Kansas Trail News for November 9, 2011 from Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy:
Derby’s Outstanding Trail Network
Family Circle magazine named Derby in 2007 as one of the Top 10 places to rear a family. With almost 20 miles of hike and bike paths that connect parks, schools, a recreation center, eating establishments and shopping, Derby is a fun place for recreation. BeHealthyDerby.com
Landon Trail Update
John Purvis, Landon Trail Superintendent, reports the current status of the Landon Trail project: Beginning at 15th & Monroe or in front of the Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site to SE 45th Street is open with concrete path. (4.5 MILES) SE 45th to 51St street is under construction. Latest information has the City finishing this short stretch by the spring. (.5 MILES) 51st Street to SE. 77th& Croco – Open with screenings. (5 MILES) Croco to 89th Street open with bladed surface. (3 MILES) 89th to Boundary of Clinton Lake Wildlife Area. Ready to open December 2011 with bladed surface. (1 MILE). West boundary of Clinton Lake Wildlife Area to Osage County Line, including across the Clinton Lake Wildlife Area only needs 3 bridges with handrailings installed. (bridge decks are all concreted). Open to Osage County Line this spring 2012. Approximately 16+ miles. Total
Ottawa Opens New Recreation Center
”Ottawa Recreation Commission held a grand opening Sept. 24 for its new 25,000 square-foot center. The $2.75 million facility—called the Goppert building—includes a gym with retractable basketball goals, a volleyball system, a multi-purpose room with kitchen, a three-lane elevated walking/jogging track, cardio workout area, open mezzanine space for social or group activities along a lobby and administrative offices. The building was constructed on five acres that were donated by USD 290 and is within walking distance of the high school and middle school. Ottawa Recreation Commission, USD 290 and others, including the Sunflower Foundation, partnered to also build a trail that connects the schools with the recreation center. The facility is the first free community recreation center open to the public in Ottawa and use will be shared with USD 290 and Ottawa University.”
Source: KRPA TODAY, Fall 2011
Flint Hills Discovery Center Nearing Completion
”The Flint Hills Discovery Center, a 35,000 square feet facility that celebrates the geology, biology and cultural history of the Flint Hills of Kansas, is scheduled to be opened in April, 2012. The facility, under the direction of the Manhattan Parks and Recreation, will include over 10,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, an “immersive” multi-media experience, classrooms, gardens café and store. The building is located at the arrival gateway to downtown Manhattan and is the centerpiece to downtown growth and redevelopment that includes several new hotels and a conference center.”
“The building is made of local limestone, layered in striated patterns that are reminiscent of the hills themselves. The stone façade is complimented by a glass cylinder lobby tower, with interior balcony that overlooks the second and third floors. Visitors will be greeted with an overview of the Flint Hills story that begins with the formation of the hills from fossilized organisms of an inland sea some 250 million years ago. For additional information visit flinthillsdiscovery.org.
Source: KRPA TODAY, Fall 2011
Of course, nearby is the 8,600-acre Konza Prairie with its network of hiking trails where visitors can actually explore the Flint Hills. See: keep.konza.ksu.edu
Buffalo Bill Center Under Way?
The status of the Buffalo Bill Visitor/Cultural Center project near Oakley is not known. KDOT approved in 2010 a federal Transportation Enhancements s grant to build the center. That is where William Cody had a contest with another buffalo hunter to claim the moniker “Buffalo Bill”. Cody shot 69 and Bill Comstock shot 46 in one day. Cody killed buffalo for food and not hides. He was paid to obtain buffalo meat for railroad crews and the cavalry.
Perhaps, Abilene should obtain a grant to build a visitor/cultural center for Wild Bill Hickok. He was actually a more important and famous Old West figure than Buffalo Bill.
Kansas Wetlands Education Center Wows Visitors
“The Kansas Wetlands Education Center recently opened in the Cheyenne Bottoms with a nature trail, family-friendly hands-on exhibits and classroom programs. Admission is free. On-site naturalists can direct you to that day’s birding hot spots. “ Source: Kansas Official Visitors Guide 2011-2012
Crystal Bridges Museum Of American Art Opens In Ozarks
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art just opened in Bentonville, Ark. in the Ozark Mountains. Built by billionaire Alice Walton a trail connects the museum with the town square. Below is taken from the website:
The trails and grounds of Crystal Bridges will be a must-see part of the Museum experience. More than 3.5 miles of trails are planned to wind among the streams, ponds, wetlands, native plants, and sculpture on the Museum’s 120-acre site. Designed to spark the imagination, the trails will help guests form connections to the land and its history, as well as learn about art and Arkansas plant life.
For more information see: crystalbridges.org
Trans Canada Trail To Open In 2017
”Everything about the Trans Canada Trail is huge. At 16,5000 kilometers (9,900 miles), it is already the world’s longest trail. When completed in 2017, the corridor will stretch 22,500 kilometers (13,500 miles), from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and from the United States border to the Arctic Ocean. More than 400 local trails compose the overall pathway, which links more than 1,000 communities. (Many of the trails are rail-trails)…When completed, TCT will be within a half-hour’s drive for 34 million Canadians…Finishing the trail, however, will cost about $40 million because much of the remaining work is through the Rocky Mountains.”
—Rails-to-Trails Magazine, Winter 2011
Kansas Trail News is published by Clark H. Coan, Public Information Specialist for Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy, Inc., P.O. Box 44-2043, Lawrence, KS 66044, 785-842-3458. Reprinted with permission. If you have any trail news you’d like to share, please contact us.Post tags: Kansas Trail News
