Topeka ? A move is under way by the state to open up to the public more of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that she planned to take a lead role in the effort, noting that Kansas is home to the largest expanse of tallgrass prairie in the world.

“It is as vital and critical a resource and natural beauty as the Amazon jungle,” Sebelius said in a speech at a meeting of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission.

The tallgrass preserve, north of Strong City, is a unique park within the national park system.

Established in 1996, the preserve includes 32 acres owned by the National Park Service, and more than 10,800 acres owned by the National Park Trust, a nonprofit group that purchases lands to protect them from development.

Sebelius said the state was working on creating a state trust that would raise funds to pay off the national trust and receive the deed to the property.

“It is an incredible piece of property, but it is not very well-accessed or used now because parts of it are kind of blocked from visitors,” she said after her speech.

Sebelius didn’t say how much money would be involved in the deal, but she said more details about the proposal would be unveiled soon. She did say that former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, a Republican from Kansas who was instrumental in getting the preserve officially designated, will be part of the effort to transfer ownership.

Steve Miller, the National Park Service superintendent at the preserve, confirmed discussions were going on with state officials about transferring ownership of the property.

State officials are working to take a larger role at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills. Cindy Berard toured the preserve in 1999 with a class from Kansas University.

He said the National Park Trust originally purchased the property for about $4.75 million, but he said he didn’t know how much was still owed.

The National Park Trust believes this is an opportunity for the state “to help complete the project as it is envisioned” Miller said. “They see the potential of a major attraction for the state of Kansas.”

Even if ownership were transferred, the park still would be managed by the National Park Service, he said.

Miller conceded access and park development are limited. The public generally has access to two hiking trails, a historic ranch house and one-room schoolhouse on the park service property.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve History National Park Trust

He said a master plan for the park called for putting in bison, building a visitors center and creating longer hiking trails. Even with its limitations, he said, the preserve now attracts about 19,000 visitors per year.

Sebelius said environmental protection and development of more parks for recreational purposes would be among her top goals.

“It’s one of the only legacies we leave for future generations,” she said.