A project to restore the Wakarusa riverbank is set to wrap up in the next few weeks.

Two of the final three volunteer work days for the Wakarusa Riverbank Restoration Project in Eudora will take place Tuesday, May 3, and Thursday, May 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each day. The other work day, doubling as a project celebration, will take place in between from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 14. Activities will include removing invasive species and planting the prairie and riverbank with beneficial native plants; such plants protect the river by slowing and filtering runoff and preventing erosion.

Reservations are required to attend and can be made via an online form. Those with more questions can contact Kim Bellemere at kim.bellemere@kansasriver.org.

The project is a collaboration between Friends of the Kaw, Native Lands LLC and Eudora Parks and Recreation. It’s funded by Natural and Cultural Heritage Grant dollars from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council. Friends of the Kaw received $120,865 total in grant funding from four grant years: 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020. Along with the Wakarusa Riverbank Restoration Project, those grant funds were used for projects such as a similar restoration of the Kansas River watershed throughout Douglas County, and educational programming related to history and conservation action.