Capital Crossroads today announces the creation of the Central Iowa Water Trails Incubator, a regional public-private partnership for the purpose of implementing the plan for 150 miles of water trails throughout Central Iowa.

The Central Iowa Water Trails Incubator will be led by a board of directors comprised of business, non-profit and government leaders; a complete list of board members is below. The Incubator will be supported by a coalition of regional organizations, working together through Capital Crossroads, including Catch Des Moines, the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, the Greater Des Moines

Partnership, the Great Outdoors Foundation, and the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

“We are going to make this happen,” said Dan Houston, who was elected as Chair of the Incubator Board of Directors. “While we have many miles to go, I am confident we have the right team of leaders and organizations to make water trails a reality for Central Iowa.”

Water trails have emerged as a top regional priority because they advance several important outcomes. They will improve safety of the rivers, increase economic development, help attract workforce and tourism, support efforts to conserve the environment, and provide more outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors.

“Time and again, this region has come together to tackle big initiatives,” said Kathryn M. Kunert, Vice Chair of the Incubator Board of Directors. “This is the biggest, most transformational project we are taking on in Central Iowa — and we are ready.”

Major focuses of the Incubator will include fundraising, regional project coordination, the design and construction of the downtown dam-mitigation projects, environmental conservation efforts and education, inclusion, branding and marketing, and the development of a long-term governance model. This work follows the planning effort by the Des Moines Area MPO and an engineering study to prove that the projects were feasible. More information about the plans and engineering study can be found at dmampo.org/water-trails-engineering-study/