Outdoor Alliance of Story County

Imagine an ADA-compliant canoe and kayak launch at Ames' Ada Hayden Heritage Park.  Imagine the potential for everyone to enjoy the mental and physical benefits that come with paddling, and for some, the opportunity to experience Ada Hayden Lake (and Park), for the very first time! 

The Board Safe Adaptive Launch  features a large floating platform, an ADA-compliant gangway and a "boat slide." The slide stabilizes the canoe or kayak as one enters, and a transfer bench and grab rails accommodate people with a wide range of physical limitations.  (There are several good demonstration videos on the Board Safe website  and YouTube Page  .)


“Access Ada Hayden” is a committee of paddlers who have partnered with the City of Ames and others to bring an adaptive launch and dock to the lake. The City has included the project in their Capital Improvements Plan with funding allocated for the 2021 budget year. 

Our group was tasked to raise an additional $35,000 in partner funding, and (as of March 7th, 2021) we're at $24,100 in pledges, grants and donations! 


That total includes a $6,000 grant from the Story County Community Foundation plus pledges and donations of $10,000 from the Friends of Ada Hayden Park , $2,000 from the Great Ames Adventure Race  and $1,000 each from the Ames Triathlon and the Outdoor Alliance of Story County .

WE CAN USE YOUR HELP !

Our goal is to raise the remaining $11,000 well before July 1st, in hopes that the launch can be purchased and installed before the end of the paddling season. We hope that you will be inspired to help us reach that goal, whether that be with a donation, by purchasing a raffle ticket  or just by sharing our enthusiasm for the project.   You'll find additional information here and on and our Facebook Page  .

The Outdoor Alliance of Story County  (OASCO) will also accept donations by mail at P.O. Box 1863, Ames, IA 50010.  (Be sure to note Access Ada Hayden in the memo line!)

Access Ada Hayden partners include the Skunk River Paddlers , the Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park , the Outdoor Alliance of Story County and JAX Outdoor Gear.

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