The next meeting of Sunflower Recreational Trails will be held on Saturday 12 September in Marysville. SRT Board member Steve O’Neal and his wife, Carole, will be hosting a BBQ at their home from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for all SRT members and other trail advocates. In case of inclimate weather, the meeting will be held at the Wagon Wheel restaurant. After the meeting, a field trip will be held on a newly-completed section of the Blue River Rail-Trail. Three national historic trails pass through Marysville: Pony Express, Oregon-California and Mormon trails.
The O’Neal residence is located at 1174 11th Terrace. Directions are as follows: Go to 1124 Pony Express Highway and then head north on a private drive until you run out of road. Or go to Penny’s Diner & Oak Tree Inn on the south side of of US 36 (Pony Express Highway) and turn north at this intersection.
Steve O’Neal with Marshall County Connections reports the following:
On Saturday August 1, a consortium of Nebraskans from a host of trail groups and numerous individuals from the Marysville area constructed railings on two short bridges on the Blue River Rail-Trail. Lynn Lightner from the Nebraska Trails Foundation was the supervisor and planned the effort which went very smoothly. Marshall County Connections still has the long bridge to complete with the plans to first rail it, this in the next couple of weeks and then later (October) complete the roof structure for the bridge with the help of a couple of local contractors who volunteered their services. There was a small article in the local paper last week of the railing event and it included a photo during the work. Steve has received numerous calls and contacts since then expressing their desire to become involved. It is hoped the two-mile trail segment will be completed by mid-September.
age Hospitality is giving a free night’s lodging (availability limited) at its chain of hotels for those volunteering eight hours for a registered 501(c)(3) organization such as a trails organization. Volunteers must receive a letter from the organization documenting the volunteer work. Hotels include the Sheraton Kansas City, Holiday Inn Omaha, Courtyard by Marriott Denver, and Hilton Garden in Chicago. For details:
http://www.sagehospitality.com/specials/index.htm
The following article appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World (7-24-09):
German crew filming show on Santa Fe Trail
Topeka: A crew from Germany’s largest public television station is in Kansas filming a documentary about the Santa Fe Trail.
The team from ARD Network will be in the state through Sunday while following the historic trail from Missouri to New Mexico.
The Kansas Department of Commerce says the crew is interviewing people who live near the trail. The filmmakers are also talking with descendants of the pioneers and American Indians who lived along the trail when it was first used.
ARD Network plans to show the documentary this winter in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and later throughout Europe. Interest in the Santa Fe Trail is high in Europe and Japan and this show will increase awareness. Both the Flint Hills Nature Trail and the Sunflower Santa Fe Trail now being developed follow the general route of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. Once they are developed, visitors will be able to basically ride or walk the Santa Trail!
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy reports that there are now over 1,534 rail-trails totaling over 15,300 miles in America. Sunflower Recreational Trails reports that by year’s end Kansas will have at least 30 rail-trails totaling 132 miles of developed trail. This includes 51.9 miles for the Prairie Spirit Trail, 34.5 miles for the Flint Hills Nature Trail, 15 miles for the Landon Nature Trail, 8 miles for the Prairie Sunset Trail, 4 miles for the El Dorado Bike Trail and 3 miles for the Burroughs Creek/Haskell Trail.
Below is an excerpt from a Kansas City Star editorial (7-28-09): A recently updated parks system master plan includes good ways to do just that with an extended sales tax: Build more miles of trails and better connect them. This is a key to developing a larger and more popular system, much like the one in Johnson County, for growing numbers of bicyclists, runners and walkers. Platte County expects to add more than 12 miles to the Southern Platte County loop, and build 10 more miles of trails to connect the already popular Platte River greenways to the Prairie Creek greenway. The Weston Bluffs Trail, with its enjoyable views, would be extended by 4.5 miles.