The Kansas House of Representatives is currently debating the merits of creating Lehigh Portland State Park.
To be honest, it’s a little unnerving to realize the park’s fate lies in the hands of our legislators, many of whom have never been our way, but we trust they will have the region’s best interests in mind when they cast their votes.
FOR LONGTIMERS, the park would recognize efforts to further develop recreational opportunities.
This is not said cavalierly.
Many of us have never known anything but city streets and a patchwork of sidewalks to take a walk or ride our bikes.
Yes, there’s countryside. Oodles of it.
But it’s wild and woolly. Most uninviting. And private.
It wasn’t until 2007, that abandoned railroad corridors converted into scenic trailways made their way to Iola. Over the next 15 years, local volunteers have worked to extend the trails south to Humboldt as well as a network of trails around the long-idled Lehigh Portland cement quarry that is now a pristine lake.
The trails were a game-changer.
Not only do we now have beautiful, safe places to enjoy the outdoors, but others are taking notice.
In fact, the trails have become recruitment tools for prospective professionals intrigued by our rural lifestyle.
NEWCOMERS tell the story best.
“On a visit to meet my future employer, a group of community organizers took us to the Lehigh trails,” Erik Unruh, a new physician, wrote in his testimony prepared for the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. “We were floored. The stunning natural beauty hooked us. Now, whenever we have visitors in town, the Lehigh Trails are a must-see.”
The thought of moving to a small town in rural Kansas gave his wife, Maria Unruh, pause.
“It was hard for me to think about giving up the options a larger city provides,” she wrote. “I wasn’t convinced we would fit in. How would we find a connection?”
