On Tuesday, April 5 Metropolia GZM and ClimateActionKC spent the morning on a tour of the Blue River led by Heartland Conservation Alliance to learn about the “Blue River Greenway” initiative. The day began with greetings and introductions by the City of Overland Park, Kansas Government Mayor Curt Skoog, and included members of Bridging The Gap, The Nature Conservancy in Missouri, The Conservation Fund, and Hoxie Collective.
The initiative includes members from the Mid-America Regional Council, local city and county parks and stormwater representatives, and regional and national conservation organizations. They are working on a major push to complete a continuous greenway from the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens to Corrington Park in Kansas City, Missouri. At the same time, we will enhance important regional recreation, transportation, habitat, political, and socioeconomic connections in a highly visible public location.
On Wednesday, April 20 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 will present a nearly $200,000 check to Heartland Conservation Alliance (HCA) for a Brownfields Job Training Grant. The event will take place at Municipal Farm with Congressmember Sharice Davids and EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister planning to attend. HCA plans to use the funding to train more than 50 students, at least half of whom will be placed in environmental jobs after completing the program.
The 2021 Blue River Report Card and the 2022 Blue River Action Plan are in the final stages of edits and HCA is preparing for publication this spring.
The next Conservation & Policy Work Group is 4/21/22, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. If you're interested in joining the Work Group, contact Magali Rojas at magali@heartlandconservationalliance.org