June 24, 2024
Note: This content was originally published on June 30, 2021. To view that post, click here. As a certified canoe and kayak instructor for the Iowa DNR, I have seen it all. People buy their first boat and head to the river before understanding the environment they are about…
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February 13, 2024
On February 1, the Great Outdoors Foundation announced that the City of West Des Moines was selected as its newest grantee of the MidAmerican Energy Company Regional Fund, a $5 million endowment invested in ICON Water Trails. The funding will be used to establish access to Raccoon River within…
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January 10, 2024
As we close out another year of ICON Water Trails, we are incredibly grateful to you for your continued support. Together, with our partners, volunteers, and donors, we’ve met several tremendous milestones, and we’re just getting started! Take a look below at some of this year’s highlights. ORGANIZATION HIGHLIGHTS Project…
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August 14, 2023
Summer’s swan song is approaching faster than any of us would like, but that doesn’t mean that we must close the books on outdoor adventures. In fact, the next month or two are some of our favorite times to get out on the water, when the weather is not too…
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June 27, 2023
That title is accurate. We are all in between swims. It’s only a matter of time before we misjudge while reading a river, we lose our balance while leaning the wrong direction or maybe we cross an eddyline and are not ready for the current and next thing you know,…
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May 26, 2023
Water is — and always has been — a source of vitality. In Iowa, our local rivers, streams, and creeks provide the water that eventually flows from the tap in our homes. Like any other natural resource, water deserves to be protected and stewarded, and it’s up to us to…
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April 22, 2022
Over the last few years, I have had the honor of participating as staff for Iowa Project AWARE. I sift through all of the trash that volunteers find in the river — glass, plastic, metal, tires and the odd assortment of unusual items. I also have the pleasure of…
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June 30, 2021
As a certified canoe and kayak instructor for the Iowa DNR, I have seen it all. People buy their first boat and head to the river before understanding the environment they are about to enter and without the skills they need to remain safe and anxiety-free. Here are “Todd’s Top…
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June 22, 2021
Iowa Project AWARE is bringing families, friends and a cavalcade of educational programming to the lower and middle Raccoon River watershed July 11-16 with the return of this annual event. After a pause in 2020, N-Compass Inc. is busy preparing for hundreds of volunteers to gather in local parks…
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February 16, 2021
I have been canoeing and kayaking since high school and have lived in the Des Moines area since the summer of 1994 but had never had an opportunity to be on the Des Moines River until 2016 when I became a member of Des Moines Rowing (DMR). I learned…
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