AUGUST 17, 2006 (Omaha, Neb.) -- Back To The River, Inc. will receive a check for $25,000 from the Eastern Nebraska Trails Network (ENTN) during the Corporate Cycling Challenge at Heartland of America Park Sunday, August 20. This marks the 16th year for the annual Challenge.

The gift will go toward Back To The River’s fundraising campaign, "Building Bridges… Connecting Communities," and will help fund enhancements – such as lighting and landscaping – for the pedestrian bridge and its Omaha entrance.

“We’re very grateful to the Eastern Nebraska Trails Network for this incredibly generous gift,” said Gayle Malmquist, president of Back To The River, Inc., a regional nonprofit organization that promotes a vibrant Missouri River corridor for our area. “We’re hoping this gift will spark interest from other like organizations to contribute to making this bridge a beautiful showpiece for the region and the Missouri River.”

The check presentation will occur around 11:30 a.m. at the Q98 van not far from the entrance to Heartland of America Park on 8th and Farnam streets. Back To The River, Inc. will also have an information and display table set up near the park entrance.

The funds for the Corporate Cycling Challenge come from entry fees of participants, and this year’s event is expected to draw more than 2,500 cyclists. It is the largest one-day bicycling event in the Midwest.

“We (ENTN) have donated to the Field Club Trail ($1,000), the Lied Platte River Bridge ($8,000) as well as the Homestead Trail currently under development,” said ENTN Founder and President Gary Gebhard, who will be on-hand to present the check to Back To The River, Inc. “This gift to the Pedestrian Bridge will be our largest donation to date, and is a project I’ve been interested in seeing happen since 1985. As a group, we’re excited to support this project.”

Through the "Building Bridges…Connecting Communities," campaign, Back To The River, Inc. is asking for financial support to make the bridge a reality. Gifts for the Pedestrian Bridge may be sent to Back To The River, Inc., P.O. Box 3802, Omaha, NE 68103-0802.

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Established in 1995, Back To The River, Inc. promotes projects along both sides of a 64-mile stretch of riverfront from Mondamin, Iowa, and Herman, Nebraska, to the mouth of the Platte River. Back To The River, Inc. has collaborated with several governmental and environmental groups to complete a number of initiatives along the Missouri, including habitat revitalization and expansion at Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge; restoration of the Hidden Lake/Great Marsh wetlands at Fontenelle Forest; creating 20 acres of river access at Miller's Landing; and improving wetlands habitat at Pigeon Creek Chute. Back To The River, Inc., envisions a vibrant riverfront for our area, attractive to wildlife and to commerce. Its vision is to make our Missouri riverfront into a place where family recreation is celebrated, the region's natural beauty is preserved, and the economy is enhanced through environmentally responsible development.