Kansas Trail News for February 10, 2012 from Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy:
Kanza Reaches 50 Mile Mark
Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy has completed 50 miles of trail! This remarkable achievement has been reached within only ten years. Plus, the Conservancy has raised over $750,000 in grants during the same period, so the average cost of trail development has been $15,000 per mile which is far less than what was spent on the Prairie Spirit Trail by the State of Kansas. This achievement is even more remarkable when one realizes that the 117-mile Flint Hills Nature Trail is the longest rail-trail in America being developed by a nonprofit organization.
Recently, the organization received a $23,000 supplemental grant from the WS & EC Jones Trust, Bank of America, Trustee, to complete a 23-mile section between Council Grove and east of Admire and a $18,000 grant from the Lattner Family Foundation to complete 3-mile stretch of the Landon Nature Trail south from Overbrook. Plus, a re-designation of $21,000 in funds will allow the completion of a 10-mile section of the Flint Hills Trail from US 75 west of Vassar to Quenemo. These projects should be completed by the end of the summer.
Three Bridges Trail In Marquette Progresses
Marquette City Clerk Fred Peterson reports: “We had a Marquette trail work day last Saturday, January 28, 2012. Even the Mayor showed up along with 15 other people to trim trees, clear brush, and pick up trash or debris. Our monthly public interest meetings and continual education of the city council and articles in the newspaper is starting to pay off. Our Public Works Director is even grading part of the west end of the trail. We also applied for a $25,000 grant from the Sunflower Foundation.”
March 3 Spring SRTC Meeting
The Spring 2012 meeting of Sunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy will be held on Saturday, March 3 in Cottonwood Falls at the Grand Central Hotel. Items for discussion include the Railbanking Initiative (5 of the 6 rail corridors have been railbanked) and the revised Good Neighbor Policy. The meeting will begin at 11:00 a.m. All trails enthusiasts are invited. After the meeting adjourns at 2:00 pm, there will be a field trip to a newly-opened section of the Flint Hills Nature Trail which cuts through tallgrass covered hills.
Black Hoof Park and Lake Lenexa
The following is excerpted from KRPA Today, Winter 2011-2012:
Just a few miles off K-7 on Monticello Road in Lenexa and nestled in the forest among rock outcroppings, is the beautiful Lake Lenexa and the recently completed Black Hoof Park. The 240-acre park with its 35-acre lake centerpiece, represents a harmonious balance between nature sanctuary and recreational destination, and is Lenexa’s leading example of the city’s focus on sustainability.
Black Hoof Park, which was named in honor of the Second Chief Black Hoof of the Shawnee Indian tribe, was construction as a Rain to Recreation project aimed at reducing flooding, preserving the woodlands and streamways, and providing new recreational and educational opportunities for the community. In addition to Lake Lenexa, the park features three wetlands…and five miles of trails connect the lake to surrounding neighborhoods along protected streamways.
(T)here are many new sustainable elements and features, and has enhanced the park’s reputation as a recreation destination for the entire family….[T]hese include a nature-themed destination play area, which blends traditional play structures with natural features. The play area invites children and adults to connect with nature through a play stream, climbing boulders, stepping stones, balance logs and educational opportunities. Equipment in the new play area offers a wide variety of exercise options for all ages and features spinners, a zip-line track and the tallest slide in Lenexa.
The park is located at 9053 Monticello Road in Lenexa.
National Trails Day Is June 2
Excerpted from the American Hiking Society’s website:
National Trails Day® is a celebration of trails that evolved from the report of President Ronald Reagan’s President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors. In 1987, the report recommended that all Americans be able to go out their front doors and within fifteen minutes, be on trails that wind through their cities or towns and bring them back without retracing steps…America’s 200,000 miles of trails allow us access to the natural world for recreation, education, exploration, solitude, inspiration, and much more. Trails take us to good physical and mental health by providing us with a chance to breathe fresh air, get our hearts pumping, and escape from our stresses.
Register your trail event at americanhiking.org.
Sea Life Aquarium To Open In KC April 6
From KCTV5 in Kansas City:
Sea Life KC, Kansas City’s first large scale aquarium, will finally receive the 130,000 gallons of water it takes to fill it up. The aquarium will house 5,000 different species of sea life including sharks.
Visitors will be able to walk through underwater tunnels to get a fully immersed experience.
The aquarium opens in April. Admission will range from $19 for adults and $12 for children. [read more]
It will open in Crown Center.
Kansas River Water Trail Proposed
Establishing the Flint Hills area as a new easement-based Flint Hills Conservation Area and a proposed Kansas River Water Trail are among 100 projects nationwide that are highlighted in a new report — two in every state — as part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda and reconnect Americans to the outdoors… The Kansas River is a unique natural resource for Kansas and provides an attractive regional recreational opportunity. Over two million people live in the various cities and towns along the river, from the Kansas City metro area west to Junction City. The designation and development of a “Kansas River Water Trail” is a high priority for the Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism, and would be the state’s first public water trail.
~ Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, US Dept. of Interior news release 11-01-11.
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
