Iowa’s transportation department must prepare and submit a statewide recreation trails plan, and it may contract, acquire property, make agreements, and adopt rules to carry it out.
1. The state department of transportation shall undertake the following actions to establish a program to meet the objective stated in section 465B.1: a. Prepare a long-range plan for the acquisition, development, promotion, and management of recreation trails throughout the state. The plan shall identify needs and opportunities for recreation trails of different kinds having national, statewide, regional, and multicounty importance. Recommendations in the plan shall include but not be limited to: (1) Specific acquisition needs and opportunities for different types of trails. (2) Development needs including trail surfacing, restrooms, shelters, parking, and other needed facilities. (3) Promotional programs which will encourage Iowans and state visitors to increase use of trails. (4) Management activities including maintenance, enforcement of rules, and replacement needs. (5) Funding levels needed to accomplish the statewide trails objectives. (6) Ways in which trails can be more fully incorporated with parks, cultural sites, and natural resource sites. b. Include, within the plan, recommendations for standards for establishing functional classifications for all types of recreation trails as well as a system for determining jurisdictional control over trails. Levels of jurisdiction may be vested in the state, counties, cities, and private organizations. 2. a. The state department of transportation may enter into contracts for the preparation of the trails plan. The department shall involve the department of natural resources and the economic development authority in the preparation of the plan. The recommendations and comments of organizations representing different types of trail users and others with interests in this program shall also be incorporated in the preparation of the trails plan and shall be submitted with the plan to the general assembly. Existing trail projects involving acquisition or development may receive funding prior to the completion of the trails plan. b. The department shall give priority to funding the acquisition and development of trail portions which will complete segments of existing trails. The department shall give preference to the acquisition of trail routes which use existing or abandoned railroad right-of-ways, river valleys, and natural greenbelts. Multiple recreational use of routes for trails, other forms of transportation, utilities, and other uses compatible with trails shall be given priority. c. The department may acquire property by negotiated purchase and hold title to property for development of trails. The department may enter into agreements with other state agencies, political subdivisions of the state, and private organizations for the planning, acquisition, development, promotion, management, operations, and maintenance of recreation trails. 3. The department may adopt rules under chapter 17A to carry out a trails program. 87 Acts, ch 173, §2 CS87, §111F.2 C93, §465B.2 2011 Acts, ch 34, §107; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §2122