Photos: Community members learn skills and meet new friends while caring for the Blue River at restoration workdays. (Left) Volunteers plant Bald Cypress and Sycamore trees at Alex George Park. (Right) Volunteers help weed and prune trees at the Municipal Farm with Boys Grow. The ground is thawing and the crocuses will soon be blooming. Spring has finally arrived in Kansas City. We invite you to spend some quality time outdoors and soak in some sun to make up for the long winter. This spring, why not add a little volunteering to your outdoor time? Bring your family and friends. Participating in workdays is a great way to find new spots or help maintain old favorites. And there are no shortage of workdays coming up! From March until November, Heartland Conservation Alliance and our alliance members are hosting an array of workdays that can keep you busy every weekend. Heartland Conservation Alliance has two workdays in March in two of our areas of focus along the Blue River, Alex George Lake on the Blue River Parkway and Municipal Farm by the sports complex. At the Municipal Farm on Saturday, March 30, you have will have the chance to learn from experts about planting and caring for fruit and nut producing trees from Giving Grove. You can also learn about proper removal of invasive plants with experts from Kansas City WildLands. The workday at Alex George on March 16 is a great opportunity to learn about the life cycle of lakes and how this unproductive lake will be turned into a productive wetland by Jackson County Parks and Rec. In the middle of the watershed, come meet a new member, Clement Waters, and learn how they are providing kids in their city neighborhood ways to play in the woods and grow their own food. On their 4 acres of land at Fox Hollow Creek, a tributary of the Blue River located south of Gregory Blvd at Jackson Ave. They are working side by side with residents to build and steward walking trails.
Saturday, April 6 is Project Blue River Rescue. This yearly clean up is the largest single-day outdoor clean up event in Missouri, getting as many as 1,000 people out on the banks of the Blue to pick up debris and tires. Bring a team and join in the fun! Connecting with nature is important because it provides many benefits to our city communities. Spending time outdoors is good for your health and happiness. We encourage you to continue to learn more places and ways to explore the Blue River this spring on our map here and our website here.