What an incredible season for the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s Habitat Improvement Program (HIP)! It began last December with a collaborative event at the Riverland Conservancy-owned Merrimac Preserve, which hosts a portion of the Ice Age Trail. Three months and four projects later, the season ended at the Alliance-owned Steenbock Preserve. In all, 218 volunteers donated 2,508 service hours to restoring more than 11 acres of oak woodlands, savanna, and prairie!
“It’s the volunteers’ dedication and ability to work safely that elevate our HIP events,” said Steve Pence, Land Restoration Specialist for the Alliance.
Dedicated volunteers improved many acres of crucial habitat!
Photo (1) by Riley Dupee and (2) by Maura Hanley.
Dedicated Ice Age Trail volunteers helped improve crucial plant and wildlife habitats across three Ice Age Trail Alliance-owned preserves: SwampLovers (Dane County), Hartland Marsh (Waukesha County), and Steenbock (Columbia County). A total of 158 volunteers donated 2,136 service hours.
Winter, offering both challenging AND perfect conditions for the Habitat Improvement events, didn’t deter hardy sawyers, swampers, and brush haulers. Invasive trees and shrubs were removed from more than seven acres, allowing for the expansion of native prairie and oak savanna.
