Ice Age Trail Alliance
Chippewa Moraine Chapter
Ice Age Trail Dispatch
November 2017
Chapter Annual Membership Meeting, Monday, Nov. 20
Members will convene for our 2017 Chapter Annual Membership Meeting on Monday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 PM at the Chippewa Falls Public Library. There’s lots to learn and do at the meeting, including electing officers, adopting a budget, and perhaps most importantly, adopting a document we call “Operating Guidelines” as a replacement for our former Chapter Bylaws.
The announcement of the meeting, including agenda and documents, can be viewed at the chapter website. The draft Operational Guidelines will be available there for download no later than Monday, Nov. 13, so please check back there before you attend the meeting to download and print a copy for your review.
The Alliance amended its Bylaws in 2017 to sunset the chapter bylaws and replace them (in part) with provisions incorporated in the Alliance Bylaws. Chapters had the option of incorporating remaining items covered in their former bylaws into a new document called “Operational Guidelines”. We have done just that, and will adopt them at the Chapter Annual Membership Meeting. Due to requirements for pre-approval by the IATA Executive Director, we won’t have the document available until about a week before the meeting (or sooner).
This email serves as your official notice of the meeting in accordance with Alliance Bylaws.
Outdoor Adventure Expo, Sunday, Nov. 19
The Outdoor Adventure Expo is held annually in spring and fall in Minneapolis, and the northwest IATA chapters visit the Expo each time to inform, inspire, and challenge visitors to explore the Ice Age Trail. The Expo runs from Friday evening, Nov. 17 through Sunday afternoon, Nov. 19, and our chapter staffs the booth on Sunday. If you’d like to join our team of inspired challengers, there’s room and its fun. Contact Richard Smith for more information (715-933-0252 or chapter@iatchippewa.org).
Firth Lake Area Trail Relocation - MSC Project
The reroute of the section of trail between 245th Ave and Firth Lake is complete! After an enormous Alliance MSC effort, the new trail was opened and the old yellow blazes were removed or painted over to officially decommission the route which has served us well for many, many years. Soon ATV’s will replace hikers on the old route, which crosses the new route in one spot. The crossing is well marked, and who can miss an ATV anyway? Jerry Sazama and a large contingent of Chippewa Moraine members played a huge role in the project, so a tip of the hat to all. If a late fall hike isn’t on your agenda, make a point of checking out the route in the spring. If a late fall hike is on your agenda, be tuned to hunting seasons and wear safety clothing when appropriate.
Volunteer Hours - Exhausting!
Volunteer hours reported through our local chapter this year totaled 2,424, a big increase over 2016’s 2,066.75, but under 2015’s 2,620. Our local hours was almost the time spent by one full time employee working 15 months. The total for the Alliance was 79,197, also an increase over 2016 (and over 38 worker-years). Our local hours don’t include time spent by our members at MSC or other Alliance activities, so our actual contribution is actually much higher. Time for a break!
Thanks, IATA volunteers!
Where to Find IATA and Chapter Event Information
The go-to place to find current information about all our chapter events and IATA events everywhere is the calendar at the IATA website, www.iceagetrail.org. The Calendar link is in the menu, or bookmark www.iceagetrail.org/events/. To find our chapter-specific events, either choose Chippewa Moraine from the dropdown menu under Event Category and click the “Find Events” button, or just bookmark this button ⬇︎
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Events