On Nov. 19 the Conservation Work Group met to discuss the goals for action areas such as Municipal Farm and Blue Valley Parkway and how to collect data that will create the next Blue River Report Card. The Group prioritizes the efforts already made in these areas, such as maintaining honeysuckle removal, while increasing plantings along the riparian corridor. HCA hopes to build a connection between the data collected for the Blue River Report Card and the Renew the Blue Metrics.
In 2021 the Conservation Work Group will also create a Maintenance Plan for the Heartland Overlook Preserve, aka the HOP, to establish policies that will guide the land’s use.
Nomad Trails completed construction on the single track trail in Blue Valley Park and is featured in the "12 Days of Trails for the Holidays" media campaign developed between KC Parks and HCA. The campaign kicked off on December 1 and you can find all 12 days of trails on the KC Parks website.
The trail was designed by Urban Trail Co. and approved by KC Parks. This is part of HCA’s grant with the National Parks and Recreation Association.
As part of our T.R.I.M. Grant with the Missouri Dept. of Conservation, Molly Gosnell with Midwest GeoInfo completed the initial tree inventory at Blue Valley Park. When completed, the inventory will be added to the master restoration plan for the park we created with funding from the National Parks and Recreation Association.
The next Conservation Work Group meeting will be in 2021 and a date will be decided. If you would like to attend an upcoming Work Group, please contact Jill Erickson at jill@heartlandconservationalliance.org.
The next Policy Work Group meeting is Friday, 1/29/21 at 3 PM. If you would like to attend an upcoming Work Group, please contact Jill Erickson at jill@heartlandconservationalliance.org.