Chippewa Moraine Chapter
Ice Age Park& Trail Foundation Alliance
Ice Age Trail Dispatch
June 2009
In this edition:
Chippewa County Glacial Geology Field Trip – Saturday, Sept 26
Sawyer (Chain Saw) Training - Satuday, July 25
Chippewa County 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 soon. Last year it was filled by mid July.
Sawyer (Chain Saw) Training - Reminder to active volunteers!
The Indianhead Chapter to our west has organized a day of chain saw training for Saturday, July 25 near Luck. It's vital that our chapter have maintenance volunteers who are certified to use a chain saw, as from time to time there is no alternative (and we DO look for alternatives). There are strict requirements for use of a saw by volunteers, which you can learn about here. One of the requirements is FISTA certification, which you will have after your participation in the class on July 25.
You need to register to take the class. You also need to be a member and be willing to help with trail maintenance when needed in order for the NPS to pay the $50 fee. Download the registration application and send it in as soon as possible to guarantee your place in the class. There will be car-pooling opportunities for our chapter members, so please also let Richard know if you have applied.
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