Friends of the Kaw is Featured in KCUR’s Up From Dust Podcast!
“If you’re quiet and you go slowly, you can see otter. The beavers, sometimes they will stop and freeze in place on the bank and wait until you go on by before they dive into the water. Kingfishers diving into the river, bald eagles with their catch of some fish on the sandbar and dragging it across.”
– Dawn Buehler, Kansas Riverkeeper and Executive Director, discussing
Kansas River wildlife on the Up From Dust podcast.
We’re so excited to announce the launch of “Kayakers vs. River Pollution” an Up From Dust podcast episode highlighting our work to clean up legacy trash sites on the Kansas River.
In the last 10 years, Friends of the Kaw, our volunteers, and partners have removed over 35 tons of battery cases and thousands of tires from sandbars on the Kansas River. These “legacy” trash sites have existed for decades, but it’s our goal to eliminate all of them by 2030.
In March 2025, Up From Dust host and producer Celia Llopis-Jepsen joined the team for a tire cleanup near De Soto to learn what makes the Kansas River so special, and how we’re working to clean up decades-old trash sites.
We can’t wait for everyone to experience the podcast episode where you’ll hear from Dawn Buehler, your Kansas Riverkeeper, the Kaw River Guides who do the heavy lifting on the water, and some of the partners who help make this difficult work happen. Thank you to Celia, her team at KCUR, and all the amazing people who have supported our work through the years.
If you’d like to support our efforts, please consider making a donation to Friends of the Kaw at https://kansasriver.org/donation/?did=1. With your help, we can eliminate trash on the Kansas River and leave it healthier and thriving, both today and for future generations.
Paddle safely! Use the links below to quickly access information that impacts river conditions.
