New park helps beautify Fox River Trail St. Francis Park, located along the Fox River Trail in Allouez, is dedicated Wednesday (photo by H. Marc Larson). The land was donated by the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay By Heather Chrudimsky News-Chronicle Brown County Executive Nancy Nusbaum and Green Bay Catholic Bishop Robert Banks were among the speakers as the county's Park Department formally opened St. Francis Park Wednesday. St. Francis Park, located along the Fox River Recreational Trail on Riverside Drive in Allouez, was dedicated in memory of Dale J. Patterson, a water quality engineer with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, who died in a plane crash in 1998. "We had a really dedicated team," Michael McFarlane, Brown County park director, said. "We took many dump truckloads of garbage out of here. The volunteers did a great job." The Diocese of Green Bay donated five acres of property along the Fox River in 2001, and cleanup and development of the park began in April. Private donations and federal and state recreational grants funded the project. Work on the park was done by volunteers and members of the Friends of the Fox River Trail, the Wisconsin Conservation Corps and Brown County Park staff. The park features several benches, picnic tables and a small gazebo picnic shelter overlooking the Fox River. "The name St. Francis is a perfect match because I think everyone - whether Catholic, Protestant, etc. - believes that St. Francis was invested in, and the protector of, nature," Banks said. St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century saint and founder of the Franciscan Order, is considered the patron saint of animals and ecology. The majority of the park area will be maintained in a natural state. Later this year, the old roadway located near the park will be converted into a jogging path with exercise stations located along the way. "This is a place of rest and relaxation where families can come together and knit a stronger family love," Bishop Banks said.