April 2025 • Nebraskaland 27
the additional miles out west."
As with trails throughout Nebraska and the nation, much
of the funding for development has come from the Federal
Highway Administration's Recreational Trails Program and
Transportation Alternatives Program.
Game and Parks is exploring other revenue sources, such as
building a fund to serve as principal for a lasting endowment.
Other ideas have been explored. Bills introduced to the
Nebraska Legislature in 1997, for instance, would have
provided about $1.5 million of annual funding by taxing
bicycle sales and raising vehicle registration fees, but they
failed to pass. Also considered have been voluntary fees
at iron rangers, but Game and Parks has been hesitant to
this idea, projecting the cost of management would exceed
income.
Wherever the money may come from, Duryea believes it's
a good investment.
"The trail is so much more than just a trail," he said,
noting the corridor contains 5,000 acres of opportunity for
wildlife and its habitat. Along the way, Game and Parks also
facilitates hundreds of crossings for electricity, fiber-optic
cable and pipes for water and sewer.
One full-time and two part-time employees are assigned
to the trail now. Game and Parks is working to secure
funding for another staff position to maintain the west end.
Duryea is optimistic for the trail's future.
"I'm not saying we're going to complete the entire trail in
five years or anything, but we have some good momentum,
and it will surely be a nice thing to see when it happens,"
he said.
Development of the entire route could also give Nebraska a
point of pride for being the longest rails-to-trails conversion
in the country, as it was first advertised to be. The 240-mile
long Katy Trail in Missouri claims to be the nation's longest
developed section, but proponents want the Cowboy to
someday lasso that claim.
By staying the course and chugging along — or, perhaps,
cowboying up — proponents are betting on it.
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