Photo by Bruce Dupree, Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Outings Leader Eileen McManus Wins National Sierra Club Award
A huge congratulations to local Outings Leader Eileen McManus, who was just announced as winner of the National Sierra Club’s Madelyn Pyeatt Outdoors for All Award!
As our readers know, Ms. McManus has led the effort to restore the Eddy-Ballentine Trail, which is in an urban wilderness setting, with a view to providing a place for local underserved communities to hike and enjoy Nature. The award announcement praises Ms. McManus for “Three decades of leadership, mentorship, and partnerships connecting Kansas City communities to the outdoors.”
Following the November 1st Eddy-Balentine trail maintenance, at approximately 2:45pm, please join us in celebrating Ms. McManus for this well-deserved award.. Light refreshments will be provided at the trailhead.
Kansas City Streetcar Extension to UMKC now open
By Claus Wawrzinek, ExCom member
On October 24, the Kansas City Streetcar extension from Union Station to the University of Kansas City., Missouri (UMKC) was opened after a multi-year construction project. The streetcar now runs from the Kansas City River Market to UMKC. The Sierra Club has previously endorsed this extension which was made possible through a vote and is financed with a Transportation Development District (TDD) along the streetcar route.
The new leg of the streetcar will now make it possible for many more Kansas Citians to choose to live without having to rely solely on the automobile. It is free to ride the streetcar. If you haven’t ridden the streetcar yet, it is well worth a try. If you are visiting from out of town, there are several locations to leave your car and take the streetcar along the Main Street corridor.
There is another extension projected to open in spring 2026 that runs from the River Market to the Riverfront.
Photo: KC Streetcar in Westport, photo by Claus Wawrzinek
Monarch Habitat Update
By Jennifer Helber, Conservation Co-Chair
The seed mixture we ordered (with grant money provided by the Eastern Missouri Group) will be delivered in early November.
We've discussed plans to best prepare areas for seeding. At Strother Road, the area was mowed mid-October by MoDOT, and they will apply herbicide to further reduce the fescue prior to using the drill seed machine in late November. It was good to hear the MoDOT supervisor say they will also be using the drill seed machine to plant milkweed at other highway interchanges, as part of their participation in the Monarch CCAA Program (Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances) in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We are waiting to hear the decision in December by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on the threatened status of monarch butterflies (the Sierra Club and individuals submitted comments for consideration).
Our seed mixture will also be used by Raytown Parks and Recreation to seed a hillside in a new park at 53rd and Raytown Road. They will closely mow the cover grass prior to seeding. We are working with the Director of Raytown Parks to hold a dedication of the seeds at that location on Saturday, Nov. 22nd, at 1 p.m.
Good news is coming in about this year’s monarch migration—numbers seen are higher than recent years, and the migration has extended beyond the usual time frame. New technology from Monarch Joint Venture includes the use of tiny tracking devices. With these, monarchs have been detected south of the Mexican border, nearing their way to the oyamel fir forests in Michoacan.
Photo of Strother Road site after mowing, by Jennifer Helber
Photo Contest Voting Now Open
For this summer the Thomas Hart Benton Group (THB) of Missouri Sierra Club held a photo contest. We requested submitted photos taken in 2024 that are nature-themed images. Submissions were closed on September 30.
Now it is your turn to help us decide the winner. Please tell us which of the photos you like the best. The winning photo(s) will get special commemoration by THB Group, and the photographer(s) will receive special Sierra Club awards!
You must be a Sierra Club member to vote. If you are not a member, it is easy to become a member over here.
Scoring: Each image should receive 1 to 5 points from every person who votes. At the end of the voting period the points are tallied, and the winner is chosen based on the number of points each image receives.
Join Sierra Club as we work together to restore the diversity, health and resiliency of the Blue River Glades Natural Area. This remnant of ecologically significant public land is managed in conjunction with Jackson County Parks & Recreation & KC Wildlands. It is located in the heart of Kansas City providing “nearby nature” opportunities for all. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. volunteers will work to remove invasive shrub honeysuckle from the Eddy-Ballentine Trail loop which winds through upland forest to the Blue River Glade Natural Area.
Located just south of Swope Park, this rare limestone glade community is one of the northernmost occurrences of such a community in Missouri and the best example existing locally. Gnarled chinquapin oaks nearly 300 years old sit atop slab-like outcroppings of Bethany Falls limestone. A prairie-like flora of grasses and wildflowers provides rich color and texture through most of the year. This community is managed through periodic prescribed burning.
The glade is threatened by several exotic plant species, especially shrub honeysuckle. Please come and help so native flowers and grasses flourish again in these stunning wild areas. Trail maintenance this time of year is an advantage because there are fewer ticks but if it is too cold we will reschedule. No prior experience necessary!
Please Save the Date and watch our Meetup for a December 6 Eddy-Ballentine Trail Maintenance also!
Thousand Hills State Park Trails, Petroglyphs and Dark Sky
Date: Sat., Nov. 8
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Join Sierra Club for a day of hiking at Thousand Hills State Park. There are a couple of short trails but we plan to hike at least four miles out and four miles back on Thousand Hills trail. This is the only structured activity led by Sierra Club from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. although there are several other things to do if you are coming for the weekend.
The cool waters of Forest Lake provide the centerpiece for Thousand Hills State Park, whose woody shores and broad savannas recall a time when northern Missouri was far less developed. The lake offers fishing, swimming and boating. The park offers hiking, mountain biking and abundant opportunities to see wildlife. An interpretive shelter helps visitors understand the petroglyphs left behind by the area’s inhabitants more than 1,500 years ago.
We will meet at the Burroughs Audubon Library (7300 NW Park Rd, Blue Springs MO 64015), with an introduction to winter bird watching, along with an explanation on the use of binoculars. They will provide binoculars for our use, for up to 18 people (if you have your own, bring them). Wear long pants, good trail shoes, and clothing appropriate for the weather forecast.
For our walk, we will go in our personal in vehicles to the nearby Lake Vista Trail, to look and listen for birds. This is an easy trail beside the nearby Blue Springs Lake. We will walk for an hour, returning to the parking area by the trail (on Liggett Road). Sweep leader is Jake Goldstein.
As you learn about bird watching, you will also want to know more about bird conservation—efforts to protect the environment for them, and habitat that sustains them. The Audubon Library has many resources.
Locations: Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center and Shawnee Mission Park
Don’t wait–this popular course fills up fast! Class size is limited to the first 12 who enroll.
Would you like to learn how to read a topographical map for wilderness travel and how to use a compass and GPS with that topo map so you don’t get lost? Join a two-part course “Introduction to Wilderness Navigation.” Saturday will be in class at the Discovery Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday will be in the field at Shawnee Mission Park Orienteering Course from. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Up from Dust is a new podcast from KCUR Radio about fixing the environment.
A recent episode, “Prairie Islands are Popping Up in a Sea of Corn and Soybeans,” is about “strips of wildflowers and little bluestem” in among the crops, “an effort to hold back the fertilizer runoff that pollutes drinking water” and as we all know, contributes to the “Dead Zone” in the Gulf. You can also catch up on back episodes wherever you get your podcasts.
As we know, AI data centers are being built in our area, with concerns mounting for their impact on water and energy usage. THB Group Chair Ruanda McFerren alerts us to this recent article showing how “AI Data Centers Are an Even Bigger Disaster Than Previously Thought.”
Upcoming Events Led by Allied Organizations
We often have conversations about the connections between housing and the environment. If you are interested in learning more about how housing relates to the overall health of a city, check out the upcoming event at the Kansas City Public Library's Plaza Branch, "Homes we Need, Barriers We Built" on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m.
It will be on Youtube as well.
Please check Lakeside Nature Center’s calendar here
Please check Missouri Department of Conservation’s calendar here
Please check Missouri Prairie Foundations calendar here
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