WAM-SAG-MAN TRAIL WEBSITE. There is a new website for the Wam-Sag-Man Trail, www.wam-sag-man.org. The trail will link Wamego with St. George and Manhattan. The paved pathway will follow the Old Military Road and along the Union Pacific Railroad line (making it a rails with trails project). The new recreational trail will link up with the Manhattan Linear Park Trail (two miles of which are a rail-trail) and will also form a segment of the Quad States Trails Network.
RAIL-TRAILS IN AMERICA AND KANSAS. According to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, there are now more than 1,500 rail-trails totaling 15,300 miles in America. In Kansas there are over eight completed rail-trails totaling more than 94 miles with over 18 rail-trail projects in the works. The longest completed rail-trail in Kansas is the 52-mile Prairie Spirit Trail which stretches between Ottawa and Iola.
TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT FUNDING CUT AGAIN. On March 6, 2008, the Bush Administration ordered state transportation departments to return $3.15 billion in transportation funds. This will result in another cut in federal Transportation Enhancement monies which fund development of recreational paths in the Sunflower State. Earlier in the decade Kansas received about $10 million annually in TE funds but now due to repeated rescissions by the Bush Administration and actions by KDOT, there is only $7 million available every other year. So cities and state agencies will be competing for fewer dollars resulting in fewer miles of trails being built in the Sunflower State. The FY 2009-10 grant awards should be announced by KDOT soon. It is hoped that the new administration will end these rescissions.
NATIONAL TRAILS DAY CELEBRATIONS. Celebrations will be held all across the country on National Trails Day which is Saturday June 7 this year. Americans of all walks of life will bicycle, walk, run, jog, rollerblade, wheelchair ride or horseback ride on America's outstanding recreational trails. It should be noted that originally the Welda-Iola section of the Prairie Spirit Trail was to be officially opened and dedicated on National Trails Day but continued construction delays have postponed this. Also, the trail detours between Garnett and Richmond will continue until next summer. Interest in the new trail section is high with trail officials getting over ten emails a day asking when it will open.
MAGAZINE FEATURES MILL CREEK STREAMWAY. Rails to Trails Magazine (Summer '08) published by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy features an article on Johnson County's Mill Creek Streamway. Kansas City Star writer Mike Hendricks reports in his article "Going with the Flow" that the 17-mile path has more than 700,000 visitors each year. The scenic paved path winds through wooded hills and meadows along Mill Creek from Olathe to an island in the Kansas River. A good access point is the popular and scenic Shawnee Mission Park.