The Kansas (Kaw) River stretches 171 miles from its origin in Junction City to its confluence with the Missouri River and is the primary source of drinking water for many communities in northeast Kansas. This recreational treasure was a well kept secret among a few knowing paddlers and anglers, but is fast becoming a valued recreational resource for thousands of visitors each year.
Our Outstanding Recreational Resource
Friends of the Kaw considers the Kansas (Kaw) River a 171-mile linear park to be enjoyed by families and outdoor enthusiasts. We continue to partner with river communities to develop boat access, river front parks and hiking and biking trails along the river for public use.
Rotating Pictures:
Floating on the Kaw by Craig
Thompson
Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance's Streamlink
students doing a macroinvertebrate sampling.
Catfishing on the Kaw with Captain Catfish
Cleanups
Friends of the Kaw organizes several cleanups on the Kaw per year. The following are photos and highlights from previous cleanups.
The Kansas City Belle, a 28' house boat, is removed from banks of the Kaw:
Volunteers arrive at the scene by boat.
Ten volunteers with shovels, pry bars, sledge hammers and chop saws landed two miles up from Kaw Point on Saturday morning Oct. 6, 2007 to remove the Kansas City Belle, a 28’ houseboat, abandoned on the river bank many years ago. The volunteers included the Kansas Riverkeeper and members of Friends of the Kaw and Missouri River Relief, both non-profit river protection organizations, that joined forces for this project as part of the Big Muddy Cleanup.
Volunteers access the situation.
The Kansas City Belle is the biggest item ever retrieved by either group. The house boat was probably inadvertently set adrift in the Missouri River and came ashore on the bank of the Kaw to become buried in sand as the river levels rose and fell over the years. The roof, walls, deck, toilet, shower, galley and sleeping quarters were cut up and taken by boat back to Kaw Point for proper disposal.
Laura Calwell, Kansas Riverkeeper and R.J Stephenson work to remove the head.
The monetary value of the house boat removal project alone is estimated at $6,000. The hull and engine of the Kansas City Belle are still submerged in sand and removal remains for another day (both Friends of the Kaw and Missouri River Relief are committed to see the project concluded.)
First demolition crew leaves the scene.
Construction Foam Cleanup - September 22, 2007
"It was quite a sight to see 10 canoes overloaded with foam strips (used in highway construction) land at River Front Park in Lawrence on Saturday afternoon, September 22, 2007” says Laura Calwell, Kansas Riverkeeper for Friends of the Kaw and event organizer. The cleanup float was sponsored by Douglas County and included twenty five volunteers who collected six large bundles of foam strips as well as a partially full barrel of unknown liquid, a tire still mounted on a rim, lawn chair, and various bottles, cans and containers on the Kansas (Kaw) River between the “Rising Sun” Access Ramp just north west of the Lecompton Bridge and River Front Park in north Lawrence.
Volunteers are happy to be near the ramp after a long paddle with a heavy barrel in their canoe.
Three of the 2’x 4’x 8’ bundles were intact and were carried or floated down river but three other bundles had broken apart and hundreds of 8’ strips were individually retrieved on the river bank and stowed in canoes for transportation down river. It is suspected that the bundles of foam strips blew off the Lecompton Bridge during the recent reconstruction project. Douglas County will also pick up and dispose of the pile of debris.
Two canoes were lashed together to form "the barge" that carried one bundle of foam with loose foam strips under neath and towed another bundle.
Volunteers tired from paddling debris (stacked behind group) down river.
1,000 Tire Cleanup, March 11, 2006
FOK members Craig Thompson, Mollie Mangerich and R. J. Stephenson help to retrieve old tires.
Saturday, March 11 was a beautiful day and over 100 volunteers showed up to dig, pull and move 1,400 tires off the Kansas River sandbar just south of Linwood, Kansas.
Friends of the Kaw would like to thank:
- the many individuals who gave up their Saturday to assist in this project
- Bob Medina, Kansas Department of Health and Enviornment Bureau of Waste Management, who arranged for access to the sandbar and transportation and disposal of tires.
- AMCOR PET Packaging of Lenexa who provided shuttle vans, supplies and lunch (cooked by employee, Tim Schnagle.)
- AMCOR employees who volunteered and brought their ATV's to drag the tires up the bank.
- AMCOR employees Jim Todd, Steve Fuller, and Al Stevens who helped us plan the event.
- Earth Watch for their sponsorship.
- Holliday Sand and Gravel Company and Kaw Valley Companies who provided tire moving equipment and volunteers.