Why the Future of a KC Connection to the KATY Trail Depends on YOU

May 31, 2016 Lara Justesen

Raytown's Main Street Association, with members on the Rock Island Corridor Coalition, is identifying the potential held within the Rock Island Railroad corridor through Raytown, hoping for the day it will connect with the statewide KATY Trail system. This video is a "before and after" visualization of Rock Island trail development within Raytown's city limits progressing from southeast to northwest.

Completing the approximate 23 mile Rock Island portion of the system from Pleasant Hill to Kansas City at the Truman Sports complex will complete the connection of St. Louis, on the eastern border of Missouri, with Kansas City on the west; thrilling trail enthusiasts with over 300 miles of contiguous non-motorized recreational trail.

The KATY Trail has had a significant economic impact for the state of Missouri and local businesses, producing annual revenue in excess of 300% more than the trail's original construction cost ($18mil/annually vs. $6mil initial construction according to a 2012 economic impact study by Missouri State Parks).

The development of the Rock Island corridor connection through the communities of Pleasant Hill, Greenwood, Lee's Summit, Raytown and Kansas City is set to provide the same economic benefit, boosting local economies, creating jobs and generating revenue for private businesses and public use. The connection will establish a convenient, healthy, inter-city transportation connection between communities and to the Chiefs and Royals stadiums for thousands of users annually. Who wouldn't love to ditch the long lines and parking congestion to go catch a game?

While the land within the Rock Island corridor is now in the hands of Jackson County, Missouri, there is still much to be decided before the dream that started in the late 1970's becomes a reality for the Kansas City metro area.

Those who are proponents of the rail/trail conversion must get and stay active and vocal, keeping the momentum going. You can do this by attending public meetings, writing to your local government representatives and speaking up on social media. We'd be honored if you would share this visualization video with your comments on your social feeds.

Landgenuity is honored to be a part of this project.

Want to know more?

Check out the recent 41 Action News report on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/wwoqVPf_b9U)

Sources:

http://mobikefed.org/2013/03/katy-trail-186-million-annual-economic-impact-according-new-missouri-state-parks-study

http://www.marc.org/Environment/MetroGreen-Parks/Current-Projects/Katy-Trail-connection

http://www.bikekatytrail.com/default.aspx

One Dandelion Trick You’ve Got to Try

May 11, 2016 Lara Justesen

Lara with Landgenuity out in the landscape with another pro tip! You’ve seen me demonstrate one of my favorite weeding tools, the P-grip Standing Dutch Diamond Hoe. This is it here in action. It works spectacularly on nearly all weeds and grasses.

The exception? Dandelions. When we slice off the green of a dandelion, the deep tap root regenerates the plant. (Told you they were tough!) So we have to remove the plant, root and all. Enter another of my top three tools, the long-handled DeWit Corkscrew Weeder.

Now I’m a busy gardener, so I don’t like to take time to identify if a suspicious weed is a real dandelion or a dandelion look-alike. Look-alikes include cat’s ear or meadow hawkweed. But it doesn’t matter if it’s a true dandelion when you remove the weed, root and all. The important part is that you’re getting rid of it!

From a standing position, I can twist the corkscrew into the soil around the weed, and then pull up, popping the weed out of the soil. This works well in the lawn, too!

Just untwist to remove the weed from the tool. I’ll crumble the soil off to show you the root intact on this little booger. Don’t forget to dispose of dandelions you’ve popped so they don’t reseed your landscape!

Thanks for watching! Leave me a comment or drop me a line if you have any questions!

If you are interested in adding one of these to your arsenal, you'll find them available on Amazon.

Tidy Your Late Spring Garden in One Simple Step

May 4, 2016 Lara Justesen

Lara from Landgenuity.com in the field to show you a quick tip for tidying up your late spring garden. When the daffodils have finished blooming they begin their long seasonal decline. As summer approaches, they tend to get floppy and lay over other plants, shading new growth and just looking messy.

I'm in the field to show you a quick tip for tidying up your late spring garden.

When the daffodils have finished blooming they begin their long seasonal decline. As summer approaches, they tend to get floppy and lay over other plants, shading new growth and just looking messy.

Here’s one way to quickly and easily tidy up daffodil leaves. What I like to do is group the leaves up like a sheaf of wheat or a ponytail and fold them over. Then secure them with one of their own leaves.

You might say, “Why not just cut the leaves down, Lara, their season is over.” But daffodils and other bulbs replenish themselves using those post-flowering green leaves. So if you want beautiful blooms next year, don’t cut them back until the green is gone out of them.

I hope you found this tip helpful. Leave a comment or drop me a line. Browse the rest of the Wellspring blog pages for helpful tips and tricks.