Tedesco Connector Trail Enhancements

Travel will soon be possible again on the Ames to Kelly railroad line; this time, it will be for walking and biking. This new off-road trail will link the Tedesco Environmental Learning Corridor, to the roadside trail to Slater. Slater is a hub of off-road trails: The Heart of Iowa Nature Trail, the High Trestle Trail and the Ankeny Trail. 

The new trail has been constructed by Story County Conservation as Phase 3 of the Tedesco Environmental Learning Corridor. This trail enhancement project brings public and private efforts together to boost the corridor’s value for people and wildlife alike. The corridor will be enhanced over time as native plants take root, habitat becomes established, and wildlife flourishes. Birdhouses will support even more diversity. 

Native plantings and the wildlife will invite a pause in our busy days. Benches will echo that invitation. The enhancements funded by this effort will make the trail itself a destination for some and a better experience for those traveling through. With these enhancements, the Ames to Kelly railroad line will again be a welcoming gateway into Ames. The trail is expected to be open in late summer or early fall. 

Tedesco Environmental Learning Corridor Connector Trail Improvements Fundraising Goal: $31,897.00 

Phase 1 – Week of July 20-25, 2020 - Removal of all invasive species trees and shrubs.
Total Needed = $3,700 

Phase 2 – End of September – Early October 2020 - Design and implementation of enhancements to Connector Trail including planting over 100 native Iowa trees and shrubs to attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife as well as bat and bird houses, park benches, a bike repair station, and a dog walkers' station.
Total Needed = $16,197.00 

Phase 3 – Spring 2021 – Educational and Inspirational Interpretive panels similar to The Tedesco Environmental Learning Corridor placed throughout the bird friendly pathway.
Total Needed = $12,000

Thanks for your support on behalf of Story County Conservation, the Outdoor Alliance of Story County and the volunteers who make this project possible and that are helping to make living, working and enjoying
outdoor recreation in Story County even better.

More about the Outdoor Alliance of Story County is at www.oasco.org