Message behind new signs popping up around Kansas City metro

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Keep your eyes open this February. You may notice something new appearing across Kansas City.

February 2nd is knowns as World Wetlands Day. As of 2026, it is also Wetlands Day in Kansas City, according to Andy Shively the Deputy Director of KC Water.

“It is estimated that 90 percent of our wetlands globally have been degraded in some form since the 1700s so this is about raising public awareness about the importance of wetlands,” Shively said.

In 2024, KC Water received a $363,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The department used the funding to update and digitize the city’s wetland maps.

That means mapping things like lakes, rivers, floodplains, and creeks.

The result of the project is the most detailed wetland map in Kansas City’s history, according to KC Water.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Most of the people who live in Kansas City never think about the area’s wetlands.

The area is credited with filtering pollution from streams, preventing floods, and protecting Kansas City’s water supply.

They are also areas where birds nest, fish spawn, and hundreds of plant species thrive.

For the past 40 years, the city was using wetland maps from the 1980s. No one had a clear picture of where the ecosystems actually were, how they’d changed, or how many acres were involved.

SEE THE SIGNS

As you drive through KC this month, you’ll see signs highlighting area wetlands and their importance.

Supporters hope the signs will invite people to think about and visit the thousands of acres of wetlands around the Kansas City area.

KC Water also hopes it reminds people to take action.

“Just simply knowing that this federal resource map is now available and being cognizant of picking up trash. Don’t litter. And then when you consider what work you will be doing that’s near a lake, river, creek or floodplain, know that it could be wetland and check your resource map before you do something,” Shively said.

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