The ax is poised to fall on the Kansas Humanities Council.
Before Congress recessed earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee left on its desk a proposal to cut funds to the National Endowment for the Humanities by 49 percent for fiscal year 2014, which begins the first of October.
Julie Mulvihill, executive director of the state council, has a hard time sleeping these nights.
“It certainly puts us in a vulnerable position,” she said Tuesday afternoon from her Topeka office.
For the Kansas organization, a 49 percent cut in NEH funds would eliminate one-third of its total budget.
“Everything would be impacted,” if the cuts come through, said Mulvihill.
The best thing about NEH funding is it’s unrestricted, Mulvihill said, and can be applied “where we need it most — from outreach to operations.”

THE HUMANITIES are among the first — perhaps second to the arts — to suffer when belts are tightened. Some say they don’t meet a need. They don’t make a difference to a state’s “bottom line,” by creating jobs. They aren’t measurable.
Of course it’s our unmeasurable depths to learn that separate us humans from our four-legged friends.
The KHC’s Speakers Bureau, for example, brings myriad lessons to communities across the state.
Not so long ago “The March of the Amazon Army” by Linda Knoll of Pittsburg told local audiences about the little-known women who fought for miners’ rights in southeast Kansas back in the 1920s. Who knew that right in our own back yard were the beginnings of the women’s rights movement?
The KHC sponsors programs about the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, life on the frontier, as well as current events. It also partners with the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum to foster community growth.
Programs such as these enrich us as human beings.
And yes, they add resources to our communities through jobs, additional tourism and, most importantly, the growth of ideas.
When Gov. Brownback gutted the Kansas Arts Commission in 2011, he said funds from the private sector would make up the loss of state funds.
Today, the commission is a shadow of itself and because of the cuts the state also lost out on $1.2 million in federal and matching funds.
Hundreds of arts organizations, including the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, were affected. The Bowlus will also be affected if cuts to the NEH are allowed. The KHC is the primary supporter of the annual Buster Keaton Celebration.
As an industry the arts — when healthy — generate an estimated $15 million for Kansas communities.
The same can be said for humanities councils and their interaction with libraries, museums, schools, universities and civic groups.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Overland Park) sits on the Appropriations Committee, which holds the fate of the NEH in budget negotiations before the House.
Write him at yoder.house.gov and tell him how vital the Kansas Humanities Council is to Kansas. Tell him how a loss in funding will hit home. Tell him the humanities are central not only to preserving our culture, but to making it better.
— Susan Lynn

N.B. To ensure transparency, let it be known the editor serves on the Kansas Humanities Council board of directors.

The numbers show area citizens are flocking to the new Southwind Rail Trail that connects Iola and Humboldt along the old railway bed.
It’s rare to experience the pathway in solitude. You’ll almost always see a fellow walker, runner or cyclist coming or going.
The same can’t be said for the Prairie Spirit Trail to the north.
Several reasons explain the difference.
The 7-mile trail south is a new toy for residents. It’s the perfect distance for an evening’s bike ride. And, it’s free.
It doesn’t matter the annual permits for the Prairie Spirit Trail are only $12.50 — or $3.50 a day, for heaven’s sake — for those 16 and older. The point is the fees work as a disincentive to use the trail.
If you haven’t bothered to get a permit, you feel guilty for using it and are always under the threat of a Kansas Department of Wildlife official giving you a ticket.

ON THE OTHER side of the argument, the permits encourage “ownership” in the Prairie Spirit Trail, says Trent McCown, park manager for the trail since its inception in 1995.
And with that ownership comes a sense of responsibility for the trail’s upkeep.
Though the fees from the trail don’t amount to much, they are part of a much bigger pot accrued from all Kansas state parks that charge usage fees. That money helps pay for mowing the 51-mile stretch from Iola to Ottawa, keeping the restrooms tidy and stocked with precious toilet paper, as well as drinking fountains at select sites.
And when he’s on the trail checking users’ permits, it gives McCown a chance to visit and hear their opinions about the trail.
McCown also maintains requiring a permit helps keep trouble-makers off the path. As a law official, McCown views his role to ensure trail safety as paramount.

A TRAFFIC counter device installed by the Kansas Department of Transportation across the Southwind Trail gives proof of its popularity.
Since its June 8 opening, an average 255 participants use the trail on a weekly basis.
McCown admits the northern stretch’s popularity is hampered by the permit process, although it, too, experiences high usage at some points.
“I’m sure we’d have heavier use if the Prairie Spirit were free,” he said. The most popular segment is a 6-mile stretch from Ottawa to Richmond, he said.
He also touts it as human nature to object to having to pay for what people deem as a “right.”
“But they’ll raise Cain if a rest room is out of toilet paper,” he said.
McCown is a big fan of the rail trail system and its future growth.
“As a state, we’re way behind the rail trail movement,” he said. “Some states have hundreds and hundreds of miles of trails. We’re just beginning.”

AS A STATE, we need to be encouraging and welcoming potential users to frequent sites such as the rail trails.
Perhaps the proven fact the trails draw tourists all along their paths — and do more so if made free — is enough to convince state officials to waive the cumbersome permit process.
As they say, penny wise, pound foolish.
— Susan Lynn

Art thieves facing trial in Romania are hoping to cut a deal with a judge to allow the trial to be moved to Holland in exchange for proof the paintings are in “safe” hands.
The seven paintings include works by Matisse, Gauguin, Picasso and Monet, and are insured for $24 million.
Earlier this summer a mother of one of the defendants claimed she had burned the paintings in hopes of destroying proof her son had been involved in the heist of the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam, Holland.
A collective gasp from art lovers across the world was sounded at the thought such masterpieces were tossed into a backyard incinerator in such wanton behavior.
It’s still unclear whether one or more of the paintings were in fact destroyed. Remains of paint, canvas and nails consistent with those of the famous works were found in the primitive oven.
Members of the Romanian gang have given no proof the paintings still exist, though claim they can produce five of the seven.
The October raid on the museum ranks among the most daring of the last few decades in terms of booty and efficiency. The pre-dawn heist took less than three minutes to pull off.
Altogether, six participated in the heist; one remains on the lam.
The thieves were discovered when they tried to market the paintings to a private individual who asked an art expert’s advice as to their value.
The gig was up once the consultant saw she was looking at the stolen originals.

THE THIEVES want the trial to be moved to the Netherlands because they believe its treatment would be less harsh.
Perhaps because they are accustomed to a life of extortion, bribery and threats, they believe they  still hold the trump card that will dictate their future.
Crime doesn’t pay. Justice can’t be bought. Whether Romanian or Dutch, the judge should run the show and put the thugs in their rightful place — behind bars for a long, long time.
— Susan Lynn