Guest commentary by Kathy Morter

You can't beat the odds. For a mere $5 or $6, Greenway investors who buy a "boat license" to enter Riverfest's Recycle Regatta have a chance to win a brand new Hirning 2003 Pontiac Sunfire or one of 12 other prizes worth $4,000, including $1,000 cash!

On June 28, the Portneuf Greenway Foundation and United Dairymen of Idaho will bring you the 10th annual Riverfest beginning at 11 a.m. at Raymond Park. Arts and crafts and information booths, food and beverage vendors and expanded Kidsfest activities will be there to greet you.

This year's Recycle Regatta features a race down the Portneuf River of milk container "boats," each stuffed with a "license" number. The Regatta starts at 4 p.m., so come out and watch! With any luck (and adequate water flow!) we will announce winning numbers by 5 p.m. Winners must present a license stub to claim their prize within 15 days of the regatta.

And speaking of odds: members of the PGF board are betting that we'll be able to finish building continuous trail between Simplot and the Gap - and link in the AMI trail - by 2013. With the help of our partners and supporters, we have built almost seven miles of paved trail (about half of the total) and developed or improved four adjacent parks during our first 10 years. This is an awesome accomplishment!

Your contributions are the backbone; trail building is expensive. A $25 donation pays for one foot of a 10-foot wide asphalt path. This does not include property or easement acquisition costs or extensive grading.

We will be fine-tuning project plans, easement acquisition and grant strategies once we see how much money Riverfest brings in.

We are raising funds now for:

- Constructing trail behind Mountain View cemetery from ISU to Barton Rd.

- Easement acquisition and trail behind Riverside golf course.

- Constructing Spaulding Overlook in Prehistory Park.

We are planning/designing trail:

- Barton Rd. to Upper Ross Park AMI trailhead.

- Raymond Park north to Riverside Drive trail (just south of North City Park).

Check out our Web site, pgfweb.com, for more information about the greenway trail system, PGF programs and activities.

Your investment in a boat license is an investment in a continuous trail system linking our neighborhoods and schools with the Portneuf River and natural areas. Go overboard and buy several licenses!

Kathy Morter is president of the Portneuf Greenway Foundation.