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Central Standard

Nature In The City: KC In Spring

After a drawn out winter where we in Kansas City found ourselves hibernating through the snow and ice of March, spring has finally sprung. The trees are blooming and the landscape is finally peppered with color as plants and wildlife emerge from dormancy. On this Central Standard, we explore the nature around us as we transition into Spring. 

Larry Rizzo of the Missouri Department of Conservation and Joe Werner, the Conservation Coordinator for Kansas City Power and Light Company join us to discuss the questions you have about the nature in your life. Should you let raccoons live under your porch (no), how do you get more frogs into your garden (a water pond!) and how do you tell the difference between a garter snake and any other (a long stripe down its back). 

Below are additional resources Rizzo and Werner mentioned on the air:

birds.cornell.edu (identifying bird noise)
www.livemonarch.org (free milkweed seeds available to feed to monarch butterflies to combat their path to extinction)
www.collidescape.org (order decals for your window that deter birds from flying into the glass)

As managing podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I want to feed your curious mind, offer historical context so you understand why things are the way they are, and introduce you to the people working to make a difference behind the scenes. Reach me at hogansm@kcur.org.
Matthew Long-Middleton has been a talk-show producer, community producer, Media Training Manager and now the Community Engagement Manager at KCUR. You can reach him at Matthew@kcur.org, or on Twitter @MLMIndustries.