July Trail Talk
The Okoboji Foundation is inviting everyone to participate in the $5,000 July Nonprofit Challenge at GiveOkoboji.com. The fund with the highest giving total over $5,000 in July receives an additional $5,000 from the Okoboji Foundation. Please consider giving to the Dickinson County Trails Endowment Fund during July to help the trails win. Gifts of any size and form are accepted online or through the Foundation. For additional information contact Okoboji Foundation, call 712-332-7177, visit www.okobojifoundation.org or email info@okobojifoundation.orgcreate new email.
DCTB DEVELOPMENT PLANS
Dickinson County Trails Board holds a planning meeting every year to determine the board’s goals in development and maintenance projects. We continue to focus on the rail trail that now has a name, Tatonka Ska Trace, which means white buffalo in the Lakota Sioux language. We have applied to the State Recreational Trails Program for funding of a 1.8-mile segment from Peoria Avenue west to Lundberg Drive. We already have a TAP grant of $184,000 for this project and we will also apply to REAP for additional funding of the segment.
The Jones Pasture Trail is also a high priority for the board and we have again applied to the State Recreational Trails Program to fund this project as well. The trail will start at 125th Avenue on the east side of Big Spirit Lake and travel north through the Jones Pasture development up to Angler’s Bay Wildlife Management Area where a future trail is planned. While there is only $1,000,000 available this year, we hope one of our projects will receive funding.
DCTB also has a number of other priority projects that we are studying feasibility and funding options for, as always, our mission is to continue making connections throughout the entire Iowa Great Lakes area.
SPORTSMANS TIKI BIKE RIDE
Sportmans 3rd Annual Tiki Bike Ride is coming up on August 5, 2017. There are 15 and 40-mile routes around the Iowa Great Lakes with 6 sponsored stops along the way. The ride includes a moisture protection shirt, lunch, sagwagon/bike pick up, rest stops, games and prizes. Visit Sportmans Facebook page for more information on routes and registration. All proceeds go to the trails so join in this fun event to
support our growth.
Until next time, as always, Happy Trails to you and yours.
Erin Reed, DCTB Executive Director