Eagle Days and Upcoming Boat Show

February 2, 2015 by /

 

EAGLE DAY POSTER AS JPGCome Visit Us at the Topeka Boat Show – February 6, 7, and 8

Friends of the Kaw will have a booth at the Topeka Boat Show at the Kansas Expocentre on February 6, 7, & 8. Laura Calwell, Kansas Riverkeeper, and Roger Wolfe, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife Parks and Tourism, will do a seminar on Kansas River Recreational Activities from 12:00 to 12:55pm on Saturday, February 7 at the venue stage. Folks who become a member of Friends of the Kaw at the show will get a free insulated coffee mug – memberships start at $15. Come visit us, learn about the Kansas River and get ready for spring paddling!

The Topeka Boat Show is at the Kansas Expocentre, on the SW Corner of Topeka Ave. & 17th St.

Friday, February 6 from 3 to 8 pm

Saturday, February 7 from 10am to 8pm

Sunday, February 8 from 11am to 3pm

Filed Under: Newsletters

Volunteers Needed, and LawrenceHits Radio Interview

January 15, 2015 by /

Volunteers Needed!

Eagle Day at Free State High School in Lawrence

Eagle Day at Free State High School in Lawrence

Friends of the Kaw will have a booth at three events in the coming month! The Kaw Valley Eagle Day will be Saturday, January 24 at Free State High School in Lawrence from 9am to 4pm.  The Eagle Day at Kaw Point Park in Kansas City, KS takes place Saturday January 31 from 10am to 3pm.  The Topeka Boat Show will be at the Kansas Expocenter on February 6, 7, and 8. We need help manning these booths, particularly at the Topeka Boat Show event. (Bonus – you’ll get a free admission!)

Help is needed for the following shifts:

Eagle Day at Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049
Saturday, January 24 from 8:45am to 12:30pm and 12:30 to 4:15pm

Eagle Day at Kaw Point Park, 1 Riverside Dr., Kansas City, KS 66101
Saturday, January 31 from 8:45am to 12:30pm and 12:30 to 4:15pm

The Topeka Boat Show at the Kansas Expocentre, on the SW Corner of Topeka Ave. & 17th St.

Friday, February 6 from 12:45 to 4:30pm and 4:30 to 8:15pm

Saturday, February 7 from 9:45am to 3:00pm and 3:00 to 8:15pm

Sunday, February 8 from 10:45am to 3:15pm

If you can help man our booth for any of these events please contact the Kansas Riverkeeper by email or phone (785 312 7200.)

Can’t volunteer this time? You can still stop by to learn about the Kansas River and may other conservation organizations, and take advantage of an opportunity to view the eagles and get ready for spring paddling!

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Friends of the Kaw also needs volunteers to help plan and promote the Wild and Scenic Film Festival scheduled for May 1 at Liberty Hall, as well as volunteers who would like to view and rank the films that are available for this event. Again, if you can help, please contact the Kansas Riverkeeper by email or phone (785 312 7200.)

Radio Interview on LawrenceHits

Kansas Riverkeeper Laura Calwell joined Jay Wachs of LawrenceHits.com  and Cile King from the League of Women Voters of Douglas County for a discussion of the KAW River and water quality in northeast Kansas on Wednesday 13, 2015.  To listen click HERE!

 

Filed Under: Newsletters

Support FOK in Fighting for Clean Water, and Year-End Review

December 11, 2014 by /

Support Clean Water with a Gift for the Kaw!

Dear Friends,

In March of 2014, the Corps of Engineers (COE) announced that a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be required to reauthorize dredging permits on the Kaw. The COE “was unable to conclude that there are no potentially significant impacts associated with the activities proposed by dredging companies.” The new EIS is a positive development, but there’s still work to do. Commercial sand and gravel dredging have seriously degraded the Kansas River, and to prevent additional damage all operations should move to appropriately sited pit mines in the Kansas River valley. When it comes time for the public meeting that will be held in the fall of 2015 we’ll need you to submit your comments in support of protecting the Kaw. We’ll keep you updated!

desoto kiosk

DeSoto Kiosk

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, with the assistance of the National Park Service and Friends of the Kaw, has continued to improve the Kansas River Water Trail.  With the participation of Westar’s Green Team informational kiosks have been built at many of the access ramps, including the De Soto ramp.

 
In June of 2015, our Kansas Riverkeeper, Laura Calwell, was honored by the River Network as a River Hero.  This award is peer-nominated and given yearly to five individuals who have dedicated themselves to protecting our most vital natural resource—water.  After years of service, Laura will be retiring in the near future, so we are actively seeking applications for a new Kansas Riverkeeper.  Visit the job description page for more details.

river hero

River Hero Awards

Finally, as we approach the end of the year, please consider making a tax-deductible gift via PayPal or by sending a check to Friends of the Kaw, P.O. Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044.  Your gift will support efforts to protect the river, including getting dredging operations out of the river. Already an FOK member? Consider giving a membership as a holiday gift! Over 800,000 Kansans depend on the Kaw for drinking water, and it is only through working together that we can protect this valuable resource for future generations.

Thank you for your continued support of Friends of the Kaw. From all of us at FOK, have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for the new year!

Warm regards,

Jim Walton, President

Your gift to Friends of the Kaw helps FOK keep dredging out of the river, report and follow up on pollution violations, advocate for reduction of stormwater pollution from both urban and rural areas, and demand enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

2014 FOK Accomplishments

POLICY & ENFORCEMENT

Friends of the Kaw’s first priority is to physically monitor the river, report suspected pollution and mediate a solution.

Dredging

  • Documentation and monitoring of sand dredging operations by visually monitoring dredge sites and communicating with the Corps of Engineers. Following progress for new Environmental Impact Statement.

Pollution & Policy

  • Responded to eight pollution reports including trash, concrete & asphalt dumping, oil spill in KCK; questionable application of herbicides in Lawrence; questionable waste management practices; and a questionable discharge from a pit mine operation.
  • With assistance from Westar’s Green Team, KDHE, REI and the City of De Soto cleaned up the area just below the De Soto access ramp.  Ww also made arrangements to clean up 500 tires and other debris below a Westar power line just east of Lawrence for March of 2015.
  • Kansas Riverkeeper is a member of the Governor’s River Recreation Committee charged with promoting the Kansas River National Water Trail and the Kansas Lower Republican Basin Advisory Committee representing recreation.
  • Provided input for the Vision for the Future Water Supply in Kansas via the Basin Advisory Committee and a consortium of Kansas environmental organizations.
  • Promoted and made comments on EPA’s Waters of the U.S. Proposed Rule.

RIVER ACCESS AND OUTREACH

Our goal is to increase awareness of the Kaw as a drinking water source for 800,000 Kansans and access to the river.

  • Organized and led twelve educational float trips for over 400 people.
  • Provided five Boys and Girls Club paddling experiences in conjunction with day camps organized by the National Park Service and Freedom’s Frontier.  Thanks to our volunteers who spent the morning paddling with the kids!
  • Worked with the KS Department of Parks, Wildlife and Tourism and the National Park Service on promotion of the KS River Water Trail, and helped organize a community float attended by over 50 paddlers on October 8, 2014.
  • Presented at over thirty educational outreach events at schools, outdoors shops, churches and community gatherings in the Kansas River valley, reaching over 7,500 people in the community.
  • Received six grants for a total of $33,500 for river cleanups, floats and stormwater education (both urban and rural.)
  • Developed the Kids About Water (KAW) project, a water quality issues and actions curriculum for grades 6 -12.
  • Recruited volunteers for De Soto Rotary’s Winesong event (FOK was one of the beneficiaries!)
  • Fundraising Events: Catfish fry in Lawrence and the Annual Dinner and Silent Auction at Olathe’s Bass Pro Shop.  MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  The Wild and Scenic Film Festival will be held on April 30 at the Glenwood Theater in Overland Park and on May 1 at Liberty Hall in Lawrence.

CONSIDER GIVING A MEMBERSHIP AS A HOLIDAY GIFT!

Filed Under: Newsletters

DeSoto Ramp Cleanup and Support EPA Clean Water Rule

November 4, 2014 by /

De Soto Ramp Cleanup This Saturday, November 8th

Friends of the Kaw is working with the City of De Soto, Westar Green Team, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Bureau of Waste Management to clean up an area on the Kaw just below the De Soto access ramp and we need some volunteer assistance.  The cleanup will start at 9:00am and end once the job is done or at 4pm, so you can come for the morning, the afternoon or both.  The Green Team will be using a line truck to lift objects over to the ramp where a skid loader will transport heavy items up the ramp to a dumpster. Because we are using heavy equipment, the activity on the ramp is not appropriate for kids under 18 years old.  Younger folks are welcome to come and will be able to help do some maintenance on the demonstration rain garden near the access ramp or pick up litter in Riverfest Park.

Area below the De Soto Access

Many of Friends of the Kaw’s group float trips start at the De Soto ramp so cleaning up this area will give float participants a better first impression of the river.  We are grateful for the efforts of the City of De Soto, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and Westar Green Team and also a grant from REI to accomplish this effort.

Please wear long pants, gloves and sturdy shoes that can get wet.  We will do a hot dog roast for lunch at 12:30pm for volunteers.

It would help us get a count for the hot dog roast if folks would RSVP with the Kansas Riverkeeper – also contact us for more information!

 

Please Make Comments on the EPA’s Proposed Clean Water Rule by November 14

Since 2008, over 400,000 requests have been sent by a wide variety of groups – including farmers, state and local officials, and members of Congress – asking the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to make the Clean Water Act easier to understand. In response, the EPA and the Army Corps collaborated with all invested parties to create a new rule that clarifies existing law and ensures clean water protections for the streams and wetlands that many consider to be some of our nation’s great natural resources.

We should all help ensure this important rule is adopted by showing our support for the updated Clean Water Act definition of the “Waters of the U.S.”

The proposed rule would clarify existing laws, increase government efficiency and make our water cleaner by better defining which rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands the Clean Water Act protects from industrial pollution, oil spills, and outright destruction. Special consideration for agricultural concerns is addressed, and the new rule will strengthen our nation’s farming community by avoiding economic burden and bringing certainty and predictability to agriculture.

In recent years, there has been a lot of confusion and controversy over whether smaller streams and certain wetlands are protected by the Clean Water Act. As a result, some waters have been opened up for industrial dumping and others have become harder to protect. Without a clear definition of what is protected, 59% of our streams and at least 20% of our wetlands are threatened. It’s important to protect even the smaller streams, creeks and wetlands because they help reduce flooding, supply drinking water, and provide critical support and habitat for fish and wildlife in downstream waters. And, as any kid who grew up near a creek can attest, small streams provide access to adventures, exploration and wildlife. They truly are some of our most treasured—and accessible—places.

As part of the official rulemaking process, we can insist that EPA and the Corps ensure automatic protection for all streams and wetlands scientifically proven to have significant connections to downstream waters. This helps the Mississippi River by protecting the water feeding into it.

We expect strong opposition to this rule from institutions that use our rivers, streams and wetlands as dumping grounds. Regretfully, these polluters have the ear of many members of Congress and are working hard to defeat the rule. Don’t let them block this noble effort!
Show your support for this clean water rule by sending a comment to the EPA and we will copy your Representative in Congress so they hear your voice as well. Together we can ensure the Clean Water Act’s definition of “Waters of the U.S.” is finalized and our waters protected.

It’s easy – here are several web sites where you can make comments:

National Resource Defense Council

National Wildlife Federation

EPA

Filed Under: Newsletters
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