LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A local Lawrence preservation group will bring native trees back to the banks of the Kansas River to help rid the waterway of pollution.

Friends of the Kaw was recently awarded a nearly $78,000 Douglas County Natural and Cultural Heritage grant to help restore native tree and plant species to a mile-long stretch of land along the river, the Lawrence Journal-World reported .

Riverkeeper Dawn Buehler says those plants' deep root systems protect against erosion and help filter pollutants out of storm water before it reaches the river, said Dawn Buehler, a riverkeeper for the...