Postponed to May 10, 2008, due to high water and wet conditions.
Please reserve Saturday, April 26, 2008, to help complete a new low-head dam portage trail at Fraser, Iowa.
Late last summer Iowa DNR staff and machinery roughed in a 500-foot-long portage trail that by-passes the dangerous low-head dam at Fraser. Your help is needed to put the final touches on the trail. This new trail links a 50-mile, free-flowing river trail segment to another 60-mile section of the Des Moines River Water Trail downstream. That section has a low-head dam and portage trail (constructed in 2006) at Boone.
Iowa Whitewater Coalition partnered with the US National Park Service, City of Fraser and Iowa DNR on this project that seeks to improve safety for canoeists, kayakers, innertubers, and wading and shore anglers. Boone County Conservation Board is committed to maintaining the trail, portage trail signs and dam warning sign.
Update from Luke Wright: Well, due to good weather (finally!) and a considerable amount of assistance from Ryan Hansen, the portage is taking excellent shape at Fraser dam! Barring any future severe rain events, we should be good to go for the morning of April 26th at 10 a.m. Here is what we will be doing. Mostly raking, shoveling of dirt and some rock, seeding, and a lot of trash removal. I request that you bring garden rakes, shovels, and of course the proper work attire. We will be providing pizza and drinks for lunch, therefore I will need a RSVP so I have some sort of idea of the numbers involved. There is one caveat, and that is I have already contracted “my old friend” poison ivy, so I would suggest wearing long sleeves and pants if you want to work on the trail portion. As usual, feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
Luke Wright
Construction Technician
DNR River Programs
work cell 319-930-0125
