Heartland Conservation Alliance's mission is to protect nature in Kansas City and make natural areas more accessible to all communities. This mission has many different layers as the health of our natural lands effects not only the plants and animals that inhabit the area, but also our drinking water, the air we breathe, the foods we eat, flood control, and especially our physical and mental health. In order to tackle such a complex issue in a way that will last multiple generations, it is critical that we build interest and passion among our youngest community members. We accomplish this only when multiple and diverse entities share ideas, successes and failures, and resources. Our collaborative work allows us to address the future of our natural lands not just through one lens, but through multiple lenses. When we work using a collective impact model, we honor each entity’s goals, plans and programs as they relate to our natural lands--our common goal. True collaboration helps reduce competition and builds instead an Alliance that is integrated, linked together, and informing each other. Through the collaborative and integrated process of engaging diverse stakeholders, we have proven we are able to accomplish more and have a deeper and more lasting impact in our community than what any one entity could do alone.
Young conservationists join their father and lend their hands during the 2018 Project Blue River Rescue.
Each year we celebrate the success of collaboration and we highlight our Alliance members at the Annual Partnership Summit. Our Fifth Annual Partnership Summit will be at Boulevard Brewery on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 from 5-7 PM. Please join us for drinks from Boulevard and light refreshments from The Farmhouse. We hope you will join us to gather with like-minded stewards and organizations. This year we will showcase a panel of young conservation leaders from our community and we will celebrate the collaborative work completed in 2018. All of our Alliance members share a common goal, to improve our natural environment whether through the lens of community health, flood protection, water quality, crime reduction, economic health, or strengthening neighborhoods. We look forward to seeing you there. (The event is free, but space is limited. Register by Oct. 26.)