A photo of the Blue River. The river is larger at the foreground of the image and thins to a point in the background of the image. The water is blue with small ripples. On the sides of the river are clean, grassy banks. Just beyond the river bend in the background of the photo is a treeline.
The Blue River winds for 40 miles through the KC metropolitan area.

The Blue River is Kansas City’s River — Can Kansas Citians Access it?

March 19, 2025  |  Julie Freijat, Hannah Davis  |  1 min read

The Blue River is Kansas City’s river — but does everyone have equal access to it? There’s only one boat ramp on the entire 40-mile Blue River, and some community members say there could be more done to better connect them with the water flowing through their backyards. Flatland talked with the Heartland Conservation Alliance and community members in the lower Blue River to find out more.

Reading these stories is free, but telling them is not. Start your monthly gift now to support Flatland’s community-focused reporting.

The Fight Against Forgetting 9/11

September 9, 2026

Schools, nonprofits, and firefighters work to ensure Kansas Citians remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

Related Stories

Blue River Cleanup Targets Trash, Invasive Species

A restoration project is underway along the Blue River watershed, a collaborative effort by four nonprofit partners: The Heartland Conservation Alliance, Bridging The Gap, Deep Roots, and Mid-America Regional Council. The groups signed the contracts officially in May. “The day that we got our signed contract sent to us from the city kind of felt…

Read More >

The End of the Pesticide Arms Race?

To spray or not to spray, that’s the question for farmers. Pests can be the make-or-break factor for a season’s harvest. Between 20% to 40% of global crop production is lost to pests annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Conventional chemical pesticides have traditionally addressed this challenge, but their…

Read More >
Augochlora pura, the Pure Golden Green Sweat Bee, rests on a yellow coneflower in the MU Extension Garden at Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area outside of Kansas City on July 23, 2025. The pure golden green bee can be seen pollinating flowers from April to October. (Abigail Landwehr | Flatland)

Hundreds of Bee Species Face Decline in Missouri and Kansas

To Tom Schroeder, every bee is a work of art.  His own words, backed up with hundreds of photos in his camera roll from the prairies and woods of Kansas City WildLands. With more than two decades of volunteering with the group, he’s become a bee enthusiast– but not an expert, he’ll clarify. “We’re the…

Read More >