A Voice for the Kansas Environment since 1981
"Water and the Making of Kansas"
The 1988 KNRC booklet can now be read online
Read past issues of the KNRC Journal
The KNRC website is hosted on servers 100% powered by
wind energy.
Founded in 1981, KNRC was the first environmental organization to focus exclusively on Kansas issues. A board of directors from across the state oversees KNRC policy.
| Members of the KNRC Board: | |
| Larry Erickson Manhattan
Jennifer Byer Wendy Griswold Donald Kaiser James Mason |
Zack Pistora Kathy Riordan Vic Robbins James Steichen Margaret Thomas |
KNRC speaks out to:
 | Protect the quality and supplies of Kansas' water. |
| Support sustainable family farming practices that respect and restore the land and the community. |
| Ensure a competitive energy market where renewable resources and conservation can flourish. |
| Reduce the exposure to hazardous and nuclear wastes. |
| Promote responsible solid waste management focusing on waste reduction, recycling and reuse. |
| Encourage environmentally sound industrial practices. |
"Health is
the capacity of the land for self-renewal.
Conservation is our effort to understand
and preserve that capacity."
- Aldo Leopold
As Kansans, we enjoy a rich natural inheritance of land,
water and energy.
Our well-being depends upon the wise use of these gifts, for they
are the sources of our prosperity.
We can no longer afford to squander top soil and
fossil fuels or to pollute our water supplies.
That is why the Kansas Natural Resource Council searches for ways to balance our demands with our available resources. KNRC's goal is to build sustainable natural resource policies - to harvest our inheritance at a rate that assures an equal abundance of resources for our children.
"Economy" and "Ecology" both have
a common root
in the Greek word for "home".
When we preserve the integrity of our Kansas
environment, we enhance the vitality of our homes, businesses, and communities.
- KNRC in action -
| Researches natural resource issues. | ||||||
| Proposes innovative solutions to resource problems in Kansas. | ||||||
| Lobbies the Kansas Legislature. | ||||||
| Monitors the actions of state agencies. | ||||||
| Intervenes in state agency proceedings to ensure the enforcement of environmental laws. | ||||||
| Reports on issues and actions through:
| ||||||
| Creates opportunities for citizen participation in resource policy-making. | ||||||
| Speaks publicly before a variety of audiences and on radio and television. | ||||||
| Hosts environmental conferences and workshops. | ||||||
| Pursues citizen lawsuits as a last resort to enforce environmental protection laws. |
-The KNRC has worked actively to protect our water-
| The Kansas River is ranked as one of the country's ten most endangered rivers by American Rivers, a national conservation group. | KNRC has been a vocal opponent of commercial sand dredging that would damage sections of the Kansas River used by nature enthusiasts. KNRC has called for limiting the use of herbicides, which are contaminating the drinking water supply and costing cities millions of dollars to clean up before reaching consumers' homes. |
| Kansas ranks 50th in the nation for surface water pollution under the Clean Water Act, 44th in agricultural pollution, and 42nd overall in the nation's non-partisan Green Index. | KNRC is committed to participation in pollution prevention, which is safer and less expensive than remedying the damages. |
| Feedlots and livestock waste are one of the top three sources of pollution of Kansas' waters. | KNRC
helped stop legislation to deregulate
feedlots. In this case and many others, special interest groups are working to repeal existing environmental laws governing feedlots and their resulting water contamination. |
- Become a member of the Kansas Natural Resource Council! -
Won't you join us?
As a member of the Kansas Natural Resource Council, you become an active caretaker of the
Kansas environment. When you join, you will receive:
| A cleaner, safer environment in which to live, work and raise the next generation |
| The Journal, KNRC's periodic newsletter that analyzes current developments in Kansas water, energy, and waste policies to keep you up to date on what is happening |
| The KLUE, a weekly legislative update to help you track environmental bills in the Kansas Legislature |
Annual Dues:
| Student/ Senior $25 |
| Regular $30 |
| Family $40 |
| Organization/Institutional $60 |
(See our membership form on this web page.)
Write us at:
KNRC
P.O. Box 2635
Topeka, KS 66601
Email:
Larry Erickson - President lerick@ksu.edu
Jim Mason - KNRC Webmaster jmason15@cox.net