Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge, Kansas – Volunteer Vacations 2022

Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge is one in a system of over 550 refuges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and dedicated to the preservation and conservation of wildlife. The Refuge is named after the Marais des Cygnes River which runs through the middle of the refuge and is the dominant natural feature of the region. The name, Marais des Cygnes, comes from the French language and means Marsh of the Swans. It is presumed that trumpeter swans, which were historically common in the Midwest, used the wetlands adjacent to the Marais des Cygnes River during spring and fall migration.

The Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge contains 5 trails that are available for public use. The Mosaic Trail resides within the south-eastern portion of the refuge and was originally designed as a loop trail (1.2 miles). Previous management efforts had been made to re-design it; however, this effort was not completed, and the trail has been neglected for several years. In the scope of this project, the crew will work on rehabilitating the trail and re-constructing trail pathway boundaries and bridges. This work may include, but is not limited to; limbing, string trimming, leveling, hauling and distribution of gravel, and hammering/drilling. Nearby resides a fishing access area that has suffered extreme erosion and damage. In this access area, there is a metal staircase that has fallen onto the shoreline and the access route has now become hazardous for visitors and staff. In the scope of this project, the crew will work to remove these hazardous structures and will reconstruct the trail and a new staircase to allow access to the Marais des Cygnes River for recreational shoreline fishing.

AHS acknowledges with gratitude that this project takes place on the traditional lands of the ?????? ???? ???? ??^??^(Osage), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) and Kaskaskia peoples past and present. We honor the land itself, the Indigenous communities who have stewarded this land for generations, and those who continue to steward these lands today. AHS invites all volunteers to join us in our commitment to support and amplify the work of Indigenous communities as they work to dismantle the systems of oppression that these communities continue to face today.