In early 2023 the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) contracted with LivZero (LZ) to facilitate group discussions and listening sessions regarding the development of MDC's Community Conservation Liaison Program (CCL).The intention of the partnership is to better understand the relationship between the socioeconomic, health, housing, and environmental burdens impacting residents in Kansas City, MO. MDC created a map with priority conservation areas and split them into three different tiers. Much of urban Kansas City was in the first tier, from Troost Ave to Raytown.
On July 11, MDC’s CCL Angelica Chavez-Duckworth led the first meeting. The goal is to work with community organizations such as the University of Missouri - Kansas City's Center for Neighborhoods, Bridging the Gap, Heartland Conservation Alliance, and others to build relationships, align common values among leading organizations and the community, share best practices regarding equity and environmental justice, and deep listening to the communities' needs.
If your organization works in tier one and would like to attend the next group discussion, you can connect with MDC and LivZero.