DES MOINES, IA (Oct. 17, 2025) – ICON Water Trails announced last night at the Wild Prairie Showdown, its fundraising event in partnership with the Great Outdoors Foundation (GOF), that is has received a $1.3 million gift from the Conservation Acceleration Fund, a dynamic water quality investment tool held by GOF. These dollars will be used for water quality infrastructure within ICON’s downtown sites.

“I’ve gotten to be up close and personal with the incredible impact of these organizations, not just independently, but also in concert with one another,” Chris Costa, Chair of the Great Outdoors Foundation Board of Directors and Member of the ICON Water Trails Board of Directors, said. “The symbiotic relationship between these two organizations will continue to amplify their impact even as they grow and develop individually.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to the Great Outdoors Foundation for its support, in this investment, as well as its long-standing relationship with ICON Water Trails,” Stephanie Oppel, Executive Director of ICON, said. “Conservation and recreation go hand in hand, and we’re so fortunate to have a partner in the Great Outdoors Foundation leading the charge right alongside us.”

Environmental conservation is one of ICON’s five espoused goals – also including on-water safety, economic development, workforce & tourism attraction, and access to recreation. Conservation infrastructure is integrated at each of its more than 50 planned sites, including its downtown projects. ICON’s strategy is in alignment with American Rivers’ methods for improving endangered rivers:

• Advocating for federal safeguards and funding.
• Restoring damaged floodplains.
• Partnering with jurisdictions, WMAs, and Soil and Water districts to address water management.
• Removing or mitigating dams that are no longer necessary.
• Providing educational opportunities and increased accessibility to develop a robust awareness and support of Iowa’s waterways.

To learn more about ICON’s environmental conservation strategy, click here.

About ICON Water Trails
ICON Water Trails is a regionally inclusive recreational confluence connecting culture, conservation, and adventure by empowering our waterways. When complete, ICON will connect 50+ access points across 150 miles of rivers and creeks in Central Iowa. This transformational initiative represents a new commitment to water safety and conservation
as well as a concerted effort to drive economic development, visitor attraction, and workforce retention.