Heartland Outside
Mission Statement
Heartland Outside, a group of multi-use trail builders with a common vision, is dedicated to maximizing the potential of the parks and green spaces around Kansas City and other metropolitan areas in the Midwest.
We believe the restoration and addition of multi-use trails to parks, especially those in the urban core will provide an easily accessible venue for improving health & wellness, education, escape and adventure.
Goals:
- Design, build and maintain one of the largest inner-city trail systems in the country, featuring 50+ miles of single track multi-use trail (Kansas City, Missouri).
- Restore cabins and other facilities at Camp Lake of the Woods in Swope Park (Kansas City, Missouri) to their former glory.
- Institute youth and beginner mountain bike programs to promote community involvement and a healthy lifestyle in multiple metropolitan areas.
- Create venues and attractions in the Midwest that will become destinations for runners, campers, hikers, and bikers throughout the country.
- Served as Land Managers of Landahl Park (Blue Springs, Missouri) on behalf of the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. Designing, building and maintaining a 23+ mile multi-use trail system over seven years.
- Gained access to Swope Park through a partnership with ERTA (Earth Riders Trail Association), a 501(c)(3) organization, with a similar emphasis on outdoor enrichment, to implement a restoration and improvement plan designed to improve outdoor recreation and education opportunities.
- Designed, built, and currently maintain 9 miles of multi-use trail within Camp Lake of the Woods in Swope Park.
- Aided KC Wildlands, a coalition established to restore and manage the remnants of Kansas City's original landscape, with honeysuckle eradication and the restoration of natural glade environments in and around area multi-use trails and outdoor spaces.
- Hosted a number of workdays for ERTA, IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association), Skills USA, Urban Rangers, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts of America, and individual Eagle Scout projects.
- Increased community participation at local park areas through work days and community utilization and awareness of park areas/green spaces through the promotion of park-based events and activities.