Volunteer with Friends of the Kaw

Co-op owner Lisa

Talk about a sense of accomplishment. In the last several years Friends of the Kaw (FOK) has sponsored cleanups that removed over 2000 tires from river sandbars! How is that possible? It happens with a massive amount of dedication, coordination, and volunteer effort from partners and individuals. I’ve volunteered with FOK for decades and also serve on the board. I particularly enjoy participating in the cleanup efforts because working with a team to achieve these big-impact efforts is so satisfying.
For decades, people would dump tires on river banks and sandbars thinking they’d prevent erosion. It doesn’t work and the tires just end up contaminating the river and they are incredibly difficult to remove. So Dawn Buehler, our Kansas Riverkeeper, and team, scheduled cleanup dates with many partners including the Evergy Green Team, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Topeka Rotary, and various municipalities to bring in equipment by land and water, along with lots of volunteers. Some of us kayak to the site the night before to start digging and piling up tires. Yes, it’s grueling and dirty work but it’s also fun to work hard with friends, old and new, to make a real difference that none of us could do alone. If you’re interested in joining our team go to kansasriver.org and visit our social media sites.
Friends of the Kaw is honored be part of the Merc Works Program and we’re also thrilled to be a selected as Change Program recipient July of 2023!
Thanks Merc!

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