Chippewa Moraine Chapter
Ice Age Park& Trail Foundation Alliance
Ice Age Trail Dispatch
August 2009
In this edition:
First Sunday Hike, August 2
Trail Improvement Opportunity - Note Date Change
Straight Lake segment construction begins
Glacial Geology Field Trip (Reminder)
First Sunday Hike in August at Chippewa Moraine Visitor Center
Join Carol Johnson, Donna Pachaud, and Jane Schultz on a hike on the trail at the Chippewa Moraine. Our series of hikes resume on the best segment of them all, and the leaders will surely make it an enjoyable afternoon.
Sunday, August 2 at 1 PM. Bring water and a snack, and repellant. Afterwards, those who wish will visit a nearby eatery for pizza and refreshment.
Trail Improvement Opportunity - Saturday, August 22
Our August trail improvement day has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 22. Please note the change from the printed schedule!
If you prefer hiking with a tool in your hand, then this hike will be right up your alley. Grab a pair of loppers or other trail tool and join the hike as we go to work on a section of trail that has shown some rambunctious growth since our last go at it. The work's not strenuous, but you'll enjoy the late summer scenery and camaraderie. No skills are necessary!
Meet at 9:30 AM at the Chippewa Moraine Visitor Center. Wear good shoes, and bring gloves, lunch, water, and repellant. We'll provide the tools. We'll work till mid afternoon, but stay as long as you can.
It's important that you RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Please email chapter@iatchippewa.org and let us know if you are coming and for how long you hope to stay.
Straight Lake construction begins!
The Indianhead Chapter in Polk County is beginning work on the new Straight Lake segment in the new state park of the same name. There are several Saturdays planned for trail clearing prior to a Mobile Skills Event on September 8-13. Preliminary clearing workdays are Aug. 1, 22, & 29. You can find all the details on the calendar. This trail section, stunning in its beauty, will one day be one of the destination segments on the trail. See the Ice Age Trail Atlas, page 3f.
Glacial Geology Field Trip
Last September, a unique field trip took participants around Chippewa County to examine the mark of the last glacier and put the ancient story in perspective. We stopped at various sites, including gravel pits and the Ice Age Visitor Center, to see first-hand how the glacier did its work.
The trip was led by UW-EC geologist Dr. Kent Syverson. What an engaging guy with a zest for communicating the glacial story! He used copies of his new definitive publication on Chippewa County glacial geology and it's color map to illustrate how the glacial process occurred in the various areas we visited. The map is a work of art if you're into glacial history.
The trip is being repeated again this September. If you have an interest in glacial geology (and if you didn't before, your interest in the Ice Age Trail should have at least raised quite a few questions in your mind), you owe it to yourself to spend a day in September on this tour. Dr. Syverson is aiming the trip at people like us, those who are intimately involved with the glacial landscape and are curious about how it all fits together. Participants from three IATA chapters were on the trip last year, and all enjoyed it immensely.
Learn more about the trip and register now.
Where To Find Information
Here's where to look for IAT and IATA information:
IATA Information in General: www.iceagetrail.org
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Information: www.iatchippewa.org AND www.iceagetrail.org/ChippewaMoraine/index.htm
Calendar of Chapter and Foundation Events: www.iceagetrail.org/ChippewaMoraine/calendar.htm
Hiking the trail: www.iceagetrail.org (check the options under the "Hike the IAT" tab)
National Park Service Information about the Ice Age Trail: www.nps.gov/iatr/index.htm