Des Moines, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) — A historic milestone for the Little Sioux River, as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is moving forward with a plan to designate more than 200 miles of the Little Sioux River as an official state water trail. Now, this shifts the river’s status and potentially opens doors to new funding and expanded public access.
John Wenck is the DNR Water Trails Coordinator and admits the designation is a bit overdue.
Wenck says the project will officially adopt the name “Inkpaduta Water Trail” honoring the Dakota leader and the river’s deep indigenous roots. For the first time in a state’s water trail process, indigenous people, including actual descendants of Inkpaduta are actively involved in the planning committees.
Now, mapping the 200 miles of river from the Minnesota border to the Missouri River, new access points can be added, hazard mitigation needs and education programming can develop. The economic impact could be huge by leveraging the trail as a regional tourism or economic driver.
Over the next 12 months, contractors will host public meetings and gather input from landowners, paddlers and the public to help refine the final vision of the state’s longest recreational water trail.
