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Up To Date

Johnson County will spend nearly $1.2 million to restore prairies and other habitats

By Steve Kraske,
Nora Crutcher-McGowan, Halle Jackson
Published August 24, 2026 at 4:00 PM CDT
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Native prairie plants such as coneflowers and milkweed attract pollinators, like bees and butterflies.
Courtesy of Courtney Materson
Native prairie plants such as coneflowers and milkweed attract pollinators, like bees and butterflies.

Johnson County Parks and Recreation Department got money to restore a range of habitats in the region — including prairies, woodlands and wetlands — to strengthen natural prevention against flooding and pollution.

Johnson County has just 0.006% of its untouched prairie left, according to Matt Garrett, who is the natural resource manager for Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. Restoring the natural prairie is critical to the area’s ecosystem and natural water systems.

“It just sucks all that stormwater directly in the ground. The roots on some of those plants can be 10, 14, 16 feet deep. And it just locks a lot of that pollution in the ground and it keeps it from getting into the creeks, keeps it from getting into our stormwater basins,” Garrett told KCUR’s Up To Date.

While Garret’s department has planted over 1,000 acres of prairie in the last five years, a new $1.19 million grant from Johnson County will allow the parks district and two local nonprofits to speed up prairie planting and other critical habitat restoration projects in the region.

This includes biodiversity planting in Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park, woodland restoration in Shawnee Mission Park and wetland restoration in several areas. The projects are part of what Garrett calls green infrastructure, which emphasizes “using nature versus working against it.”

Tags
Up To Date PodcastJohnson County, KansasShawnee Missionbiodiversityinfrastructuretallgrass prairieprairiehabitat
Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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Nora Crutcher-McGowan
Nora Crutcher-McGowan is the summer 2026 intern for Up To Date. She recently graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she worked for mid-Missouri's NPR station, KBIA. She has experience telling stories for her community through long-form audio and digital formats, and she is particularly drawn to reporting on third spaces.
See stories by Nora Crutcher-McGowan
Halle Jackson
In an era defined by the unprecedented, one thing remains certain: Kansas Citians’ passion for their hometown. As an Up To Date producer, I construct daily conversations to keep our city connected. My work analyzes big challenges and celebrates achievements to help you see your town in a new way. Email me at hallejackson@kcur.org.
See stories by Halle Jackson
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