Archive for Thursday, September 6, 2001

Tourism talk starts ‘Smart Growth’ month

September 6, 2001


An event this week discussing an idea to preserve the Kansas River while also using it to attract more tourists will kick-off a month full of "Smart Growth" activities.

Ecological tourism will be the featured subject of Riverfest, a public information fair about the Kansas River to take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at Burcham Park, along the south bank of the Kansas River northwest of downtown.

Lance Burr, vice president of Friends of the Kaw, will talk at 5:30 p.m. about how Kansas could be missing out on economic development by not promoting the use of its rivers for recreation.

Missouri and Arkansas each have river businesses that generate an estimated $50 million a year in tourism, Burr said.

"When you go out on the Kansas River and see the sun come up and see all that sand and those banks, it is just beautiful," Burr said. "It's just very peaceful and relaxing, and it would be a big draw to a lot of people who are looking for peace and relaxation."

Burr said he'd also tell Sunday's crowd about major challenges the state must overcome before it can tap into the river's tourism potential:

l Public access: The Kaw has only three legal public access points along its 171 miles. Opening more could help generate an estimated $3 million a year from tourism.

"It's the largest recreational corridor in the state, no matter how you measure it," he said. "It's bigger than all the lakes combined, but we just don't have very good access to it."

l Pollution: State officials have posted warnings about swimming in the river or eating fish caught in portions of the Kaw, creating a negative perception among potential tourists.

l Dredging: Burr argues that large-scale dredging operations between DeSoto and the Kansas City area are removing one of the river's biggest draws.

"That river has more sand beaches than some parts of California," Burr said. "It is just beautiful, but we have to stop them from dredging it all out."

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