Habitat protection
An increase in developed land area directly affects wildlife. As large blocks of open space are broken up, disjointed by neighborhoods, roads, shopping centers and even parks, the available space in which animals live, find food and reproduce is lost.

Habitat protection is striking a balance between the man-made landscape and the natural areas needed for wildlife. Connected habitat allow movement and protection to sustain wildlife populations in a suburban landscape, while preserving open space and greenways for recreation.

What is riparian habitat? Creeks, streams and the greenways that protect them are ready-made wildlife corridors. They provide various habitat types that encourage many animals and birds to find food and make their way around the city. What’s more, to protect water quality, it’s imperative to protect the surrounding habitat, called riparian corridors or zones. Riparian corridors are the green vegetated areas adjacent to a creek, stream, or river. They protect water quality by capturing, storing, and treating water through their soils before it gets to streams and by serving as natural floodplains.

Instead of allowing water to flow directly into a stream after a rainstorm or snowmelt, a healthy riparian area holds and stores water, trapping as much as 80 to 90 percent of sediments and pollutants. Native plants hold streambank soils in place, protecting them from erosion and undercutting by floodwaters and debris. Riparian zones also provide wildlife habitat and corridors for traveling, enabling animals to live and move along river systems, even in urban areas.

Habitat in Lenexa
Rain to Recreation works to preserve riparian habitat and protect wildlife, working in partnership with other departments in the city to:
• Integrate stormwater management early in site planning.
• Promote dense clustering of development in suitable areas and require setbacks from streams to preserve habitat and environmentally sensitive areas.
• Factor in natural waterways when planning, based on a 2001 city-wide stream inventory.
• Utilize green infrastructure and other stormwater BMPs that promote habitat preservation and protection within city capital improvement projects.
• Emphasize simple, nonstructural and low-cost methods to create multifunctional landscapes, including preserving existing habitat.
• Provide training and information to the city’s professional planning, engineering and related development review staff and administrators regarding green infrastructure and stormwater management.

What you can do
To help wildlife and riparian habitat near your home or business, follow these tips:

• Plant native vegetation in and around your property to promote a variety of wildlife species.
• Maintain vegetative buffer areas next to water bodies. These buffers provide habitat and act as filters for stormwater runoff.
• Support efforts in the Lenexa community that protect important habitat areas through volunteer opportunities.

Did you know?
Lenexa lies in the Osage Cuestas ecoregion of Kansas, primarily tallgrass prairie habitat.

To learn more about Lenexa’s habitat protection and restoration efforts, contact Alice Hannon, Watershed Superintentendent.