A cleanup day scheduled for March 10 on Shop Creek has been canceled due to the weather, said Mandy Kern, program specialist for the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.

Volunteers planned to work on the portion of Shop Creek that crosses NE 20 Ave. and feeds into The Nature Conservancy Preserve of Cheyenne Bottoms.

“With the drought at Cheyenne Bottoms, we can see and easily access trash that has blown in or been dumped in the waterways of our wetland,” Kern said earlier this year. However, with the recent rain there is some water in Shop Creek. More inclement weather is anticipated next week and even if there is no water in the creek could be muddy.

Students learn about wetlands

Middle school and junior high students throughout Barton County were challenged to join the cleanup event, but as of this week there weren’t many people signed up, Kern said.

She visited schools throughout Barton County over a two-week period heading into World Wetlands Day, which was Feb. 2. Kern said she reached 622 youths and teachers as she shared the seven key benefits of wetlands: they revive biodiversity, replenish and filter our water supply, store carbon, blunt the impact of floods and storms, improve livelihoods, boost eco-tourism, and enhance well-being.   

About World Wetlands Day

World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year to raise awareness about wetlands. Feb. 2 marks the anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands in Ramsar, Iran. Through this convention, a treaty was signed for conservation and wise use of wetlands. Cheyenne Bottoms is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance through this treaty.