Kayakers are trying to clean up garbage from the Kansas River, but new trash keeps coming. Learn about the small nonprofit group determined to protect the waterway. Plus: Extreme drought in the Midwest and Great Plains is allowing a fungus that kills trees to flourish. How are forestry crews and experts adapting to rapidly changing tree canopies?

Volunteers are restoring the beauty of sandbars on the Kansas River by removing literal tons of decades-old garbage. From the Kansas News Service podcast Up From Dust, Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports.

Drought in the middle of the country is opening the door for pests and pathogens that can kill trees. That’s particularly true of a fungus that’s found on oak tree bark, which can turn deadly after extremely dry weather. Harvest Public Media contributor Jackie Ourada reports on how that’s impacting bur oak trees, once known as the "King of the Great Plains."

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Gabe Rosenberg. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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