My name is Chris Dunn and I'd like to bring you up to date on the Quad State's Trails initiative. Ross Greathouse, organizer of the Quad States Trails movement, held a meeting in St. Joseph on Thursday, January 18, 2007, at City Hall, 1100 Frederick Ave, St. Joseph, in the 1st Floor Conference Room.
This association has been formed to actively explore and pursue the connection of major trails systems (KS, NE, IA, MO) in our region together. With support from the National Park Service, the possibility of connecting Iowa's Wabash Trace, Nebraska's Cowboy Trail (100's of miles across the state already), the Katy, trail systems in KC, St. Joseph, Topeka, etc. together is now being actively promoted.
According to a St. Joseph News-Press article the following day: "Quad States wants to drum up support and awareness among communities and potential supporters in Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas. Various governments - big and small - along with bicycle clubs and community groups are typically needed to help raise money and carry out the trails. . . "The trails would connect from St. Louis to Nebraska using the existing Katy Trail in Missouri, the Wabash Trace Trail in southwestern Iowa and the MoPac Trail between Lincoln and Omaha in Nebraska."
At the meeting I was asked if I could organize the start of an organization whose mission was to support the Quad States Trails Initiative. As I have been very busy with previous family and work commitments this is the first chance I have had to email you.
Here is where we stand now:
I have created a Google Group that will serve as a launching point for discussions on the Quad States Trails program.
I have created a spreadsheet with the names, addresses and email addresses of people and organizations that have expressed interest in advancing this project. Only 20 people originally signed up to support the project at the January meeting. That email list has almost two hundred people on it.
In order to avoid being labeled a spammer I will only send one email to prospective members. Other than the original 20 people that signed up, and the 10 people who have contacted me as a result of the newspaper article, the majority of the people on the list didn't volunteer, so only those people that respond to this email and join the Google Group will receive future emails.
I have checked with Brent Hugh of the Missouri Bike Federation. He has volunteered to email MoBikeFed members in NW Missouri to let them know about the organization. So, some people will receive duplicate emails. I apologize in advance.
Andy Clements is our point of contact with the City of St. Joseph. Andy has promised $500 from the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to help get this organization off of the ground. To accept this money we either need to go to the time and expense of creating our own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or we could ask MoBikeFed to act as an umbrella organization. So far they have been receptive to the idea of being our friendly banker.
Under MoBikeFed the $500.00 gift would be much easier for the City of St. Joseph to transfer to us, and we wouldn't end up spending funds to create another 501(c)(3). However, this is ultimately a decision for the membership. You know my opinion.
Actions you can take right now:
I would like to encourage everyone that gets this email to do two things:
1. Join the Google Group (it is free and easy) so you can get involved in the Quad States Trails activities.
2. Join the Missouri Bike Federation. MoBikeFed is our state-wide bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization. They are darn effective and are a powerful voice for people who desire a more bike and pedestrian friendly Missouri. Membership is just $20 a year.
Future Directions: 1. We need a leader. I volunteered to help get things organized. However, with my schedule and prior commitments I would be unable to give this project the time it would demand. Thus, we need people to step forward and offer their leadership.
2. We need to recruit other people to help push this thing forward. So, look around your circle of friends and family and see if there is anyone who you think might be interested in joining us.
3. We need some discussion on our Google Group to help the organization find its direction. So please sign up and start talking.
