The Lower Kansas River WRAPS (Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy) program provides cost share assistance to producers for establishing best management practices (BMPs) to improve water quality in designated priority areas of the Lower Kansas River watershed.
Lower Kansas River Watershed
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Lower Kansas River Watershed
About
Priority Areas
Our Work
Get Involved
Contact
About
Watershed Impairment: Bacteria
Watershed Coordinator: Kourtney Parks
Stakeholder Leadership Team
- Mark Heim, Chair Co-Owner and operator of Heim Brothers
- Rodney Parsons, Vice Chair Co-Owner and operator of Parsons Family Farms
- Karol Lohmen, K-State Extension Agriculture and Natural Resource Agent
- Tom Norman, Leavenworth County Producer
- Dawn Buehler, Kansas Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Friends of the KAW
- Rex Buchanan, Former Director of Kansas Geological Survey
- Renée Whaley, Operational Technician Specialist with the City of Lawrence Municipal Services
- Rick Reischman, Leavenworth County Producer
Partners*
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment
- Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS)
- Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism
- Jefferson County Conservation District
- Leavenworth County Conservation District
- Atchison County Conservation District
- K-State Research and Extension
- Friends of the KAW
- Heinen Brothers
- Murrfield Farm Supply
*This list is ever-changing as the Lower Kansas WRAPS develops
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency 319 funds. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Priority Areas
Maps
Atchison County Map – Priority Areas
Leavenworth/Jefferson Counties Map – Priority Areas
Lower Kansas River Riparian Buffer
Counties
- Atchison
- Jefferson
- Leavenworth
Legals
Our Work
Best Practices
– Alternative Water Systems
– Cover Crops for Grazing
– Feed Site Relocation
– Grazing Management Plans
– Riparian Buffers
Featured Projects
Parsons Family: Waterline Project
Get Involved
Contact
Contact Kourtney Parks at 913.327.9617
Kourtney is the WRAPS coordinator for the Lower Kansas River Watershed. Growing up she traveled frequently, but passing through the great plains of Kansas always gave a sense of homecoming. Camping, hiking, and all things on the water spurred her interests in the great outdoors.
After receiving her bachelor’s of science, focused on Wildlife and Natural Resource Conservation, she worked inventorying landscape characteristics and in land trust management with an emphasis in wetlands and watersheds throughout Kansas. Her career steered her further into water quality issues and she has found a deep appreciation for the intersection of land owners and conservation.
In her free time, Kourtney enjoys spending time with family, hiking, camping, and kayaking, as well as learning about new places and ideas.
FAQ
- Do you give financial assistance for ponds? No, WRAPS does not fund the repair or construction of ponds. Please check with your local NRCS office.
- How much financial assistance do you provide for BMP projects? Typically, the safe answer is 70%, but that can look different for every project. Your time and labor equals money!
