News

Iowa Confluence Water Trails has been awarded $15 million through the state's Water Infrastructure Fund for improvements on the Raccoon River along Fleur Drive. According to the announcement, the funding was part of a larger allocation of $38 million that included assistance to two other projects around the state. To read the full article, visit the Business [...]

DES MOINES, IA (Nov. 18, 2021) – The Great Outdoors Foundation is pleased to announce a $500,000 investment from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield that will activate an accessible canoe and kayak launch as part of the improvements of ICON Water Trails at Birdland Marina. ICON’s initiatives at Birdland Marina will happen in conjunction [...]

DES MOINES, IA (Nov. 16, 2021) – Iowa Confluence Water Trails — ICON for short — has launched a new website showcasing the regional initiative. The site now highlights ICON’s completed and planned improvements spanning nearly a dozen Central Iowa municipalities and nine different waterways. It can be viewed here. Supporters can interact with existing [...]

To be used for ICON Water Trails improvements in Altoona, Bondurant DES MOINES, IA (Nov. 4, 2021) – The Great Outdoors Foundation is pleased to announce a $300,000 grant from Meta, formerly the Facebook company, allocated to ICON Water Trails. The investment will be made available to the cities of Altoona and Bondurant to execute [...]

DES MOINES, IA (Oct. 20, 2021) – Iowa Confluence Water Trails — ICON for short — hosted its first board of directors meeting as an independent 501(c)(3) last week. Originally the Central Iowa Water Trails LLC, this governing entity now oversees the initiative to connect 80+ improvements across 150 miles of waterways. ICON is a [...]

DES MOINES, IA (August 10, 2021) – Iowa Confluence Water Trails is pleased to announce gifts from four local corporate donors.  These investments represent more than $400,000 in support and are included in the $25 million raised privately thus far: •  Delta Dental of Iowa, $50,000 •  Holmes Murphy, $250,000 •  NCMIC, $100,000 •  Weitz [...]

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., one of the 10 largest employers in Des Moines, has donated $3 million to the effort to transform central Iowa's waterways into a recreational amenity for kayaking, fishing and surfing. It's the largest gift the Nationwide Foundation has made in central Iowa, according to a Tuesday news release from Iowa Confluence Water Trails., [...]

ICON Water Trails has chosen artist Matthew Mazzotta to launch a public art project that will integrate public art with the former Central Iowa Water Trails initiative. The group picked Mazzotta and his “Heads Up” design to activate the $125,000 National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” grant that was awarded to Polk County and [...]

Donation to create MidAmerican Energy Regional Fund for Jurisdictional Grants DES MOINES, IA (July 22, 2021) – Iowa Confluence Water Trails is pleased to announce the creation of the MidAmerican Energy Regional Fund, made possible by a $5 million gift from MidAmerican Energy. The donation, held by the Great Outdoors Foundation, is a restricted fund [...]

The Central Iowa Water Trails project has a new brand, and a new director, as it takes its next step forward in realizing its goals of improving more than 150 miles of Central Iowa’s waterways. During a celebration Tuesday at the River Center in downtown Des Moines, it was announced that the project will be [...]