New trail increases park size, offers outdoor educational, recreational opportunities

by Lissa Blake

A new trail in the area of Eleventh Avenue SW will expand the Waukon City Park and offer a variety of outdoor recreation and education opportunities.
Waukon City Councilman Joe Cunningham, who has been working on the project for about six years, said the half-mile trail was made possible through a donation from Waukon Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), which is in the process of gifting the 24-acre tract of land to the City of Waukon.
Cunningham said the area gifted to the City by WEDC represents a monetary value of approximately $300,000 and increases the size of the park by 50 percent.
“WEDC looked at the land and felt if it could be added to the city park, it would be a nice addition,” said Cunningham, who also is a member of the WEDC Board.

GRANT FUNDING
In developing the new multipurpose trail, Cunningham received help from Sara Berges, watershed coordinator for the Allamakee County Soil and Water Conservation District (ACSWCD). The trail was able to benefit from both a Resource Enhancement and Protection Grant (REAP) grant and a Watershed Improvement Review Board (WIRB) grant.
Berges said the REAP grant, received by the City last year through the Department of Natural Resources, will help fund the trail construction, bridges along the trail, fencing around the sinkholes in the park, and management of undesired vegetation through cutting, chemical treating and burning.
The WIRB grant, administered through the ACSWCD, will help improve the water quality of Indian Springs pond located at the Waukon City Park and adjacent to a portion of the trail. This funding has allowed for installation of a sediment basin north of the campground to manage run-off in addition to a rain garden which was planted in the spring near the Thompson Shelter with the assistance of the Allamakee Community School District sixth grade Conservation Club.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Cunningham said he hopes one of the key uses will be for outdoor educational opportunities. “Part of what’s going on is that we want to highlight the features of the area,” he said.
Berges added the WIRB grant will fund educational signs to be put in the park next spring. These will highlight topics such as watersheds, karst topography, oak savannas, rain gardens and miscellaneous conservation practices.
“Outdoor education is a big part of what is planned because of the unique geological features that are included in this area,” said Cunningham.
Cunningham added along the trail are some mature burr oak trees, which are estimated at between 75 and 125 years old.
“In the last two years, volunteers have removed over 20 tons of biomass that represented invasive species,” he said. “In the spring we hope to burn the trail area so we will be able to plant some prairie.”
Cunningham and Berges have also worked with a DNR state forester to receive guidance on restoring the burr oak savanna. “Research has shown that once an oak savanna is restored, more species of birds and butterflies are restored. This will hopefully address some concerns people might have about altering the habitat,” said Berges.

TRAIL USE
Cunningham said he is excited about the new trail and the additional recreational opportunities it will provide.
In the summer time, it will be open for hiking and biking. In the winter time, “the trail will be shared, with designated areas for both snowshoers and cross-country skiers,” said Cunningham, adding the Waukon Wellness Center rents snowshoes during the winter months.
“There will be no snowmobiling allowed in the south unit,” he added.

WORKING TOGETHER
Cunningham, who himself has put in countless hours on this project, said it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of many entities. He estimates volunteers' hours at somewhere around 2,000 and counting.
“It’s a wonderful project and it’s wonderful that WEDC and the City can work together,” he said. “And the expertise the soil and water folks have brought to the project has been excellent. We’re dealing here with a watershed that goes across both rural and urban property. It’s great that this organization was able to work with us.”
He also commended other community volunteers, such as Black Hills Energy, and the Waukon street and water departments.

A GREAT TRAIL
Jeff Snitker, Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Waukon, said he feels it is a “great trail.”
“It’s something that has been worked on in people’s minds for quite a while. It definitely wouldn’t be as far along as it is without the volunteer efforts of Joe Cunningham and others. Sarah has also done a great job with working on getting the grant and such,” said Snitker.
Snitker added he appreciates that Waukon has volunteers who were willing to do a significant amount of work his department would not have had time to do in addition to its regular responsibilities. “It’s great that we have people in the community like that who can help us out,” he said.

WHAT’S NEXT?
Future plans are to extend the trail back around toward Eleventh Avenue SW, creating a loop within the south end of the expanded park area that is further connected to the trail system within the original Waukon City Park. When the loop is complete, almost a mile of new trail will be installed.