Platte County Parks Receives Trails Grant

The Platte County Park and Recreation Department has been awarded a $100,000 Recreation Trails grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The county's project was one of 18 approved out of 59 requested from across the state.

The grant will fund the construction of an additional 1.3 miles of asphalt trail along the existing Prairie Creek Greenway. Once completed, the trail will connect the north trailhead to Platte Valley Park in Platte City. For more information, call Platte County Parks at (816) 858-3419.

Prairie Creek Greenway will be one of several regional National Trails Day event sites on June 5. For more information about this event and others throughout the region, visit the MetroGreen® website.

Jackson County upgrades Longview Bike Trail

The Jackson County Parks & Recreation Department has received a $250,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation as part of funds awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grant will fund the replacement of the Longview Bicycle Trail along Longview Lake.

The 6.8-mile asphalt-surface trail is 8 feet wide, approximately 25 years old and in need of replacement. The reconstruction — which will follow the existing trail alignment — will adhere to current trail standards, creating a 10-foot-wide trail with 2-foot shoulders on each side. The new trail surface material will predominately be compacted aggregate, although steep slopes will have a concrete surface.

Construction is anticipated to begin in early summer with completion expected by the end of the year.

Little Blue Trace Extension

Independence Parks & Recreation and Jackson County Parks & Recreation are working to extend the Trace Trail from Interstate I-70 south to Lee's Summit Road. The city of Independence is working with the Missouri Department of Transportation to solicit bids for the construction phase of the project. Once the bids are sent to MODOT for concurrence and approval is received from the Jackson County Legislature the contracting and authorization process will take place. The city anticipates the construction to begin in late summer or early fall.

The project is estimated to cost $850,000. Jackson County Public Works has the Little Blue Extension out for bid on its website, all bids are due on May 25. More information»

Line Creek Trail Dedication

Local officials from Kansas City, Mo., marked the completion of the first phase of the Line Creek Trail Street on Saturday, April 24. The mile-long segment, which extends from NW Platte Brooke Drive to NW 68th St. is part of a regional trail system that will eventually connect Riverside, Parkville and Smithville. As part of the road construction at NW 68th and Waukomis, a mile of the 64th Street trail and a quarter mile of Line Creek trail will be constructed. Work will continue on finishing this trail with segments being constructed south of 68th Street this summer.

Earth Riders Trail Association receives award

Earth Riders Trail Association (ERTA) volunteers Matt Woody and Clay Lozier were recently honored with the Missouri Park and Recreation Association's Citation Award, presented during the organization's state conference on March 3.

The award recognizes the work ERTA volunteers have conducted over the last two years, particularly the creation of a 5.3-mile single track off-road mountain bike trail at Stocksdale Park and Walnut Woods in Liberty, Mo. Volunteers averaged approximately 500 volunteer hours per year on the trail.

Woody and Lozier worked with local and state jurisdictions to establish the trail and now serve as trail managers on the ERTA Advisory Board. They will organize work days, recruit and manage volunteers, promote scheduled trails events and encourage trail use. Learn more about the trail and volunteer opportunities at earthriders.org.

West Branch Sni-A-Bar project update

A community meeting was held on March 17 for the West Branch Sni-A-Bar Green Infrastructure Concept Plan project. The project area includes an 8-mile stretch of the West Branch Sni-A-Bar Creek and connects to the Sni-A-Bar greenway corridor identified in the MetroGreen plan.

The concept plan's purpose is to identify conservation areas along the stream corridor and develop restoration guidelines that improve water quality and take into consideration the other natural resource protection benefits stated in the MetroGreen plan.

An ecological inventory of the project area will be completed this summer.

Biking directions available on Google Maps

Google recently added biking directions and extensive bike trail data to Google Maps, allowing riders to customize trips and calculate efficient and rider-friendly routes.

The application provides information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads directly on the map. This gives users access to more details about specific routes and lets them identify nearby recreational trails. Biking directions are not currently available on mobile device apps.

View a video tutorial on Google's bike map function.

Recreational Trails Program Grant

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) provides funds to states to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. The RTP is an assistance program of the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Federal transportation funds benefit recreation including hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, equestrian use, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, off-road motorcycling, all-terrain vehicle riding, four-wheel driving, or using other off-road motorized vehicles.

Applications for Recreational Trails Program grants are due May 17, 2010. Projects require a minimum match of 20 percent. All projects must be maintained for 25 years. Eligible applicants include cities and counties, schools, and private, non-profit and for-profit businesses.

• More information about the grant program or applications
• Missouri grant coordinator: Bonnie Higdon, (573) 751-3442 or bonnie.higdon@dnr.mo.gov
• Kansas grant coordinator: Jerry Hoover, (316) 672-5911 or Jerryrh@wp.state.ks.us

Kodak American Greenways Awards

The Eastman Kodak Company, The Conservation Fund and the National Geographic Society team up each year to present the Kodak American Greenways Awards Program. One major element of the program involves "seed" grant awards to organizations that are expanding the nation's network of greenways, blueways, trails and natural areas.

Applications for the Kodak American Greenways Awards are due June 15, 2010. Organizations can receive up to $2,500, but most grants range from $500 to $1,000. The focus of this year's program is on greenway projects that involve natural, cultural and/or sociopolitical historical themes.

To learn more, visit the Kodak American Greenways Program website.

KCMO "Green Exposures" photo contest

Kansas City, Mo., Parks and Recreation is hosting its annual "Green Exposures" photo contest. All entries must be taken at a KCMO park or facility. Entries will be accepted through March 17, 2011. More information»

Regional Upland Bird Partnership

The Regional Upland Bird Partnership was formed in 2008 to help address declining upland bird populations for both game and non-game species in northeast Kansas. The primary focus of the group is to partner with other agencies and organizations in the region to restore and protect habitat for game species as well as priority non-game species. The leadership team includes representatives from Quail Forever, Pheasants Forever (PF), Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Kansas Resource Conservation and Development, Kansas State Conservation Commission, Kansas Alliance for Wetlands/Streams, Flint Hills Chapter PF and Fort Leavenworth/Leavenworth PF. This team has developed a set of goals that will lead future activities of the organization.

Goals:

• Promote continuous Conservation Reserve Programs (CRP) for expiring CRP contracts
• Develop and distribute marketing information and educational materials to promote upland game and economics
• Develop more habitat improvement teams/capabilities in NE Kansas
• Improve brood habitat
• Conduct upland bird workshops to promote good habitat and wildlife management activities
• Establish incentives to encourage land management practices beneficial to upland birds
• Obtain additional funds to support initiatives

To learn more, visit their website or contact John Bond at Jbond@kaws.org.

Share information about your MetroGreen and local trail system accomplishments; contact Jillian Hishaw at jhishaw@marc.org or (816) 701-8275.