4th of July Boat Ramp Updates
DeSoto Boat Ramp update from the City of De Soto: We are gearing up for the City’s annual 4th of July at Riverfest event with the band, vendors, and fireworks show on the evening of July 4th. The boat ramp at De Soto’s Riverfest Park will be closed from 6:00 p.m. on the evening of July 4th, until 6:00 a.m. on the morning of July 5th. Due to the fireworks setup and the perimeter that must be maintained, the boat ramp must stay closed as no one will be able to enter or exit during that time frame.
Cedar Creek Boat Ramp update from Johnson County Parks & Recreation: This boat ramp will be closed Saturday, July 2 through Monday, July 4.
Come join us again this year for
ASTRONOMY & WINE
Tickets on sale now….two showings this year!
Friday, October 7 & Saturday, October 8
The evening begins at 7:00 pm both nights. Tickets are $50 per person and proceeds benefit the Kansas River!
Come and enjoy an evening under the stars at Middle Creek Winery! Enjoy a tour of the night sky with one of the largest private telescopes in Kansas by Dan Johnson. Dan has been a volunteer instructor at Kansas City’s Powell Observatory for over 20 years. Purchase your tickets online via our paypal account! Contact the Riverkeeper at riverkeeper@kansasriver.org or call 785.312.7200.
Riverfront Cleanup Project – SUCCESS
Volunteers worked Saturday morning, June 25th, to clean up the river banks in Lawrence below Springhill Suites. Volunteers collected:
18 bags of trash and 23 bags of recyclables including plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass bottles, cardboard, metal, wire, an old used cemented wheelbarrow, a backpack, clothing, a styrofoam minnow bucket, and many other things.
Thank you to all who took the time out of their Saturday to come down and help keep our river clean! And a special thank you to Cale Ruiz for the volunteering his talents to take photos!
Ready to Paddle the Kaw?
See if one of these events will work for you!
- Sunday, July 10 – Kansas River Cleanup Paddle from DeSoto to Cedar Creek, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. This event is FREE and paid for by our Johnson County Stormwater Grant! You must RSVP to the Riverkeeper: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. First come, first serve – 16 spots available! THIS IS ONE SPOT AWAY FROM A SELL OUT! You can still join us if you have your own kayak or canoe!
- Saturday, July 16 – Little Apple Paddle from Manhattan to St. George, times TBD. Contact Marcia Rozell to reserve your spot…. 785-537-3030 marcia@manhattan.org.
- Sunday, July 24 – Kansas River Cleanup Paddle from DeSoto to Cedar Creek, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. This event is FREE and paid for by our Johnson County Stormwater Grant! You must RSVP to the Riverkeeper: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. First come, first serve – 16 spots available!
- Saturday, July 30 – Lawrence Greenwish Group! Come join us for a paddle on the Kaw from Lecompton to Lawrence from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. We ask for a $30 donation for a paddle spot, kids in the middle of a canoe ride free! RSVP to the Riverkeeper at riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. We must have 16 paddlers reserved to have the trip! Sign up today!
- Saturday, August 6 – Water Matter’s Day in Manhattan at the city pool!
- Saturday, August 20 – Koehler Group! Come join us for a paddle on the Kaw from Lawrence to Eudora from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. We ask for a $30 donation for a paddle spot, kids in the middle of a canoe ride free! RSVP to the Riverkeeper at riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. Contact Riverkeeper: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org to see if there are spots available 2 weeks prior to date.
- Saturday, August 27 – Let’s Paddle the Kaw! Come join us for a paddle on the Kaw from DeSoto to Cedar Creek from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. We ask for a $30 donation for a paddle spot, kids in the middle of a canoe ride free! RSVP to the Riverkeeper at riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. We must have 16 paddlers reserved to have the trip! Sign up today!
- Saturday, September 10 – Jayhawk Audubon Society! Come join us for a paddle on the Kaw from Lecompton to Lawrence from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm. Contact Riverkeeper: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org to see if there are spots available 2 weeks prior to date.
- Saturday, September 17 – Homes to Watershed Paddle! Details to come!
- Saturday, September 24 – Great KAW Adventure Race! All day event of running, biking and paddling the KAW! Event is from Eudora to DeSoto and back….mark you calendar!
- Saturday, October 1 – UMKC Geology Class Paddle Trip from DeSoto to Cedar Creek, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Contact Riverkeeper: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org to see if there are spots available 2 weeks prior to date.
- Sunday, October 2 – SMUUCH Paddle Trip from DeSoto to Cedar Creek, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Contact Riverkeeper: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org to see if there are spots available 2 weeks prior to date.
- Astronomy & Wine is BACK!! Two dates this year….come join us Friday, October 7 or Saturday, October 8 for wine under the stars! Tickets will go on sale July 1st! Stay tuned for details!
- Saturday, October 8 – Sierra Club! Come join us for a paddle on the Kaw from St. George to Wamego from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. We ask for a $30 donation for a paddle spot, kids in the middle of a canoe ride free! RSVP to the Riverkeeper at riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. We must have 16 paddlers reserved to have the trip! Sign up today!
- Saturday, October 15 – Let’s Paddle the Kaw! Come join us for a paddle on the Kaw from Wamego to Belvue from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. We ask for a $30 donation for a paddle spot, kids in the middle of a canoe ride free! RSVP to the Riverkeeper at riverkeeper@kansasriver.org. We must have 16 paddlers reserved to have the trip! Sign up today!
- Saturday, October 29 – Little Apple GLOW Paddle…details to come. Contact Marcia Rozell to reserve your spot…. 785-537-3030 marcia@manhattan.org.
- Sunday, November 6 – “Beers of the Kaw”, a beer tasting event at Abe & Jake’s Landing, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm….save the date!
Come join us on all of our paddle trips if you have your own canoe or kayak….just RSVP with the Riverkeeper so you can learn about the logistics. We will always kindly take a donation to help cover costs and further our work on the Kansas River! For all of our paddle trips other than the FREE events, we ask for a $30 donation for a paddle spot. Children in the middle of a canoe ride for free. All money donated through our paddle programs benefits the Kansas River!
For more information, call 785 312 7200 or visit our web site at www.kansasriver.org. Must RSVP for paddle trips….email: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org for reservation. Sign up for our newsletter on our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter under FRIENDS OF THE KAW.
We need volunteers like YOU for our Paddle Experiences with the
Boys & Girls Club!
Freedom Frontier Paddling Experiences with Boys & Girls Club:
These are paddling experiences that we do with the Boys & Girls Club. We have 3 stations where the kids rotate. One is to seine for macros, do freddie the fish activity, and then paddle in the canoes/kayaks. For all dates we need some paddlers. In this role you will be in a canoe or kayak with a young person and teach them how to boat around the lake. We will need 4-5 helpers at each event. Let me know if you can help with any of these great events! For all events, Dawn, Laura & Kate will be there. Thanks!
Tuesday, July 12 – Independence Group (10:00 am to 1:30 pm) – shelter by the boat ramp at Lake Lenexa
Tuesday, July 19 – Independence Group (10:00 am to 1:30 pm) – shelter by the boat ramp at Lake Lenexa
Wednesday, July 20 – Manhattan Group (10:00 am to 1:30 pm) – Reserve Shelter 1 at Lake Shawnee
Tuesday, July 26 – KCK Group (10:00 am to 1:30 pm) – Beach Shelter at Wy Co Lake
Wednesday, July 27 – Olathe Group (10:00 am to 1:30 pm) – shelter by the boat ramp at Lake Lenexa
RSVP to the Riverkeeper at 785.312.7200 or email: riverkeeper@kansasriver.org!
Paddle safely! Use the links below to quickly access information that impacts river conditions.
