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How kayakers are cleaning up the Kansas River

Kayakers are trying to clean up garbage from the Kansas River, but new trash keeps coming. Learn about the small nonprofit group determined to protect the waterway. Plus: Extreme drought in the Midwest and Great Plains is allowing a fungus that kills trees to flourish. How are forestry crews and experts adapting to rapidly changing tree canopies?

Volunteers are restoring the beauty of sandbars on the Kansas River by removing literal tons of decades-old garbage. From the Kansas News Service podcast Up From Dust, Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports.

Drought in the middle of the country is opening the door for pests and pathogens that can kill trees. That’s particularly true of a fungus that’s found on oak tree bark, which can turn deadly after extremely dry weather. Harvest Public Media contributor Jackie Ourada reports on how that’s impacting bur oak trees, once known as the "King of the Great Plains."

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Gabe Rosenberg. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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As KCUR’s Audience Editor, I‘m always asking: What do our communities need to know, and how can KCUR best deliver that? I help figure out how our journalism lives online, so we can serve more people, build trust with our communities, and amplify joy. Contact me at gabe@kcur.org
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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