Author: FLAT

Join us Wednesday, February 5th at Lawrence Beer Company for their next round of fundraising trivia to benefit FLAT! We have selected Star Wars for the topic, the original trilogy to be specific. Play solo or as part of a team, just $10 per person with 100% of ticket proceeds going to FLAT’s fundraising mission in … Continue reading “Feb 5 Star Wars Trivia to benefit FLAT”

By Chris Tilden, FLAT Advocacy Coordinator Engineering work, coordinated by Bartlett and West, continues on the section of the Lawrence Loop that will extend the Loop northward from the current terminus of the Burroughs Creek Trail at 11th Street in East Lawrence. A date for construction has not been set. City officials indicate discussions with the … Continue reading “Lawrence Loop Progress Report”

Join Friends of Lawrence Area Trails for a happy hour where you can meet up with other Lawrence area trail lovers. January 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m.Abe and Jake’s Landing, 8 E 6th Street Grab a beer and appetizers and get the latest on: –Extending the Lawrence Loop–Other area trail projects in the works –FLAT’s 2020 action … Continue reading “FLAT 2020 Kickoff Happy Hour January 9”

Save the date for FLAT’s 2020 Kickoff Party on Thursday, January 9, 5:30-7:30 at Abe and Jake’s Landing. This is a free, fun event where you can meet up with other Lawrence area outdoors lovers and talk trails. Grab a beer and appetizers and get the latest on FLAT’s 2020 action plan and how you … Continue reading “FLAT 2020 Kickoff Happy Hour January 9”

The Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park is located on site of the June 2, 1856 Battle of Black Jack.  In the battle, the abolitionist John Brown led a Free State militia in a successful attack on a proslavery militia camped at Black Jack Springs, the second campground on the Santa Fe Trail west of Missouri.

Here’s a recap of recent decisions the Lawrence City Commission made that will advance progress on completing the sections of the Lawrence Loop that run northward from Hobbs Park in East Lawrence to Constant Park at 6th and Kentucky. The commission approved funding for design of the 11th Street to Constant Park section of the … Continue reading “City Plans Lawrence Loop Extensions”

By Courtney Masterson, Native Lands LLC The Lawrence River Trail is the focus of a two year restoration project, “Protecting the Watershed of Douglas County through History, Education and Action.” Friends of the Kaw and Native Lands LLC, have partnered with the trail management team from the Lawrence Mountain Bike Club to protect and restore the forest surrounding … Continue reading “Kaw Riverbank Restoration Project Update-Fall 2019”

By Suzan Hampton, FLAT Board Member New additions at Burroughs Creek Park on 15th Street are worth a stop next time you’re heading out on the Burroughs Creek Trail (Lawrence Loop).  A partnership of community, government, higher ed, nonprofit, and local businesses launched Prairie Block at Burroughs Creek Park on June 1, National Trails Day/National … Continue reading “Water, shade, food AND inspiration on the Burroughs Creek Trail (Lawrence Loop)”

Trail advocates recently let the Lawrence City Commission know that zero planned funding to complete the Lawrence Loop in 2021-2024 was unacceptable. And the commission listened! Now we need your voice yet again. Here’s the latest: Commissioners asked a budget work group, headed by Mayor Lisa Larsen and Commissioner Stuart Boley, to reconsider Loop funding … Continue reading “City budget work group proposes restoring $700,000 funding for the Lawrence Loop in 2021-2022”

FLAT is seeking 4 changes to the proposed Lawrence and Douglas County Bike Plan Update that we believe will improve safety and increase ridership within our area bikeway system. All of these are changes to the proposed Priority and Secondary Funding Network that are on page 40 of the draft plan: Indicate a proposed tunnel or other … Continue reading “FLAT Proposes 4 Improvements to Bike Plan”

By Kelly Barth Many of us would like to find ways to cut down on our carbon footprint and contribute less to global warming. According to the European Cyclist Federation, bicycling is a great way to do that saying, “In total, riding your bike accounts for about 21 g of CO2 emissions per kilometer…more than … Continue reading “Bike the Loop to cut down your carbon footprint”

By Rex Buchanan, Director Emeritus, Kansas Geological Survey For the most part, the Lawrence Loop follows fairly flat topography and, like most roads, avoids abrupt changes in elevation. As a result, the trail encounters few roadcuts where the local geology is visibly exposed.  One clear exception to that, however, is the western stretch of the loop that … Continue reading “Rocks along the Loop Trail Reveal 300 Million Years of Local Geologic History”

By Suzan Hampton, LEED AP bd+c, Urban Designer and FLAT board member By Suzan Hampton, LEED AP bd+c, Urban Designer and FLAT board member Your smile dims as up ahead, you see a slick of thick black mud covering the trail. Pools of water soak the grass on both sides and wash over the street … Continue reading “Lawrence Loop = Green Eco-Machine”

Longtime local environmental activist, retired KU professor, poet and community benefactor Elizabeth Schultz presented a surprise grant to Friends of Lawrence Area Trails at the Douglas County Community Foundation’s donor reception on November 14. The grant, from the Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund, was made in honor of Marilyn Hull, a member of the FLAT board … Continue reading “FLAT Receives Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund Grant”

Kelly Barth is a Lawrence writer, environmental activist, outdoor enthusiast and FLAT member If beavers won’t save the world, they’ll come pretty darn close. Read Eager, by environmental journalist and graduate of the Yale Forestry School, Ben Goldfarb, to find out how. He traces the historic battles waged against these most enduring of the world’s mammals and … Continue reading “Eager: A Book Review by Kelly Barth”

The Lawrence City Commission will soon hear from city staff about a Bowersock Dam maintenance project that could potentially provide new recreational opportunities in the downtown Lawrence area. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the an upcoming project “to repair the Kansas River dam and address erosion of the riverbank” could potentially include “a terraced … Continue reading “Downtown Lawrence river recreation and whitewater area proposed”

38N is a group that celebrates outdoor adventure statewide through storytelling. Organizers encourage Kansans to use their imaginations to pursue adventure right here in our home state. They accept stories (photo, essay, video, other formats) online and present awards for top stories at their annual celebration in Lawrence late September. Submissions for this year’s 38 … Continue reading “38N celebrates Kansas outdoor adventure through storytelling”

Contributed by Courtney Masterson, Botanist and Ecologist with Native Lands, LLC. Have you noticed a change to the Lawrence River Trail (LRT) this year? You may have noticed the poison ivy was less “in your face” or that the honeysuckle was disappearing, giving the other plants room to grow. You’re getting an inside view of … Continue reading “Lawrence River Trail Ecosystem Restoration Underway”

Kansas Public Radio commentator, director emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey and FLAT member Rex Buchanan talks about the benefits of winter hiking–no chiggers, ticks, poison ivy, humidity or snakes–and points out the interesting geologic and natural features of Cross Timbers State Park in this audio commentary. The park is in Woodson County northwest of … Continue reading “Elsewhere in Kansas: KPR Commentator Rex Buchanan on Winter Hiking in Cross Timbers State Park”

We recently completed our first full year as an organization. And what a full first year it has been! Members of FLAT played a major role in reminding the Lawrence City Commission of the importance of the Lawrence Loop and how the community looks forward to its completion. Our advocacy campaign succeeded in convincing the … Continue reading “FLAT feats: A look back at 2018 accomplishments”

The Douglas County Community Foundation recently made a $9,700 LiveWell Community Wellness grant to Lawrence Parks and Recreation to place wayfinding signs along the completed sections of the Lawrence Loop.