Posted: November 19, 2021
Written by: Lilly Jensen, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Winneshiek County Conservation Receives $30,000 for Dry Run Bridge
Winneshiek County Conservation has been awarded a grant from the Arlin Falck Foundation in support of the on-going development of the Dry Run Trail.
The $30,000 grant will be used toward the construction of a walking and biking bridge over Dry Run Creek along the Dry Run Trail route. The bridge will be located less than a half-mile west of the Highway 52 and Highway 9 intersection and is the second construction project of the Dry Run Trail, following the completion of the box culvert under Highway 52.
The completed bridge will form an integral part of the Dry Run Trail, which will eventually connect Decorah’s Trout Run Trail with the Prairie Farmer Recreational Trail that runs from Calmar to Cresco.
Once completed, the bridge will open access to further trail-building that will connect users to the Dry Run Greenbelt, more than 100 acres of public land that include hardwood forests, oak savannas, and prairie remnants that harbor at least 284 species of plants and animals, as well as hidden springs and limestone outcroppings.
Development and planning for the overall Dry Run Trail continues as Winneshiek County Conservation acquires right-of-way easements and applies for and secures additional grant funding for the numerous culverts and bridges needed for the first phases of the Dry Run Trail. Construction of the bridge should begin in the Spring of 2022.
The Arlin Falck Foundation awards grants for community development, community promotions, community education, and similar matters that will benefit persons residing in Iowa’s Winneshiek and Allamakee counties and Minnesota’s Fillmore and Houston counties.
Contributions to the Dry Run Trail project can be made in one of several tax-deductible ways. Checks can be sent to the Winneshiek Conservation Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, at PO Box 265, Calmar, Iowa 52132. Online contributions can be made through a fund established at the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. More information is available here or by calling (563) 534-7145.