Last week, the Kansas Senate passed a bill that would add Little Jerusalem and The Flint Hills Trail to Kansas’ 26 state parks.
As the Wichita Eagle Reports, funding for the two new parks would come from the state parks fees fund -- a $300,000 one-time setup cost, and then roughly $200,000 a year for staffing and maintenance.
Little Jerusalem, in Northwest Kansas, is famous for its chalk formations -- cliffs jutting out of the otherwise-flat High Plains. It was bought by the nonprofit Nature Conservancy Kansas two years ago and would be leased out to the state.
The Flint Hills Trail runs for 117 miles in Eastern Kansas and is used for hiking, biking, and horse-riding. State park status could bring it more attention and increase tourism.
The bill will now go to the state House, and if it passes, Little Jerusalem could potentially open to the public by May. The Flint Hills Trail is already free and open to the public.
***This is a corrected version of a previous web-post that has been updated to clarify where the parks' funding would come from.***