ReleaseWire Connect

Have you stood at the confluence of the Kansas & Missouri Rivers? Did you know the Kansas River is 170 miles long and provides recreation and drinking water to many in our area? For these reasons it is important to keep it healthy. Lucky for us, we have a full time advocate making sure to protect it, Friends of the Kaw. But they need your help to continue to do so. With issues such as dredging, runoff, industrial pollution, and stormwater runoff constantly threatening the health of the ecosystem, support is now critical.

Empowering communities throughout the Tijuana River Watershed, improving water quality in Maine’s Casco Bay, being a leading advocate for rivers in Kansas, giving back as a tireless volunteer river trail steward in Illinois, and developing national showcases of urban renewal in Rhode Island are just a few of the accomplishments of an extraordinary group of individuals who have dedicated themselves to protecting our most vital natural resource—water.

Join us this Friday for Friends of the Kaw's fifth annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival! We will be showing the 10 best films from this touring festival, providing a chance to win some great raffle items, and special offers for new members to join.

Friends of the Kaw (FOK), a conservation group focused on protecting the Kansas River, is anxiously awaiting the public notice on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on Kansas River sand and gravel dredging. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to release the notice in early October.

On October 11th Friends of the Kaw will host our fifth annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival. We have brought together the 10 best films from this touring festival, combined them with a chance to win some great raffle items, and provided special offers for new members to join. Many Audubon members have enjoyed this event in past years, and it is sure to be another great year for outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists alike. Join us as we climb Mount Kenya in search of water with documentarian Pete McBride, ski the back country in British Colombia, fish for King Salmon, and much more.

Do you love catfish? Join Friends of the Kaw for a crisp fall evening of live music, delicious catfish, and libations - on the banks of the Kansas (or Kaw) River. While you are having a good time, you will also be supporting a great cause; protecting the Kaw River!

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a collection of films from the annual festival held the third week of January in Nevada City, CA which is now its 11th year! Wild & Scenic focuses on films which speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of our planet.

Stormwater pollution, likely caused from an overwhelmed combined sewer system, has been contributing to raw sewage and other pollutants ending up in the Kansas River. The situation was recently brought to Friends of the Kaw's attention by a Strawberry Hill Resident that frequents Kaw Point and fishes the Kaw regularly. In his account the resident describes the pollution with devastating accuracy.

“We have five fabulous chefs competing this year and have sold this event out in the past so don’t wait too long to buy your tickets” says Laura Calwell, Kansas Riverkeeper for Friends of the Kaw. The River City Cook Off will start at 6:00pm at Abe and Jake’s Landing at 8 E. 6th St., Lawrence, KS 66044 located on the south bank of the Kaw in downtown Lawrence. Once you step in the door you will have the opportunity to taste the chef’s sumptuous creations and vote on your favorite. One of the following fine chefs will be awarded the title of The River City Cook-Off Champion: Garth Atchison from Wheatfields Bakery & Café (904 Vermont Street); Angel Alvarez from Tortas Jalisco (534 Frontier) Brad Walters from Basil Leaf Café (3300 West 6th Street), Jimmy Martin from Free State Brewing Co. (636 Massachusetts) and Armando Paniagua from Genovese (636 Massachusetts.)