During a kayaking trip down the Shell Rock River, Nate Hoogeveen was stopped by the third dam that day. The sun had already set and his campsite was on the other side. Although a group of high school students happened to be there to help carry his 90 pounds of gear through downtown Greene to the relaunch site on the other side, this experience became one of many that inspired him to actively support a water trails system throughout Iowa.

As water trails coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for six months, Hoogeveen has helped organizations throughout the state start to form water routes – or what Paddler Magazine calls, “liquid highways to adventure.”

“We’re essentially looking at rivers as linear routes, point A to B,” said Hoogeveen. “And we are making it part of the recreational infrastructure as opposed to something that just flows by.”

The impact of such a system is not only greater recreational opportunities in Iowa, but also the potential to spur economic development, the effects of which can be huge.

According to a study Hoogeveen discovered while researching the water trails project, non-local canoeists visiting the Kickapoo River in Wisconsin spent $1.2 million in 1999, a 274 percent increase from 1993, and expenditures for lodging increased 600 percent. The river, said Hoogeveen, is comparable to the Upper Iowa River.

Hoogeveen’s main role is to support organizations interested in developing water trails. His program provides signs that help paddlers keep track of where they are, locate hazards and learn about the area. He also can work with groups to build portages around dams and lower-impact kayak and canoe accesses. By promoting quieter activities, such as canoeing and wildlife observation, these water systems can attract more visitors to the area on a relatively low budget.

The program’s $100,000 budget for this year ($50,000 awarded December last year and $50,000 in January this year) is enough to fund 13 projects and work with several groups. Overall, the program has ignited development of 643 miles of water trail this spring and summer.

His program will likely continue to receive about $50,000 each year, primarily from an annual canoe and kayak registration fee of $4 per boat. Last year, the DNR had around 30,000 registered canoes and kayaks.

Urban impact

For a large urban area like Greater Des Moines, the economic impact is likely to be less noticeable than in rural areas, but still crucial to the area.

“I think it’s really important to appreciate conservation as good economic development. It’s vital to the quality of life. It’s what keeps that creative class engaged and working and a part of your community,” said Pat Boddy, director of the Polk County Conservation Board. “If we don’t have these trails, if we don’t become outdoor-friendly and create a community of outdoor enthusiasts and stewards, then we are shortchanging ourselves of the vital community we are capable of becoming.”

Polk County is working with various owners of river access sights, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers., the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department and the city of Pleasant Hill, to set up a water trail on the Des Moines River. By the end of the summer, Boddy expects that interpretive signs will be up and accesses will be up-to-date.

The county received $25,000 from the Federal Recreational Trails Program to help it complete this project. In the future, it plans to expand the water trail system and add amenities such as campsites.

“Enthusiasm is extremely high,” said Boddy. “Everyone involved sees this as a real benefit to outdoor recreation in Polk County.”

Rural impact

After seeing huge gorges carved from a fast-flowing river, unusual mosses and ferns, limestone cliffs, and thick wilderness areas, Rod Scott, who moved to Iowa Falls from Arizona in 1998, became convinced that the area around the Iowa Falls River should be better preserved and utilized.

“There are phenomenal natural resources here,” he said, “right in the middle of industrializing agriculture.”

It’s totally accessible from metropolitan areas … It’s the perfect opportunity for bringing urban visitors to a virtually wilderness area.”

As a preservationist and conservationist working as project manager for the water trails program on the Iowa River for Harden county and as member of the Iowa River Greenbelt Resource Trust, Scott has worked with several stakeholders to improve recreation along the river and enhance the already rich region, known as the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area.

This year, Harden County received around $72,000 from a Federal Recreational Trails Enhancement Grant, which Scott said will allow those involved with the project to not only construct a state-of-the-art canoe accesses, but also put in picnic tables, interpretation signs and other ways to teach visitors about the area’s history and enhance the wilderness experience.

Main projects along the river right now are focused on building a fishing pier, improve sanitary facilities and create portages around dams. Various groups have partnered with other organizations to complete the project, and as project manager, Scott will reimburse the various groups 80 percent of the total cost with the federal grant money.

Even without final approval from the DNR to begin construction, he already has seen spinoff development, which can be huge to the smaller communities.

One business leader is interested in setting up campsites and an RV park near Alden, which will possibly utilize a historic farmstead and include a museum and general store. The Scenic City Empress Boat Club in Iowa Falls also wants to expand its business, and a doctor in Minnesota is planning to start a winery along an Iowa Falls bluff when he retires, joining a winery already established in Eagle City. Iowa Falls just opened its 16th restaurant.

“On weekends,” said Scott, “it’s hard to find a Harden County license plate in restaurant parking lots.”

Scott also hopes more outfitters will take advantage of people interested in renting or buying paddling equipment and will even consider offering guided tours that explain the area’s history.

“In rural Iowa, we are in the middle of a renewable-fuels boom,” he said, “That’s where the majority of efforts are going now. [Cities] are trying to hold on to their manufacturer base. But recreation is a needed component of retaining the population, enticing highly educated people to stay or attract them to come, and for tourism. It is one of those things that Iowa is going to have to look at as part of the economic development picture.”

Although a water trails system can enhance economic development, Hoogeveen stresses that these programs are not a cure-all.

“I tell people that it isn’t going to fix all your problems,” he said. “But it’s a good centerpiece for focusing local pride and attention.”

Just around the bend

Although several paddling and conservation organizations have been interested in improving Iowa’s waters for years, many programs are just starting to take off, in part because these organizations are becoming more vocal about the possible impact of a destroyed water system and because leaders like Hoogeveen have provided the needed support.

“It’s sort of a combination of ongoing awareness and several leaders who’ve stepped forward and helped make things happen,” said Boddy.

But the public is beginning to understand that in order to enjoy the water systems, there needs to be an extensive clean up and measures to preserve them for the future. The Catch-22, say Boddy and Hoogeveen, is that once people are on the water, they’re more willing to help clean it up, but people are less likely to get on the water if they know the rivers are heavily polluted.

“One of the things that separates a true conservationist from a casual user,” said Boddy, “is not the ability to pick up themselves, but the ability to pay attention on an ongoing basis.”

The Iowa Environmental Council, Growing Green Communities and the Department of Natural Resources have helped make people more aware of water quality issues. And Project Aware, a program run by the state, has helped bring people together for massive cleanups.

The other obstacle preventing groups from moving forward quickly is the approval process for projects. Scott said Harden County is ready to hire a landscape architect and develop more detailed plans of the pier and portage projects, but are waiting for the DNR to finish reviewing the proposal.

Boddy and Hoogeveen recognize the importance of keeping the process moving quickly. Although Iowa is at least a decade behind Minnesota and Wisconsin in developing water trails, they say the state still has the potential to become known as a trails center with a combination of water and bike routes, which would make Iowa a very strong competitor in attracting high-quality businesses and employees.

“We are really working hard to look at all our trails in total and strive to become the trails capital of the world,” said Boddy. “We have the potential to get there, but if we don’t continually work on our trails, we begin to loose ground. Across the country, people realize how vital trails are to the vibrancy of their community.”

“I would like to see an Iowa that values rivers all the way around. I want to see people get down to the river and touch it,” Hoogeveen said. “No doubt in 10 years, we’ll have a lot more people going down the rivers and enjoying them.…It’s a gateway to a more vibrant Iowa.”