09/13/2026
The 3rd annual One KC Kansas RIver Cleanup is in the books and what a day it was!
The day started out with rain, but this group of volunteers, partners, sponsors and river stewards didn't let it stop them from cleaning up trash and litter from the banks - and IN - the Kansas River.
The public cleanup near Rock Island Bridge brought out a huge crowd who scoured the levee and nearby area, finding trash, construction debris, old tires, and even a few buoys and parts of a dock. They even went to work clearing weeds and Johnson grass from the levee park! The Wyandotte County Conservation District and Friends of Kaw Point Park set up shop, sharing information about our Kansas natural resources AND everyone enjoyed some amazing invasive fish croquettes cooked by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks (KDWP). Seriously, you have to try them if you get the chance. They were fantastic!
While the big crowd worked the riverbank, our Kaw River Guides and partners removed literal tons of trash upstream of the Turner boat ramp. The guides launched early in the morning to spot the trash and dig it out of the mud and sand, while KDWP and our friends Jim and Chris hauled it back to the ramp.
At the ramp the volunteer crew (a big thank you to this hard working crew, including Team Rubicon) loaded it all into a skid steer to take it to a dumpster. It was wet, dirty work, but boy, was it satisfying! They popped tires out of the mud, dug out old truck parts, and removed the last remains of an abandoned boat we started on during the very first One KC. Now, that was satisfying.
We can't thank everyone enough for your support and hard work. Whether you picked up trash, pulled weeds, provided equipment or dumpsters (thank you AWT North America and Crown Dumpster), helped with logistics (Big thanks to Rock Island Bridge and Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City KS) or supported the project financially (check out all the sponsors below), you made a very big difference for the Kansas River and we all thank you!
Now, on to the next cleanup. Stay tuned to see what happens next. It's going to be fun!
Thank you for your support:
Evergy Green Team
Garney
Seen Merch
Capital Electric Construction Company Inc
Burns & McDonnell
Big O Tires in Lawrence
Grundfos
WaterOne
Olsson
Blue Collar Press
Panasonic Energy
Jodie Brethour with Compass Realty
Heathwood Oil Co.
