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June 15, 2010
The 52-mile Iowa River Greenbelt Water Trail will be
officially dedicated at 10 a.m. June 19, with the Steamboat Rock
Portage dedication, followed by the Water Trail and Alden Portage
ceremony. A public paddle from the Alden Portage to Weavers Cove
will be at 2:30 p.m.
Following the paddle, participants are invited to the Calkins
Nature Center for a watershed presentation and complementary meal.
The presentation and meal will begin at 6:30 p.m. Participants are
encouraged to bring their own canoe or kayak, although there will be
a limited number of canoes and kayaks available to borrow.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in addition to grants,
supported the effort with guidance and advice from the DNR's River
Programs team who worked with Hardin County Conservation and
volunteer groups to ensure the river trail was developed according
to DNR guidelines. The staff also provided physical labor for
projects along the trail. The DNR's River Programs team constructed
a new portage at the Steamboat Rock Dam in the fall of 2009 with
final touches just being completed in the last few weeks.
"The Iowa River and its surrounding greenbelt have had a huge amount
of support from the local communities over more than 60 years," said
Nate Hoogeveen, River Programs coordinator for the Iowa Department
of Natural Resources. "In many ways, this water trails project is a
culmination of several generations of conservation and recreation
work along the Iowa River in Hardin County."
The dedication is hosted by the Iowa River Greenbelt Resource Trust,
Hardin County Conservation, the Iowa DNR and the Southfork Watershed
Alliance.
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