Chasing the Channel- Blog No. 37
Closing out year 34 of our work for the Kansas River!
I am deep in winter planning and administration mode at the moment…but my mind and heart still drift back to a great season of adventure and stewardship of our beloved Kansas River. When we are in the middle of the chaos of a busy season (our spring/summer/fall season), it is sometimes challenging to slow down to appreciate it. I admit often that we sometimes pack too much into a season, but there are so many great opportunities to explore the river and provide outreach opportunities that none of us want to miss it! Case in point, the photo above of a beautiful sunrise from the door of my tent. Our Kansas River is special, but it is still a secret that only a small portion of Kansans fully realize.
We spent the late summer season working on some key projects that included a video about our work with a film crew from our friends at The Nature Conservancy in Kansas. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share our story and the story of the impact of federal funding opportunities to help with our work. You can catch the video here: https://youtu.be/r9gmNRD8ewA?si=5GSA9cAyM_bp5C9b.
In July of this year there was a flood event in the Cedar Creek watershed that caused extensive damage to the Cedar Creek Boat Ramp, which resulted in unsafe conditions for the public. The Cedar Creek Boat Ramp is now closed. Please review our Kansas River Access Map: https://kansasriver.org/river-access-map/ to find other access locations along the Kansas River. We know that everyone loves the short 5-mile stretch between DeSoto and Cedar Creek (including us!), however we do suggest Edwardsville Boat Ramp to Mill Creek Access for a short 2.5-mile trip for paddle sports that is near the KC metro area. The Mill Creek Access would not be recommended for motorized boats as it is simply a paddle sport access point.
We completed our 2nd Annual One KC Cleanup in Kansas City, Kansas. This has been one our most impactful cleanups to date, serving the lower end of the Kansas River and the people and wildlife that call this home. We had over 200 volunteers and removed over 1.5 tons of trash from the banks of the river. We are growing this annual cleanup event and we want YOU to be a part of it. Join us as a volunteer by emailing Kim at kim.bellemere@kansasriver.org or become a sponsor – we need the help – and email Jane at jane.liebert@kansasriver.org. We hope you can join us.
Joey completed another season of our Water Quality Education Program. At the end of the season, Joey had implemented the program in 115 classes to over 2,600 students. We are proud of this program and the great work that we do to help students understand water quality and how it impacts our rivers. If you want to join us as a volunteer in 2026 with this program, please contact Joey at joey.shondell@kansasriver.org.
In the fall season, the Kansas Water Office and the US Army Corps of Engineers completed the first phase of a research project called Water Injection Dredging. This research project basically involves sending sediment from Tuttle Creek Reservoir down the rivers, while studying the impacts to both the reservoir and the Big Blue River and the Kansas River.
Sedimentation in reservoirs is an expected process, but the sediment deposition has reduced the surface area of the reservoir and Tuttle Creek is estimated to be filled in with sediment by 75% by the year 2074. The dam also traps sediment that would otherwise be transported downstream, disrupting natural sediment delivery essential for channel stability and ecological function of the river. This research project was designed to answer many scientific questions and analyze the impacts of this type of project to see if it can be beneficial to both the future water supply for those living downstream, as well as, the ecological function of the downstream rivers.
I spent 10 days monitoring the turbidity along the Kansas River and found that those results were lower that “normal” high rain events that impact the Kansas River and in line with the data captured by the USGS gaging stations. I spent that time in my kayak or our jon boat testing the water and checking sandbars for sediment deposition. There are many more tests and results that need to be analyzed by the research team so follow along as they complete this work in 2026.
To learn more about this research project, you can follow along, as well as read up on the technology and studies here: https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/…/Water-Injection-Dredging/. Additionally, you can read Friends of the Kaw’s policy statement on this study here: https://kansasriver.org/…/FOK-Policy-Statement_-Water…
For our annual big fall cleanup event, we went back to the site between Eudora and DeSoto and removed an additional 251 tires from the Kansas River. Earlier in 2025, we moved 258, putting the total at 509 for the year at this single location. This work doesn’t just happen with our four staff members, so we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our Kaw River Guides and partners that make that project possible.
It takes great partners to make these events happen!
We ended our Kaw Currents Educational Series in October with a program called “Our Watershed Home” that included presentations from Jim Locklear, author of “In the Company of the Kaw” and Matt Unruh, the Assistant Director of the Kansas Water Office. It was a fascinating evening with so much great educational information that we all left with a little more knowledge about our watershed home. Big thank you to Jim and Matt for sharing what they know with all of us!
My work continues with the Kansas Water Authority and I have been busy with meetings, making policy recommendations, reviewing budgets and working with the legislators to keep water a priority for Kansas. If you want to help, please contact your legislator ahead of the 2026 session and let them know your thoughts on water policy and funding. Trust me when I say that they want to hear from you!
A few last highlights include Beers of the Kaw’s 10 Year Anniversary celebration – thank you to everyone that joined us to toast to the Kansas River. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and because of you, it helps to fund 2026.
This year has been special in many ways, but I can honestly say that getting to interact with all of you is the best part. We love hearing your stories about the Kansas River – how you grew up on the river, the adventures you have taken, or how you simply admire it from a trail or park bench. We know every single day that we work for the Kansas River that we are doing it for the 950,000 Kansans that rely on it for drinking water and for every single person that enjoys the river that belongs to Kansans.
May you enjoy the winter season of renewal, may 2026 bring you new adventures on the Kansas River, and may you always have sand in your shoes….
For the river,
Dawn Buehler
Kansas Riverkeeper
Paddle safely! Use the links below to quickly access information that impacts river conditions.
