Gov. Jeff Colyer has given his blessing to a new state park for the Flint Hills.
On Tuesday, the governor signed Senate Bill 331, which adds the Flint Hills Trail State Park to the list. The state park now brackets the nearly 120-mile Flint Hills Nature Trail stretching from Osawatomie to Herington, including several towns in the KVOE listening area north of Emporia: Osage City, Miller, Admire, Allen, Bushong and Council Grove.
Mayors along the trail, including Admire’s Mike Spade, Bushong’s Gary Smith and Council Grove’s Debi Schwerdtfeger, have all expressed their support for the new state park.
Besides creating the state park, the new state law also creates a 14-member advisory council to assess the development, staffing, maintenance and promotion of the park.
The Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park was also added with Gov. Colyer’s signature Tuesday.
Flint Hills Trail State Park becomes the second state park in the immediate KVOE listening area. Eisenhower State Park, the other state park in the area, is located at Melvern Lake.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s website currently does not list Flint Hills Trail State Park but will soon. For more information about the state park system, go online to www.ksoutdoors.com.
