Number: 1987-02
WHEREAS, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Company (The Katy) has filed to abandon its line from Machens, Missouri (St. Louis Metro Area) to Sedalia, Missouri, a distance of 200 miles, mostly along the Missouri River; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation is on record in support of utilizing abandoned railroad rights-of-way for public recreational uses and for the benefit of wildlife; and
WHEREAS, abandoned railroad rights-of-way can readily be managed for hiking, nature walks, running, cross-country skiing, birding, and bicycling, and may provide access to public lands and quality recreation on very little land; and
WHEREAS, assembling such a corridor would be otherwise impossible; and
WHEREAS, railroad rights-of-way provide excellent wildlife habitat, serve to reduce soil erosion and often contain remnants of original ecosystems; and
WHEREAS, Congress has directed the Interstate Commerce Commission, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of the Interior to encourage the conversion of unused rail lines to trails; and
WHEREAS, a trail along the Missouri River, one of our country’s most significant natural, cultural, and historic resources, would create wide-ranging opportunities for trail-related recreation, and would “preserve” the corridor for possible future rail use; and
WHEREAS, this particular rail line abandonment follows what is perhaps the Midwest’s most scenic and historic natural corridor, the route of Lewis and Clark, and could truly become a trail of national significance;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 19-22, 1987, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada supports the conversion of the KATY line to a hiking and bicycling trail, and requests Missouri Governor John Ashcroft, state legislators, KATY officials and the Interstate Commerce Commission to do everything necessary to secure the KATY line for trail use.