. Louis region. Its core offerings include river and stream cleanups (Operation Clean Stream, Trash Bashes), public-land stewardship (Operation Wild Lands, Community Stewardship Alliance), land protection through conservation easements and acquisitions (Land Trust), watershed planning for the Lower Meramec watershed, and youth education (Passport to Clean Water). Activities are delivered through on-the-ground volunteer events coordinated with government agencies and partner conservation organizations.

Product overview

Open Space STL operates as a nonprofit environmental organization with a portfolio of conservation and volunteer programs. The core offerings include: Operation Clean Stream (annual Meramec River cleanup since 1967), Operation Wild Lands/OWLs (wildlife habitat and public lands management), Community Stewardship Alliance/CSA (trained volunteer leadership for park restoration across 12+ park locations), Land Trust (conservation easements and land protection), Watershed Planning, and Trash Bashes (Confluence Trash Bash and River des Peres cleanup). Supporting programs include Paddle After Dark (annual fundraiser), Passport to Clean Water (youth education), and a Tool Loaning Program. The volunteer portal runs on Galaxy Digital's Get Connected platform for volunteer registration and management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Operation Clean Stream Annual river cleanup program organized since 1967 in which volunteers participate from canoes, boats, the shore, nearby parks, and along trails to remove trash and debris caused by flooding, littering, and unlawful dumping from the Meramec River. The 59th annual edition is scheduled for August 22, 2026.
• Operation Wild Lands (OWLs) Volunteer-driven program that proactively manages public open spaces to improve wildlife habitat and nature-related outdoor recreation, including area cleanups, trail development, invasive species removal, tree plantings, and greenway maintenance throughout the St. Louis region.
• Community Stewardship Alliance (CSA) Conservation program that provides focused, trained volunteer leadership to restore and maintain natural areas within St. Louis County Parks, operating at multiple park locations including Creve Coeur @ Mallard Lake, St. Vincent Park, Little Creve Coeur Ecological Area, Willmore Park, and Jefferson Barracks Park.
• Land Trust Land trust service that identifies areas that can be protected for conservation or recreation and discourages improper land use and detrimental development, providing land protection easements, agricultural conservation easements, land acquisitions, and land donations for private and public clients.
• Watershed Planning Planning program focused on achieving and restoring the Meramec River and its tributary streams to water quality standards and maintaining healthy streams throughout the Lower Meramec Watershed.
• Trash Bashes Annual cleanup events including the River des Peres watershed cleanup and the Confluence Trash Bash, which targets the Missouri and Mississippi river watersheds.
• Passport to Clean Water Youth education event that helps children learn about regional land and water stewardship in the Meramec River watershed through hands-on activities delivered by partner organizations.
• Paddle After Dark Annual fundraising event held at Simpson Lake featuring nighttime paddling, food, s'mores, and entertainment, functioning as the organization's biggest fundraiser of the year.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ years of continuous conservation work in the St. Louis region
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Forest ReLeaf of MissouricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Community Stewardship Alliance (CSA) program, supporting tree planting and conservation efforts at parks throughout the St. Louis region.
• Great Rivers Greenway DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey CSA partner focused on greenway development and connectivity, including St. Vincent Greenway project connecting St. Vincent Park to UMSL campus.
• Missouri Botanical GardencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA partner providing expertise in native plant restoration, pollinator habitat, and botanical conservation for park restoration projects.
• Missouri Department of ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA partner providing conservation expertise, including guidance on grassland/prairie/savanna habitats and support for prairie establishment at St. Vincent Park.
• Missouri Master Naturalists Great Rivers ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA partner providing trained volunteer naturalists for conservation and education activities at partner parks.
• Missouri Stream TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA partner supporting stream and watershed conservation efforts, including Operation Clean Stream activities.
• St. Louis Audubon SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA partner working on pollinator gardens and bird habitat projects, including partnership on three pollinator gardens near Mallard Lake.
• St. Louis County ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary park system partner hosting CSA program activities at multiple parks including Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, St. Vincent Park, and others.
• St. Louis County Parks FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA partner providing foundation support for park conservation and restoration projects.
• City of St. Louis Forestry DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for trail maintenance and tree planting projects, including post-tornado restoration work at O'Fallon Park.
• Sierra Club EMGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Ron Coleman Kickoff Cleanup and Operation Clean Stream activities, providing volunteers and expertise for river cleanup events.
• The Alpine ShopmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting Operation Clean Stream and river cleanup activities with equipment and expertise.
• Big Muddy AdventuresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides boats for water-based cleanup opportunities during Operation Clean Stream at Simpson Lake Park.
• Friends of Willmore ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization with dedicated site ambassador coordinating litter cleanup and park stewardship at Willmore Park.
• City of Crestwood Beautification CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in #Back2Nature Project to remove invasive Bush Honeysuckle from Crestwood Park as part of Operation Wild Lands program.
• Ozark Trail AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner for trail building and maintenance work at O'Fallon Park following tornado damage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OpenSpaceSTL
• Facebookfacebook.com/openspacestl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-space-council-stl
• Instagraminstagram.com/osc_stl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region