Plover River Crossing wins conservation grant

By Patrick Lynn

The Friends of the Plover River Crossing Trail and Rotary Club of Greater Portage County have announced they recently secured a $4,800 grant for the trail from a California-based brewer.

The grant will support the Plover River Crossing Trail, a one-third-mile, multi-purpose asphalt and boardwalk trail featuring a 110-foot bridge connecting Stevens Point’s east-side neighborhoods, businesses, and schools with those west of I-39.

The Plover River Crossing Trail, a spur of the Green Circle Trail first proposed in 2020, will also provide a safe alternative transportation link across I-39 for people walking, biking, or using mobility scooters. The trail is primarily funded with a $1.47 million Transportation Alternatives Program through the Department of Transportation, as well as private donations.

The route will be accessible from Janick Cir. on the west and Maple Bluff Rd. from the east.

The project was identified in the 2014 Portage Co. Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and is included in the city’s Outdoor Recreation Plan. Trail construction is slated to begin in 2025.

Athletic Brewing Co., a non-alcoholic brewer, is known nationally for its support of nature conservation programs and hiking trails via its “Two For The Trails” program. Since 2018, the company has donated $4.3 million to projects across 43 states, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

According to Friends’ Chairman Steve Menzel, the group will use the new funds to partner with the Rotary Club of Greater Portage County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to restore a one-acre field bordering the trail to native prairie.

The prairie restoration will improve the habitat for pollinator species, birds, and other wildlife. The project will also serve students at Bannach Elementary School and UW-Stevens Point.