Jon Greendeer is President of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
It’s easy to spend 10 years in the outdoors of central Wisconsin and still consider yourself an explorer. In fact, a more sedentary lifestyle of my former self left me clueless as to what I was truly missing in the outdoors. Once experienced, many sites in this region need no further boasting but I can’t credit enough the Green Circle Trail of Stevens Point for its diverse scenery, well-maintained surface and convenient access points.
The trail accommodates both mountain and hybrid bikes and gives the kids a fairly smooth ride in their trailers or tag-a-longs. My family enjoys the activity and our pocketbooks enjoy the cost-free entertainment offered by the course. Offering only a few hills and several long, wooden pathways, the course takes you through some places many have never experienced. Sometimes I run across (not over) my friends like Scott, from the Hostel (bicycle) Shoppe and Randy from Campus Cycle, two individuals that share my love of the sport.
Biking my full 26-mile route was once a looming specter but also a great desire of mine when I first peddled down the path in 2008. Cruising next to the Plover River and then riding along the Wisconsin River and the remarkable natural beauty of the trail’s forest and fauna keeps my mind off the idea that “exercise” is actually taking place. Today, I still find the Green Circle as captivating as ever.
President Jon Greendeer was elected President of the Ho-Chunk Nation on June 7, 2011 and was sworn into office on July 6, 2011. He received his associate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County where he served as vice president of the student association, ambassador, and the President of the Native American Student Organization. Jon obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he served as Multicultural and Diversity Issues Director for the Student Government Association and served as a delegate to the United Council for both universities.
Jon began his career with the Ho-Chunk Nation in the office of the president as the executive administrative officer where he managed the nation’s executive directors. Jon also worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation personnel department as the Grievance Review Board Chairperson and Mediator. President Greendeer resides in Stevens Point with his wife, Chris and his two daughters, Brittany and Rio.
Photos are courtesy of the Green Circle Trail
