The Ice Age National Scenic Trail and its volunteers got an assist this summer from five Wisconsin Conservation Corps crew members, who helped build and maintain the Trail:
- Caroline: From Boston, but lived in Germany for a large chunk of her life. She’s moved around a lot and says she “can’t be in one place too long.” She’s enjoying this experience, which lets her move around Wisconsin a lot. She’s in school for natural resource conservation, with a forest ecology concentration.
- Hailey: from La Crosse, then New Alm, Minn. She’s going to school for environmental sciences. She is learning a lot and getting a good introduction to crew work. She’s a lover of storms, which is good, considering she has been through five tornadoes while camping. “It’s not that bad, and you meet people sheltering in the bathroom.”
- Evan: from La Crosse. He heard about the WisCorps jobs through his sister. He’s newbie to Trailbuilding and camping, which he had never done before this summer.
- Dylan: from Marion, Iowa. He holds a two-year natural resources degree and is currently deciding what to specialize in. His intern experience at a state forest taught about the management side of things. With this job, he’s learning about the recreation side of things.
- Nathan: from Janesville. He’s studying environmental sciences and wants to go into consulting. Being able to learn a bit about managing private landowners is giving him good insight.
These hearty souls got to eat, sleep, and work on the Trail mostly in the Northern region of the state. The crew worked on its own (under the direction of the Ice Age Trail Alliance Trail Team) and participated in larger, Alliance group events. Over the course of seven weeks they:
- Built a 20-foot bridge over Kelly Creek on the Averill-Kelly Creek Wilderness Segment.
- Cleaned up storm damage and repaired .75 miles of tread enabling a section of the Newwood Segment to be re-opened after two years (because of downed trees)!
- Worked on a Trail re-route on the Harrison Hills Segment in the Lincoln County Forest.
- Participated in the Alliance’s Taylor County Trail maintenance project.
- Created .5 miles of new Trail on the Parrish Hills Segment in Langlade County Forest.
- Helped create .75 miles of new Trail on the Alliance’s Ice Override Preserve in Langlade County.
At the July Trail maintenance event in Taylor County, Lisa Szela, Volunteer Support Coordinator, had a chance to work with the crew and ask the members a few questions:
Were you familiar with the Ice Age Trail before starting this assignment?
- Caroline: Nope!
- Hailey: First became aware of it about five years ago at Devils Lake and thought “what is this?”
- Evan: Not familiar with it at all.
- Dylan: Not familiar at all.
- Nathan: Had hiked about 50 miles of the Trail, living in Janesville.
What are the favorite things so far that you’ve experienced:
- Caroline: The Newwood Segment was like “an enchanted forest.” The crew was camping right near a river (at Newwood County Park) and would go swimming in the river. The sun would set over a hill right by the river, which made it feel like being “literally in an art picture.” She enjoyed the evenings with the fire going. Her bonus favorite: the “turdtilla” (pronounced turd-till-uh), a chocolate covered (fudge dipped) granola bar in a tortilla, roasted over the fire.
- Hailey: “The chili” (made by High Point Chapter co-coordinator Butch Clendenning)! Clearing Trail and seeing the progress is also fun. She also enjoys working with the volunteers, hearing their backgrounds and working with different people. “It’s a special opportunity; everyone can contribute something.”
- Evan: Tackling the “mud pit”(on the Mondeaux Esker Segment)- still needs work but it looked super nice afterward.
- Dylan: Enjoys “being out here playing in the dirt” and just getting outside.
- Nathan: Liked using the grip joist (bridge building in Lincoln Co.) and doing that type of mechanical work.
What about the Trail or Wisconsin surprised you?
- Caroline: The number of volunteers who are super dedicated to the trail… also the amount of ticks. “Is this normal for Wisconsin,” she asked?
- Hailey: The number of volunteers, how positive and welcoming they are, and their knowledge base. “This organization is special,” she says.
- Evan: How much work it takes to maintain a trail. He didn’t think about it much, previously. It’s just a dirt trail, he says, but it takes a lot more work than that.
- Dylan: Surprised to learn there was a National Scenic Trail in the Midwest. He thought things like this were only in the west or east (e.g. National Parks, in the mountains, etc.). He also discovered similarities in Wisconsin with his home state. It’s “like Iowa with less corn and more trees,” he says.
What will you remember or take away from your experience on the Trail?
- Caroline: The people, combined with living outdoors for 3 months. It’s “shaped me, made me rougher around the edges, but it’s a good thing!” She’s also learned you need less to make you happy, and how kind and motivating volunteers can be when you’re young and unsure of yourself.
- Hailey: This was a good introduction to crew work, as it provided good information you can only really learn on the job. She’ll also remember the experience with volunteers and hearing their stories.
- Evan: The people are what he’ll remember. It’s a good community, he says. And he learned not to leave his shoes outside of the tent… especially in a thunderstorm.
- Dylan: Learned to “test your rain gear before you use it!”
- Nathan: Enjoyed doing fun outdoors stuff. His takeaway is keep a steady pace but keep safe.
Another Wisconsin Conservation Corps crew will begin working on the Trail at the end of September. Over four weeks, this crew will do Trail maintenance, participate in the final large-scale Trailbuilding project at Rib Lake, and participate in the Trailbuilding project in Cross Plains in mid-October.
The Wisconsin Conservation Corps crews work on the Ice Age Trail is funded by a grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF). Through its Communities and Workforce initiative, NPF is supporting service corps organizations (like Wisconsin Conservation Corps) that engage young adults and veterans in projects that address climate change, disaster response, conservation, historic preservation, disaster response, recreation, and community needs. Service corps programs also provide on-the-job training for members, facilitate connections to parks, help inspire a sense of belonging, and create more opportunities for people from all walks of life to experience careers in the outdoors.
We are grateful for all the Wisconsin Conservation Corps crew did to do to conserve, create, maintain, and promote the Ice Age Trail!
