The Blue River is Kansas City’s River — Can Kansas Citians Access it?

A photo of the Blue River. The river is larger at the foreground of the image and thins to a point in the background of the image. The water is blue with small ripples. On the sides of the river are clean, grassy banks. Just beyond the river bend in the background of the photo is a treeline.

The Blue River is Kansas City’s river — but does everyone have equal access to it? There’s only one boat ramp on the entire 40-mile Blue River, and some community members say there could be more done to better connect them with the water flowing through their backyards. Flatland talked with the Heartland Conservation Alliance…

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Citizen Scientists in the Midwest Help Experts Gather Environmental Data

A person bends down and submurges a clear bottle into a green creek. They are wearing black boots. There are orange leaves scattered around them.

A new policy brief from the United Nations argues that citizen science is crucial to global water security. Ground and surface water are facing increasing threats from pollution and climate change, and scientists need help. Citizen science, which is done by non-professional scientists, is part of the solution, according to the report. And it’s happening…

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Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Reintroduces 40 Alligator Snapping Turtles to Sunflower State

A photo of an alligator snapping turtle. The turtle is at the center of the photograph, looking straight ahead. It has dark gray coloring with pink splotches. It is being held by someone wearing tan clothing.

An aura of excitement filled the air near the Neosho River in Kansas on a hot September morning. State wildlife officials gathered around several large, gray bins, snapping photos and eagerly chatting. Why the excitement? Forty, dinner-plate-sized alligator snapping turtles, about to be released into the wild. The last known living alligator snapping turtle collected…

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Sheep, Native Plants and Fire Tested as Methods for Managing Invasive Honeysuckle Next to the Blue River

A photo of a sheep in the woods. The sheep is in the center of the photo, looking to the right. It is white with brown spots. There is a white sheep a few feet behind it. The foreground is bare and covered in dead leaves. The background is green and leafy.

Editor’s Note: Additional information was added into this article to identify the species of bush honeysuckle that impacts Missouri. For information on identifying invasive honeysuckle or other invasive plants, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Website. Something is suffocating Missouri’s forest floors.   It’s leafy, it’s dense, it’s pervasive, and it can grow so thick that…

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