Category Archives: Habitat Improvement Program

A Successful 2024 Trailbuilding Season, Thanks to Volunteers!

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Many upgrades improved existing segments in a maintenance-focused year!

In 2024, 935 Ice Age Trail Crew volunteers dedicated 23,617 service hours to upgrading existing segments by improving drainage, hardening tread, and building new structures. Photos by Patrick Gleissner and Dave Caliebe.
In 2024, 935 Ice Age Trail Crew volunteers dedicated 23,617 service hours to upgrading existing segments by improving drainage, hardening tread, and building new structures. Photos by Patrick Gleissner and Dave Caliebe.
“It’s exciting to build brand-new segments of Ice Age National Scenic Trail, but it’s also necessary and rewarding to maintain what we have,” said Dave Caliebe, Trail Program Manager. “In 2024, 935 Ice Age Trail Crew volunteers dedicated 23,617 service hours to upgrading existing segments by improving drainage, hardening tread, and building new structures.”

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Native Seed Harvest Increases Plant Diversity Along the Ice Age Trail

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Seed was harvested from more than 100 plant species on 6 Alliance-owned preserves. These conservation efforts will benefit more than 50 future acres.

During 17 seed collecting events in September and October, 296 volunteers (including 183 students from 4 school districts) collectively donated 778 service hours. Photo by Miranda Murphy.
During 17 seed collecting events in September and October, 296 volunteers (including 183 students from 4 school districts) collectively donated 778 service hours. Photo by Miranda Murphy.
During 17 seed collecting events in September and October, 296 volunteers (including 183 students from 4 school districts) collectively donated 778 service hours. They harvested native seed from more than 100 plant species on 6 Alliance-owned preserves. These conservation efforts will benefit more than 50 future acres. Every seed head clipped will help support plant and animal communities along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

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Pollinators Supported With Successful Sip and Seed Events

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35 pounds of lupine seed picked!

Pollinators got a boost thanks to the collective efforts of 51 volunteers who donated 191 service hours to pick 35 pounds of native lupine seed. Photo by Amy Lord.
Pollinators got a boost thanks to the collective efforts of 51 volunteers who donated 191 service hours to pick 35 pounds of native lupine seed. Photo by Amy Lord.
Pollinators got a boost thanks to the collective efforts of 51 volunteers who donated 191 service hours to pick 35 pounds of native lupine seed—a remarkable amount. When added to wildflower seed mixes, this seed will enhance up to 180 acres, providing an essential early-flowering, nectar plant for butterflies and bees. It also represents a significant dedication to habitat improvement efforts by the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Native Seed Collection Efforts Enhance Habitat

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By Steve Pence, Land Restoration Specialist. 

A student with MG21 harvests lead plant seeds, removing the seed heads with a set of clippers. Photo by IATA Staff.
A student with MG21 harvests lead plant seeds, removing the seed heads with a set of clippers. Photo by IATA Staff.
Spring through fall, restored native prairies offer beautiful blooms. With its dainty bell-like flowers, columbine offers pops of red in spring. Graceful, yellow coneflowers sway among grasses in summer. And in the fall, the majestic blazing star, with its lavender-colored puffs, towers above other blooms.

Native plants like these, gracing your hikes along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, are not a stroke of luck, but point to the intentional efforts of Ice Age Trail Alliance staff and volunteers. Through its Habitat Improvement Program, the Alliance is actively increasing the presence of native plant species on Alliance-owned preserves. This diverse array of plants supports an entire food web, creating a robust and resilient ecosystem benefiting pollinator species like bumble bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds.

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The “Hottest” Land Restoration Tool: Prescribed Burns

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By Steve Pence, Land Restoration Specialist for the Ice Age Trail Alliance
An Alliance staff member wears safety gear and watches a fire during a prescribed burn.
Steve Pence, Land Restoration Specialist, during a prescribed burn at the Table Bluff Segment of the Ice Age Trail. Photo by Jo Ellarson.

Prescribed Fire Season: March through Mid-May

Fire, a useful tool in land restoration efforts, promotes healthy ecosystems. Prescribed burns – intentionally lit fires under controlled conditions – help create healthy, native-species-filled plant and wildlife habitats, meeting land management goals.

As a certified land trust, the Ice Age Trail Alliance utilizes fire, which benefits plant and wildlife communities and improves the hiker experience along the Trail. As a result, from March through mid-May, sections of the Ice Age Trail will be closed for prescribed burns, often for only a few hours.

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Burn Season Notice

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Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Burn Season, Prescribed Burn, Prescribed Fire, Land restoration, Habitat Improvement Program
Prescribed burns – intentionally lit fires under controlled conditions – help create healthy, native-species-filled plant and wildlife habitats. Photo by Joanne Ellarson.

Spring = Burn Season in Southern Wisconsin

Along with crocuses and daffodils, spring also heralds “Burn Season”. Fire, a useful tool in land restoration efforts, promotes healthy ecosystems. Prescribed burns – intentionally lit fires under controlled conditions – help create healthy, native-species-filled plant and wildlife habitats.

Each year, in southern Wisconsin, between late March and mid-May, prescribed burns on Alliance-owned preserves and properties owned by the state, county, or private land-owners will close sections of the Ice Age National Scenic. These closures may last for hours, or sometimes for a day or two.

The Alliance will post day-of-event property-specific burn notices for Alliance-owned preserves. However, we cannot always track the prescribed burns happening on properties owned by the state, county, or private-landowners.

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