Sen. Dale Fowler tests out new trails at Southern Illinois University’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center’s bike paths May 1. The center opened 10 miles of public trails. | Photo Courtesy of Dale Fowler/Facebook
Sen. Dale Fowler tests out new trails at Southern Illinois University’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center’s bike paths May 1. The center opened 10 miles of public trails. | Photo Courtesy of Dale Fowler/Facebook
Local lawmakers joined Southern Illinois University's Touch of Nature in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 1 to commemorate the opening of a 10-mile mountain biking trail.
According to State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), who went for a ride on the trail, the opening coincided perfectly with National Biking Month.
"It was a great morning at Touch of Nature as a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiled the Touch of Nature Mountain Bike Trails to the community," Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) said in a May 1 Facebook post. "This developing system of trails not only adds to the quality of life to the region, it is already a growing tourism destination for mountain bike riders across the country. Well done, Touch of Nature.
The May 1 event coincided with the start of National Biking Month, and Fowler took advantage of that by taking a ride on the new trail.
The event also marked the start of a three-to-four-phase project that will include up to 30 miles of bike trails of varying difficulty; phase one's completion also included a kids terrain park and a new parking lot.
While the trails will be free and open to the public, Touch of Nature asks for donations of either $3 per day or $40 per year for parking, with all proceeds going directly to trail maintenance.
In addition, Touch of Nature advises riders to check its Facebook page for trail closures due to inclement weather.
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