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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at Kaw Lake strives to make improvements, big and small, every day of every year. These improvements range among prescribed burning, implementing po
llinator plots, maintaining fences and boundary lines, updating amenities and utilities, installing playground equipment and so much more. Some of these bigger improvement projects could not have been completed by the Kaw Lake Project Office on its own due to limited budgets and rising costs. The project office is very fortunate to have excellent partnerships with Phillips 66 Ponca City and the City of Kaw City, who both support local improvement projects promoting recreation and environmental stewardship. Collaboration with Phillips 66 and Kaw City stands as a shining example of what can be achieved when public and private entities with the same goals unite.
These partnerships have led to numerous improvements across the Kaw Lake area. A significant early success was the installation of a new playground structure at Coon Creek in 2017, the first of its kind at the lake since the 1970s. The momentum continued with a variety of impactful projects, including the planting of flowering pollinator plots to support local and migratory species, the relocation of a picnic pavilion to Sandy Swim Beach—complete with new tables, grills and a concrete pad—and the installation of three water safety bulletin boards around the lake. Partnership funds have been contributed for the expansion of parking areas, interpretive signage, a year-round vault-style restroom facility at the Coon Creek boat ramp, a new floating courtesy dock at Coon Creek, the development of the fitness trail near the Overlook, and the new ADA-compliant picnic pavilion with concrete sidewalks and parking area at Coon Creek. Donated partnership funds are also being used in support of our local “Learn to Swim” initiative, aiding Kaw Lake to purchase canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and other relevant supplies so that we may deliver quality water safety and safe swimming demonstrations. This is just a briefing of what our combined efforts through partnerships, previous and current, have been able to achieve. While our work with Phillips 66 and Kaw City has been extensive, we also value our history of previous projects with other partners, including the Kaw Lake Education Foundation, the Phillips 66 Veterans Network and the Kaw Lake Association.
As you have read from this quick description, partnerships play a big role in Kaw Lake’s mission to provide safe and memorable recreational and educational experiences for all our visitors. We are always happy to partner with businesses and organizations with goals relating to public safety, recreation, environmental stewardship, outdoor education and youth engagement in the outdoors. If you have similar goals and project ideas, please reach out to the Kaw Lake office at 580-762-5611 or [email protected]. Our new office hours are Monday and Friday from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
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