What are we all about_ We are about protecting and enjoying our Kansas environment. We educate. We hike. We organize. We canoe. We litigate. We meet. We lobby. And, it’s the water... In Kansas, it’s all about water. We face many challenges in our efforts to keep our water safe and clean. We must work with agricultural experts, farmers, and lawmakers to find the very best ways to insure our water is safe to drink, and that our rivers, streams and lakes are safe for us to canoe, fish and swim in. We must also guarantee that our aquifers are protected for all future generations. It’s our water...

Your Kansas Chapter has taken the responsibility for the protection of our Kansas environment.

Our mission is simple...

• Explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth
• Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources
• Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment
• Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives

Protecting Our Earth
In Kansas, we must fight hard against air and water pollution, sprawl in our cities that encroaches on our remaining habitat and the surrounding farmland.

We must fight hard to ensure that the Clean Water Act is enforced. Kansas has too long dragged its heels and ignored the requirements that our rivers, lakes and streams be fishable and swimable. Our waterways must be more than the means of moving waste downstream.

We must fight hard to stop encroachments into protected areas such as our fragile and valuable wetlands.

We must fight hard to guarantee that our ground water aquifers waters remain for all future generations.

We must fight hard against abuses by mega-hog factories that ruin the lives of rural people and weaken the family farm.

We must fight hard to make Kansas a leader in the use of alternative energy sources such as wind.

Enjoying Our Wild Places
Your Kansas Chapter is also well prepared to enjoy and appreciate the natural world. Our local groups, Kanza Group in Kansas City, Southwind Group in Wichita, Wakarusa Group in Lawrence, and Flint Hills Group in Manhattan, provide events and learning experiences that teach us about and let us experience the wonders of the wild.

From hiking the Flint Hills, to canoeing the Buffalo River, to climbing in the Rockies, our outings and trips provide wonderful opportunities to immerse ourselves in nature. John Muir said it best, “Keep close to Nature’s heart … and break clear away once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”

The local Groups also provide learning experiences for the whole family. Our general meetings, picnics, and committees bring us together and let us share our common love for our wondrous planet.

Our Victories
Whether we stop a highway on the verge of plundering a wetland, force the protection of our precious water, convince a hog factory to move elsewhere, or find a new peace by a quiet stream... we can celebrate, from deep within, our personal and shared victories when we each discover our own ways to honor and protect the earth.

The Sierra Club is the largest grassroots national environmental organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and enjoying the environment on Earth. Our Kansas Chapter represents your state's strongest voice for protection in your city, in Topeka and across the nation. If you feel our environment is worth protecting for your children, join the Sierra Club today!

This home page was last updated on October 5, 2003