Another eight miles of the Raccoon River Valley Trail is now open and in increasingly heavy use. It’s the stretch of trail from Dawson through Perry, going on to the southeast to Forest Park. The new stretch of trail was officially opened earlier this month with this ribbon cutting ceremony held in downtown Perry. Here, Perry City Council member Phil Stone (left), Dawson City Council member Burl Corrigan, Dallas County Conservation Director Mike Wallace and Lisa Hein of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation are shown at the formal opening. This section of trail is part of the new 33-mile “North Loop” under development. More paving is now underway in the town of Minburn and from Dallas Center to Waukee, but those areas are not yet open to the public. Completion of the North Loop is scheduled for 2012.