Kansas City Wildlands
Conserve, Protect, Restore.
Program Mission
Kansas City WildLands is a coalition of resource professionals, private conservation organizations and conservation-minded citizens established to restore and conserve the remnants of Kansas City’s original landscape by involving people in the stewardship of the land.
Relatively undisturbed prairie, glade, savanna and forest natural communities still exist on public lands in the metro area, but they need our help! Over time, these remnant wild places have been overtaken by trees and brush, invaded by exotic plants and deprived of the natural processes that maintained them.
In addition to a lack of management, these natural communities also suffer from a lack of recognition and appreciation by the urban public. An equally important dual goal of the WildLands coalition is to involve citizens and metro communities in the care of these lands that represent Kansas City’s natural heritage.
KC Wildlands Projects
Learn more about the KC Wildlands Projects, and how YOU can get involved!
Kansas City WildLands 2015 Accomplishments
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2,000
Volunteer Hours Worked
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24
Workdays Hosted
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84
Species of Wildflowers our Seed Team Collected
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250
Invasive Cedar Trees Removed at our Annual Cedar Tree Event
Hike a Wildland
The wild lands await! Many people are unaware that there are so many beautiful, undisturbed natural areas in the Kansas City region. Come out and take a walk and visit these living natural history lessons.
Find a Hike Near You.
Currently WildLands volunteers help to restore thirteen remnant sites within the Kansas City metropolitan region. These are some of the most diverse, beautiful places in the Midwest ... we challenge you to visit all 13!
Hike a WildlandVolunteer with WildLands!
Join us in conserving, protecting, and restoring our wildlands.
Calling all nature enthusiasts! Volunteer with Bridging The Gap’s Kansas City WildLands (KCWL) program! At our workdays, we explain why it’s important protect and restore our native ecosystem, then we split into small groups to remove and treat invasive plants. We work on designated WildLands (native forests and prairies) throughout the metropolitan area, on both sides of the state line.
1,500 people volunteer with BTG each year. Be part of the movement!
Find Volunteer OpportunitiesUpcoming KCWL Events
October 1, 2016 @ 8:00 am - May 31, 2017 @ 5:00 pm
KC Wildlands
Volunteer: Ongoing, October – May | Group Ecological Restoration Workday
November 5 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
KC Wildlands
Volunteer: Kansas City WildLands Honeysuckle Battle
November 12 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
KC Wildlands
Volunteer: Kansas City WildLands Ecological Restoration
Invasive Species
An under-story shrub in woodlands, Asian bush honeysuckles invades quickly and out-competes native plants. Because it leafs out so early, the shrub steals light from native plants that need a sunny forest floor in spring in order to flower, fruit, and gather energy for the next year. Birds and small animals eat the berries and deposit the seeds elsewhere, spreading this noxious weed. Learn to identify this aggressive invader, and then kill it before it spreads more seeds elsewhere.
Learn more
KCWL Steering Committee
Matt Garrett
Field Biologist
Johnson County Parks and Recreation District
Ginevera Moore
Midwest Field Representative
The Conservation Fund
Mary Nemecek
Conservationist
Kansas City Native Plant Initiative
Larry Rizzo
Natural History Biologist
Missouri Department of Conservation
Chad Scholes, Ph.D.
Professor
Rockhurst University
Megan Shumaker
Environmental Chair
Shumaker Family Foundation
Kansas City WildLands Staff
- Linda Lehrbaum
Program Manager
KCWL sponsors + partners
What's happening now
KC Wildlands: National Public Lands Day, Restor
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Kansas City WildLands on Saturday, September 24, 9:00 AM – Noon! In celebration of National Public Lands Day, we’ll be removing exotic invasive shrub honeysuckle while enjoying the amazing fall beauty of these wild places. Volunteers will use loppers to remove the shrub, and stump-treat the root to … Continued
Their Babies Eat Your Aphids
Photos and Text by Tom Schroeder When I say the word “Fly”, you probably do not imagine brightly colored, harmless Flower Flies feeding on flowers in your garden. Their larvae spend the night voraciously eating aphids on your garden plants while you sleep. By modifying a few gardening practices, you can encourage this natural … Continued
Avoid Planting Invasive Trees such as Bradford P
Spring is a wonderful time to plant new trees and shrubs, but landscapers should be careful not to plant species that can harm native habitats such as woodlands. Bradford pear, for one, is an ornamental tree that has become invasive and chokes out native species in natural areas and parks. Gardeners and homeowners are urged … Continued
The (Many!) Benefits of Birds
Adapted from audubon.org/news/what-do-birds-do-us By Barry Yeoman, April 8, 2013 Have you ever thought about all the ways that birds are beneficial to us and our environment? The collective term for the many ways birds (and other animals, plants, and landscapes) support and improve human life is “ecosystem services.” Pest control, public health, seed dispersal, ecotourism, … Continued