Your commitment impressed the trustees of Prairie Springs: The Paul Fleckenstein Trust so much they decided to increase their match from $120,ooo to $200,000! Thanks to your generosity and that of Prairie Springs: The Paul Fleckenstein Trust, the Alliance will be able to protect and preserve additional land across the state.
Ice Age Trail Alliance is the Recipient of 2020 National Hartzog Volunteer Group Award
Volunteers’ hard work and dedication not only builds, supports, and maintains the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, it also wins awards.
In 2020, while most National Parks shut down and volunteer activities were stymied, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail remained open and its volunteers continued trailbuilding, maintenance, and support. In fact, a total of 1,499 Alliance volunteers spent nearly 53,300 hours on Ice Age Trail-related activities; all while adhering to mask-wearing and social distancing safety protocols.
It’s an area where moraines once collided, resulting in amazing glaciation and hummocky terrain. It would be a hiker’s dream to traverse. But right now, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail currently runs along roads. With your help, this will change.
Growing up on a campground outside of Pardeeville, WI, Riley spent much of her childhood exploring the marshes and woodlands surrounding the campground. She has lived in other states but feels a special connection to Wisconsin. As she noted, “I didn’t find that attachment to the land anywhere else.”
The staff and board of the Ice Age Trail Alliance are thrilled to welcome Melissa Pierick, our new Director of Marketing and Community Relations!
Melissa will work closely with staff in the Trail, Lands, and Philanthropy programs to improve specific program and cross-program advancement through marketing and outreach. She will implement short- and long-range initiatives associated with the strategic plan and other operational goals, especially those which maximize the Alliance’s profile, reputation, and image.
The members of the Communications staff peppered Melissa with a few questions, excited to learn more about her:
I am very excited to have the opportunity to help spread the word about this amazing National Scenic Trail that we are SO lucky to have in Wisconsin. I believe every resident in Wisconsin should know about it—even if they’re not hikers.
By Dan Watson, Volunteer Coordinator, National Park Service – Ice Age National Scenic Trail
By Luke Kloberdanz, Director of Philanthropy for the Ice Age Trail Alliance
Recently, the Alliance joined in partnership with an iconic brand, New Glarus Brewing Company and its Only in Wisconsin Giving, Inc. Charitable Foundation. Established in 1993, the New Glarus Brewing Company’s philosophy is based on individuality, cooperation, and the employment of 100% natural ingredients to produce world-class, handcrafted beers. Like the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, which meanders exclusively throughout the state, the New Glarus Brewing Company proudly claims their beers are brewed “Only in Wisconsin”.
The new route of the Slinger Segment replaces a previous 0.7-mile road walk with a new 0.9-mile section of Ice Age Trail connecting the Slinger Segment to the Cedar Lakes Segment. The scenic trail corridor passes through Slinger’s Community Park and continues north along wetlands adjacent to Little Switzerland Ski Area. Continue reading
Another commonality among these properties? The Alliance purchased them using matching grant funds awarded from Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
Each purchase you make at Target, online or at a store – provided you’ve signed up for the Target Circle program – earns you the opportunity to vote. You can keep voting multiple times during the campaign!
Thank you for your support, and we encourage you to share your support for us (and your thanks to Target) on social media throughout the duration of the voting!
Fundamental to this campaign’s success was Prairie Springs: The Paul Fleckenstein Trust, which also kindly supported our efforts to protect and expand the Rice Lake Preserve.
On September 26, 2020, a captivating 3.6-mile hiking trail, the Wood Lake Loop, opened in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. This trail offers a scenic outdoor experience and a fascinating learning opportunity. Along the loop, you’ll find fifteen interpretive signs that highlight geological and historical sites, with a special focus on the area’s early logging history. These points of interest enrich the hiking experience and foster a deeper connection between the community and its public land.
Enjoy the peaceful forest setting as you walk the loop that circles Wood Lake, a spring-fed 67-acre body of water. The Wood Lake Segment of the Ice Age Trail follows the loop trail’s western and southern portions. The white-blazed northern part of the loop, known as the Camp 4 Trail, highlights the historic Logging Camp 4 site, which was in operation from 1906 to 1910.
Hikers may access the loop trail from the Wood Lake County Park, which hosts a boat landing, picnic and swimming areas, rustic camping, drinking water, and restrooms.
The Taylor County Forestry Department brought this loop trail to life with its partners, the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the Rib Lake Historical Society LLC. The first step toward creating this walking path began in 2016 when County Forester Jake Walsiak came across unnatural, curving earthen ridges. Thinking them strange and curious, he contracted Bob Rusch, manager of the Rib Lake Historical Society. Bob studied the site and explained how the three-foot-high ridges came to be. 1906, as the Rib Lake Lumber Company was extending its logging railroad, the crew building the right of way encountered a hill. As the laborers used horse-pulled carts or “slushers” to excavate the railroad grade, the equipment left the ridges of earth behind.
Bob shared photos depicting workers using slushers as they built State Highway 13 in the 1920s. He also mentioned that the Historical Society had over 10,000 photographs in its online collection. The images included pictures of men peeling hemlock bark for the tannery, log drives on Wood Creek, and thousands of logs floating in Wood Lake. They also portrayed the Rib Lake Lumber Company’s Shay locomotive at Camp 4, which operated from 1906 to 1973. The idea was born: Use these photographs to illustrate local historical events along the Ice Age Trail.
Jake Walsiak worked with his county forestry committee, which unanimously approved funding for the signs. The Alliance wrote an informative explanation of high-relief hummocky topography and provided an attending color illustration. High Point Chapter Co-Coordinators, Butch Clendenning and Buzz Meyer, organized a group of hardworking volunteers, including Abby Barten and Jennifer Medina-Gray. They hauled signs and posts, dug post holes, and erected them. In September 2020, the Chapter hosted an inaugural hike of the Wood Lake Loop Trail as part of its dedication.
Robert “Bob” Rusch hails from Taylor County, near Rib Lake, WI, where he lives with his wife, Ann, on the beautiful Rusch Preserve. This 170-acre preserve hosts impressive geological formations, beautifully forested land featuring several historic sites, and a section of the Rib Lake Segment of the Ice Age Trail. Rusch, a long-time member of the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the High Point Chapter, is also manager of the Rib Lake Historical Society.
While we feel like explorers as we hike the Ice Age Trail National Scenic Trail, it is important to remember the people whose footsteps we follow. The dedicated and inspiring volunteers of the Ice Age Trail Alliance make the Ice Age Trail the national gem that it is. Each year, we recognize our most esteemed volunteers. One award, the Trail Steward of the Year, recognizes volunteers for their outstanding contributions to trail management and development.
Outdoor spaces are everyone’s right to enjoy without being subjected to danger, suspicion, and violence. The tragic events in recent weeks, resulting in the senseless deaths of black Americans, exposes a challenge to our mission that goes well beyond the Trail.
Simply, we are appalled.
Note: Updated 5/27/2020
A hike on a favorite segment of Ice Age National Scenic Trail offers mood-boosting fresh air and sunshine and provides a respite from the uncertainty around us. The Ice Age Trail is a perfect place for slowing down, gathering your internal resources, and gaining clarity.
It’s also important, while we are out exploring the Trail, that we remain respectful of the fact COVID-19 is still in our midst. It’s important to help stop the spread of the virus and help flatten the curve with considerate and responsible behavior.
Yes! It’s allowed and good for you, too! However, best practices call for thoughtful social distancing.
Some days feel like they take FOREVER to get here. This year, Saturday, June 6, National Trails Day, is one of those. We’re marking its arrival by joining together and taking Mammoth Steps on behalf of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
This day will be among the first opportunities for Ice Age Trail Alliance volunteers to get back to doing what they love best: creating, supporting, and protecting the Ice Age Trail.
It’s a day to reconnect with the Trail from which they’ve been apart during the last few months.
Imagine…if they photographed the best features of the Ice Age Trail along the way: the expansive views, tread unfurling ahead, and ephemerals peeking up from the forest floor.
Imagine…a snapshot of the Ice Age Trail, in its entirety, as it looks on a single day!
This vision could become a reality with your help.
We have 120 Ice Age Trail segments waiting for you to enjoy, camera in hand and eyes finely-tuned for beauty, as part of our National Trails Day celebration on Saturday, June 6.
