Groups propose Fox River as federally designated water trail

AURORA, Ill. (AP) — Local leaders and nonprofit groups are looking into turning the Fox River in Illinois and Wisconsin into a federally designated water trail.

The (Aurora) Beacon-News reports that Kane County in Illinois is working with the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership and other organizations in pursuing the National Park Service designation. The groups obtained a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to draft maps about the water trail development.

The move is also backed by environmental and economic-development groups as a way to attract more people to the river. The river runs from southeastern Wisconsin through Chicago’s western suburbs and into the Illinois River near Ottawa, Illinois.

Karen Miller is a Kane County planner for the National Park Service Water Trail System program. She says officials hope to host forums on the water trail effort in 2019.