Resident advocates for rural way of life

Task force seeking ways to counter urban migration

Nothing against urban life, but Dan Nagengast says there’s something special about growing up in the country.

“You need to be able to play halfback and wear your uniform at halftime while playing in the band,” Nagengast said Friday.

Nagengast, who lives just outside Lawrence, will co-lead a new task force that will focus on finding ways to sustain rural life in Kansas in the face of a major migration from rural to urban areas.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced formation of the 40-member task force Friday, saying that during her campaign last year for governor she heard a lot of discussion “about the demise of rural communities in Kansas.”

The new task force will focus on rural development, including topics such as how to improve health care, educational and economic opportunities, agriculture and energy production.

Nagengast, executive director of The Rural Center, which supports grass-roots farming and environmental efforts, said the rural way of life was worth preserving.

People living in the country generally need to be more resourceful. “Those requirements lead to well-rounded people. It’s a big chunk of the character of Kansas,” he said.

The task force will meet for the first time at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Kansas Historical Museum in Topeka, and then it will divide into four subgroups.

Future meetings are planned in Inman at the Kansas Sampler Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports rural communities. Its chief, Marci Penner, will serve as co-chairwoman of the task force with Nagengast.

¢Kansas Rural Center¢K-State Research and Extension information on rural growth options

The task force’s steering committee also will include Kansas Water Office Director Joe Harkins and Agriculture Secretary Adrian Polansky.

Other Lawrence residents on the task force are Shawn Pine Bay, Joseph King and Scott Richardson.

Sebelius said she hoped the task force would bring her recommendations to take to the next Legislature, which begins meeting in January. She also said that the task force would continue its work through the next three years.