Wakarusa River Valley Vision and Area Plan
In order to balance the diversity of conservation values within the river corridor and the development needs of our growing community, the County, in partnership with government and institutional partners and the planning firm Biohabitats, will conduct spatial analysis and collaborative long-term visioning for holistic and proactive planning.
The process will layer analysis of hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, future growth projections, ecological and cultural data, infrastructure, and land use designations. The result will be a gradient of conservation importance and diagrammatic corridor plan to guide future protection and balanced development within the river corridor from Clinton Dam to the Kansas River.
The vision and planning process will be achieved in 2025. This spring, the Biohabitats team has been analyzing existing conditions and meeting with a variety of advisors including land managers, conservation organizations, governmental departments, and cultural advisors. Results of that work will be posted here during the summer. In the fall, the team will host a multiday workshop including a public open house. We will advertise widely during late summer, and you can watch for announcements through the County’s newsroom.
This plan is a direct result of the community response received from the Open Space Plan completed in 2022. During that process, the community emphasized the importance of prioritizing conservation within the Wakarusa River Valley. In direct response, the Wakarusa River Valley Vision and Area Plan will serve as an actionable, guiding framework to balance development opportunities and conservation recommendations for the county, municipalities, and land stewards in the study area, as well as to inform the broader community about progress on the Open Space Plan. The area being studied is the River Corridor from Clinton Dam to the Kansas River.