A clean environment, recreational trails and wildlife-associated recreational opportunities, are key quality of life advantages that Nebraska has to offer. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project notes that “nature-based recreation offers significant economic benefits through trip-related and equipment expenditures, which supports jobs, and contributes to local, state and national tax revenue.”
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The Prairie Corridor presents…
a tremendous economic opportunity as a unique attraction for Lincoln, Lancaster County and the Lincoln-Omaha metropolitan region. Lincoln and Omaha can build on one other’s strengths to foster community sustainability and economic development initiatives as envisioned by the development of the NIZC. While Omaha can offer the Henry Doorly and the Lee Simmons Wildlife Safari, Lincoln will offer an extraordinary tallgrass prairie experience that can be easily accessed from Interstate 80 and the City of Lincoln to connect people with their natural heritage, waves of grass and wildflowers, wildlife and unbroken vistas.
The Prairie Corridor will…
support economic development efforts by celebrating the natural heritage of the “Prairie Capital” with an extraordinary tallgrass prairie experience and 20-mile roundtrip trail ride that will encourage visitors to stay another day in Lincoln and bring them through rural towns like the Village of Denton. The Corridor will connect the already popular Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center highlighted as destinations today by the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau. Today, Pioneers Park has over 400,000 visitors annually, and Spring Creek Prairie receives at least 10,000 visitors annually. Over time, the Prairie Corridor can grow to become the largest tallgrass prairie accessible from the I-80 corridor, thus providing even greater economic opportunity for the Lincoln-Omaha metropolitan region and a spectacular eco-tourism destination.
