Chasing the Channel- Blog No. 33

Advocacy, Beer, and Volunteers

Someone asked me the other day, “what have you been up to”?  That is a big question with a million answers and I would sum up the summer and fall of my work for Friends of the Kaw with “it has been BUSY”!

A good portion of my time this year has been spent working on the Strategic Implementation Plan for the Kansas Water Plan per Governor Kelly’s request to the Kansas Water Authority (KWA) back in January. The initial recommendations should include a large-scale, long-term investment framework around the five guiding principles of the State Water Plan before the 2025 legislative session.  I am pleased to say that we are well on our way and hope to have the plan delivered to the Governor later this year.

This is an important time for water in Kansas and I hope you will join me in talking to your friends and family about the importance of these issues. You can sign up for a virtual on-demand webinar and take a survey to record your priorities, as well as learn more on the Kansas Water Office website: https://www.kwo.ks.gov/news-events/kwa-strategic-planning

We enjoyed a beautiful summer and fall season on the Kansas River for Beginner Wednesday’s and our student educational paddle trips.  The early summer saw a great deal of rain and unpredictable river flows; however, we are right back into drought conditions in the fall.  We enjoyed taking many of you out on our beautiful river to learn more about this important natural resource in our state. Thank you for trusting us as your “go to” for all things Kansas River!

We kicked off another season of our Kids About Water classes and Joey has been busy educating the next generation about water quality.  These classes are so important to fostering an understanding of the issues that face our rivers and streams, but these classes also showcase that a career in the water field is an option that we hope students will consider. We also finished one grant and started another – all building towards an online educational platform that will make our programs more equitable.  Big congratulations to both Kim and Joey for their work on these important projects to ensure that students will be able to learn about these issues for generations to come.

The Kansas River Water Trail had a busy summer and fall also.  We were thrilled for the ribbon cutting for the kayak and canoe storage locker back in June. We are also working to finish the information kiosks at the remaining access ramps on the river trail.  We also won a grant to finish the safety kiosks.  When we are done with these two grants, we will have safety kiosks at all 19 access ramps.  These safety kiosks will include QR codes for river flows and reservoir releases, education about how sandbars form, and the free use of life jackets. We are so thrilled about bringing this important safety feature to the Kansas River Water Trail! 

We completed our project at Kaw River State Park in Topeka this year.  We are so proud of the work that we accomplished with our partners, volunteers, and YOU.  The space has a lot less invasive plant species and more native plant species. All that work means better water quality, habitat, and bank control. 

 This summer and fall we have also launched several new cleanups to reach of our goal of four major cleanups each year that include both land and river based cleanup teams.  The cleanups each year going forward are as follows:  Manhattan Little Apple Cleanup, Together Topeka Cleanup, Lawrence Earth Day Cleanup, and the One KC Cleanup.  Our calendar will be out in early 2025 with the dates, so stay tuned.

The inaugural One KC Cleanup was a huge success this year.  We had a great turnout with many partners and pulled historical trash from the Kansas River including a double axle trailer, part of an old boat, tires, and trash. 

We also hosted our annual tire cleanup earlier this month and volunteers pulled 544 tires out of the sandbars, of which 213 were taken off the river.  We will go back this winter to get the remaining tires and many more we did not get pulled out yet.  We are well on the way to our goal of having the big trash removed from the Kansas River by 2030.  If you would like to volunteer, please send an email to info@kansasriver.org.  Our annual Kaw River Guide Workshop will be next May and that is a great opportunity to learn more about that program. 

At the end of September, our team went to the Waterkeeper Alliance Conference in Milwaukee. We enjoyed learning about emerging issues, education, and ways to work for our river.  We also really enjoyed just spending time together without being pulled in different directions – team building!

My last update for this long overdue blog post is that recently we hosted our end of season Kaw River Guide camping weekend.  This is their weekend with no work to do, no tires to dig out….nothing but friendship around the campfire.  This is our very small way of thanking them for all they do to make the Kansas River healthier for all of us.  Please join me in thanking our Kaw River Guides, who give so much, and expect nothing in turn. 

As you can see from this long blog post, we have accomplished so much – and the year is not done yet.  All this great work only happens thanks to your volunteer efforts, sponsorship, support, and donations. We are hosting our biggest fundraiser of the year, Beers of the Kaw, this weekend on Sunday, November 3, 2024 from 3 to 6 pm at Abe & Jake’s Landing.  Please get your ticket and join us to raise a glass to toast this great year of work for the river!  If you cannot join us, please consider purchasing a ticket to support our work all year long:  https://tinyurl.com/yc7wn9he.  We are truly grateful for your support…without you, this work would not be possible.  These are your accomplishments!

As the season comes to an end, it is time for our fleet and staff to rest a bit for the winter.  I will still monitor the Kansas River all winter with the Kaw River Guides, but a little slower pace is needed for everyone to enjoy more time with family, enjoy winter paddling, and read a good book.

I hope to see you at Beers of the Kaw!  If you have read this far and make it to Beers, come and say hi!

May you always have sand in your shoes.

For the river,

Dawn Buehler

Kansas Riverkeeper

Chasing the Channel- Blog No. 32

The Flint Hills are spectacular from the Kaw!

Last weekend we did a river check (looking for pollution and trash) on the upper end of the Kaw from Junction City to Manhattan. The river winds its way through the Flint Hills in a magical way.  Around most of the river bends you get a perfect view of the green rolling hills and the beauty of Kansas that most never see.  There is something about being down in the river valley and looking up in awe of Kansas…. definitely not what out of staters think of Kansas! 

 As your Kansas Riverkeeper, it is my job to patrol the entire Kansas River each year to report any findings and push to protect the river. I often get asked how many miles I paddle in a year and it is always 173, but often is it around 700 miles in a season. I love the field work – looking for pollution, trash, taking water samples, checking outflows for the color of the discharge and the temperature, and whatever else I find. If I find anything that is harmful to the river, then I report it to the appropriate agencies. 

Since I last wrote for Chasing the Channel…we have been extremely busy.  There are many good things happening at Friends of the Kaw and I am so proud of the team that we have assembled.  Back in March, we hired Joey Shondell as our Youth Outreach and Programming Coordinator.  Joey is a KU graduate and spent the last few years working with native plants, youth outreach and volunteer work days.  He has strong connections to our rivers and is a native Kansan with a passion for connecting young people to their neighborhood rivers and streams.  Along with myself, Kim, and Jane…we have a strong team to protect, advocate for and help people discover the Kansas River.

I spent the winter and spring working with Kim and Jane to plan for the future, expand our work with disadvantaged communities, increase our education around climate change and continue to finish the Kansas River Water Trail.  I have also been working with our Board of Directors to write advocacy policies that state our stance on issues that impact the Kansas River.  If you are interested in reading our advocacy policies, you can find them on our website here:  https://kansasriver.org/protect/advocacy/.  We have a strong board with deep experience related to the Kansas River, water and the environment.  You can learn more about them here:  https://kansasriver.org/about-fok/board-of-directors/

In late April, I was invited to present two lectures at the new Kansas Water Institute at Kansas State University. It was an honor to be on campus and present one lecture on water policy and the second on the Kansas River. We have been blessed by so many opportunities already this year to share our message.

My work as the Chair of the Kansas Water Authority (KWA) has been extremely busy – for a good reason!  In January, Governor Kelly tasked the KWA to work with key stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels, public and private, to develop a strategic plan, including funding, and to determine the state’s role in the next decades of water funding and management in Kansas. Governor Kelly asked the KWA to provide initial recommendations for a large-scale, long-term investment framework around the five guiding principles of the State Water Plan before the 2025 legislative session.  The recommendations should include policy changes, ways to improve state capacity and water management, measurable goals and timelines, and include input from various state and local stakeholders.

So, since January, I have been busy working with my fellow KWA members, the consultant, agencies, and the Governor’s office as part of this initiative.  It has been a very busy time, but also exciting to have a focus on water.  We have been advocating for this type of effort for a long time and I am proud to be working with Governor Kelly and the team on moving this forward. 

The cornerstone of this initiative is stakeholder outreach.  Every Kansan is a stakeholder!  We all use water and need it to survive. That is why I am asking that each of you take a moment to review what we have been working on and find a way to participate. 

So please join Friends of the Kaw and others across the State of Kansas for local consult meetings to share your thoughts and concerns for water in Kansas as part of the Kansas Water Authority Strategic Planning Process. You can learn more here: https://www.kwo.ks.gov/news-events/kwa-strategic-planning

Meetings will include facilitated discussion of goals and priorities for three of the Guiding Principles of the Kansas Water Plan related to aquifer, reservoirs, and water quality issues. RSVP here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WaterLC

You can join any meeting across the state.  If you cannot make these meetings, there will be another opportunity this fall for stakeholder participation.  We want to hear from YOU!  This is our opportunity to provide input to shape our water story for the future.  Remember that all of the issues for water in Kansas are issues for the entire state.  We must think about the state as a whole and how we can make sure that every Kansan has a secure water future.

Now on to Friends of the Kaw events…we have many Beginner Wednesday’s coming up: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/friends-of-the-kaw-17751155327.  We also have restoration work days:  https://kansasriver.org/get-involved/volunteer/riverbank-restoration-volunteer-opportunities/.  And even if you missed the Kaw River Guide Workshop, you can join at any time by contacting me.  Learn more:  https://kansasriver.org/get-involved/volunteer/kaw-river-guide/

We have also been working on a kayak storage locker idea for the Kansas River Water Trail since 2017! Our long desire to bring this to the river is coming to fruition. We partnered with Sain Works, Kansas Department of Commerce, City of Wamego and Wamego Chamber of Commerce to bring a pilot project of our kayak storage locker to the river town of Wamego! The fabrication is complete and the ribbon cutting will be Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 4:30 PM at the Wamego Access Ramp on the Kansas River. We hope you can join us to celebrate the hard work of our team, especially Sain Works for the design and fabrication, along with the help of our Kaw River Guides for installation.

Lastly, and certainly not least, we are gearing up for some major cleanups this season.  Join us for our Topeka Cleanup on June 15, Manhattan on August 27, and our new inaugural event in Kansas City….One KC Cleanup on September 7.  Follow our newsletter, social media, and website to stay up to date. Cleanup Schedule: https://kansasriver.org/cleanup-schedule/ .  If you wish to join our cleanup newsletter, please let me know and I will add you to it! We are looking for sponsors for these cleanups (they are expensive!), so if your company can participate, please reach out to Jane at jane.liebert@kansasriver.org.  We could use your help! 

I hope you can find one of these great events that work for your schedule and join us.  As always, if you are planning your own river trip and need any information or assistance (including River Angels), please reach out.  We are happy to help you discover the Kansas River.

May you always have sand in your shoes. See you on the river! 

For the river,

Dawn Buehler

Kansas Riverkeeper

Chasing the Channel – Blog No. 31

Is 2024 Your Year to Discover the Kaw?

Let this be your year to find your outdoor adventure right here in Kansas, literally in your backyard.  We have this beautiful resource with golden braided sandbars for you to explore!  As always, let me now how I can help you discover the Kaw. 

Well…I did not get my end of year blog post done but I have a good reason.  My little 16-month-old grandson was running through the house!  I got him a toddler tower this year so that I could get him near the kitchen sink to start playing in water!  And yes, it was a big hit!  I look forward to many outdoor adventures to teach this next generation all about the beauty of our world beyond the kitchen window.

Each December, our team meets to discuss planning for the new year. In January, our Board of Directors does the same.  We set goals for the both the Board and the Staff and the fun part is seeing all that we have accomplished from the past year.  While I do enjoy the occasional look back, I am more of a “here in the moment” person.  What am I doing today to move the needle? 

On Monday, the Kansas Legislator will gavel in and the session will begin.  Expect a great deal of the water conversations to continue in both the Statehouse and with my work with the Kansas Water Authority.  I will be at Governor Kelly’s State of the State Address this week at the Statehouse to listen to her vision for the year.  I hope you will tune in to listen on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 6:30 PM.  You can stream the State of the State Address here. 

We have drafted our river calendar for 2024 and will be announcing it soon.  We are bringing back Beginner Wednesday’s, Members Events and MANY big river cleanups.  We look forward to sharing more details!

This blog post is going to be short, because I will have much more to report after the Legislative session gets started.  For now, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that donated to Friends of the Kaw for our end of year giving.  This is one of the most important times of the year for us because it helps to set the foundation for the coming year.  Your gift allows us to focus on the important work of protecting the Kansas River.  Your gift also allows your Kansas Riverkeeper to remain a non-governmental public advocate.  If you would like to give, you can send a check to P.O. Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044 or you can donate online. If you would like to see our Wish List for 2024, you can see it on our website.  Thank you for making our work possible!

I wish each one of you a healthy and adventurous 2024!  Will this be your year to discover the Kaw?  Let me know how we can help.  We are your oldest resource for the Kansas River!

May you always have sand in your shoes in the coming year!

For the river,

Dawn Buehler

Kansas Riverkeeper