Friends of the Kaw (FOK) serves the Kansas River, known locally as the Kaw, the largest prairie watershed in the world. The river originates at the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican Rivers and runs more than 170 miles to meet the Missouri in northeast Kansas. The Kaw provides drinking water for 800,000 people. Its main uses are industrial: irrigation; water for three coal-fired power plants (including two of the nation’s filthiest); municipal wastewater; industrial discharges; and commercial sand and gravel mining.
For more than twenty years, our water-focused friends group has been the only grassroots conservation group whose mission is to protect the Kaw. Our members come from rural, urban, and suburban areas, and represent canoers, kayakers, fisherfolk, hunters, birdwatchers, and locals who love the river.
Friends of the Kaw’s mission is to:
• To preserve and protect the Kansas River for future generations.
• To advocate the rehabilitation of the Kansas River’s environs, including its water quality and wildlife habitat.
• To promote compatible public recreational uses of the Kansas River and encourage the development of adequate public access.
• To these ends we shall seek to cooperate with other persons, organizations and public agencies.
Friends of the Kaw is a 501 c 3, not-for-profit organization and your donation is deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Paddle safely! Use the links below to quickly access information that impacts river conditions.
