Hello All!!

The 2025 River To River Trail Society Annual meeting will be here soon. It is scheduled for Saturday, June 7th, 10 am, at the Vienna, IL. City Park, which coincides with National Trails Day The park is adjacent to the Tunnel Hill Trailhead along IL Route 146 midway between I24 (exit 16) and the US Route 45 intersection downtown. We have reserved the Rams Landing shelter which is located in the back of the park. (See photo below)  As a result, the Society will be providing grilled brats and hotdogs, buns, table service and bottled water. The rest of the picnic will be a potluck and everyone is asked to bring their favorite dish to pass such as a fruit, vegetable, side dish and/or dessert.  If you want something to drink besides water you will have to bring your own. Only picnic tables are included with the shelter so if you want something more comfortable it is suggested you bring your own lawn chair.

For the meeting, there will be reports from various board members about the accomplishments from the past year and possible future projects. During the business meeting, the Society will also be electing Society officers and board members for the next year.

Following the business meeting, the Society has arranged for Teresa Steckler of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dixon Springs Agricultural Center. Teresa has been studying ticks in and around the Shawnee and anything and everything you wanted to know about ticks. She is working on a grant that is studying the impact on ticks by invasives in the Shawnee. We have also invited a couple of the senior Forest Service managers to talk about the impact the current political environment is having on the Shawnee National Forest.

Please, come join us, learn what being an officer or board member might entail. No hikes are planned for the event. You are welcome to bring a friend interested in hiking, or a significant other.

As we did last year, several members brought bikes and enjoyed a ride on the Tunnel Hill state trail to work off the meal. Since the Tunnel Hill State Trail is the bicycle alternative route for the American Discovery Trail through Southern IL because bikes aren’t allowed on the River to River Trail. As a result, anyone enjoying the trail on that day may consider registering for the The American Discovery Trail Challenge which can be done at this website.

https://discoverytrail.org/american-discovery-trail-home/trailchallenge/