Ice Age Trail Alliance
Chippewa Moraine Chapter
Ice Age Trail Dispatch
September 2020
It’s Volunteer Hours Roundup Time!
September marks the end of the volunteer reporting year for Ice Age Trail volunteers. Pull out your calendars, download your forms, and log all those miscellaneous hours spent on trail work of all kinds that you might have overlooked. That might include work you do on your own or in a small group, miscellaneous administrative work, meetings (well, maybe not this year so much), etc. Think of it as catch-up time, for all the hours you may have intended to report but let slide during the course of the year.
If you have done all your volunteering at an event this year where you signed in (work day or meeting, for example), then your hours have been recorded already. It is the others you need to make sure you send in now. (In many cases, if you were working with a project leader on a trail project, your hours were recorded by the project leader for you this season.)
Trail adopters, mowers, writers, chapter officers, anyone who works at or attends other than at a formal “event”, this means you!
Download your Individual Hours Log here: Word format | Excel format. Records for the period ending this September should be sent to chapter@iatchippewa.org.
Because of the tight time requirements for reporting at the end of the month, please send in your report-to-date as soon as you can, and follow it with a supplement if any additional hours pop up before the end of September.
The process is changing in October
A new page on the IATA website (https://www.iceagetrail.org/volunteer/) explains the Alliance’s new approach to record-keeping, which we will be following beginning next month. Beginning then, you will have to record your hours on the Individual Hours Log form, which you can download from the web page. You should use the same page to report your current hours as well (hours through September). On the home page, just click the big yellow VOLUNTEER button at the top of the page and scroll down past the numbers.
Some volunteers print out a page and keep it handy to write down hours as they occur; later they transfer the entries to the page on their computer so they can email it to the record keeper. Others use a notebook or a page on their smartphone. Whatever system works best for you, just be sure to use it, and then submit the hours on the form on your computer using email.
Beginning in October, please email them directly to Libby Stupak, stupakls@hotmail.com, who will be reporting all hours next year. Then mark your calendars to send them at the end of December, March, June, and September (and repeat every year).
Chapter Meetings Still On Hiatus
We’re continuing to not have regular chapter meetings this year, so don’t plan to meet in September. However, our Annual Meeting is normally held in November: this year on Nov. 16. Watch for more information in the future on the status of that meeting.
How Will You Respond To The Call Of The Mammoth Hike Challenge?
Looking for a family adventure? Or just want to explore some new sections of the trail? Then October is your time! The Mammoth Challenge is almost here.
Cornell will be one of the 13 centers for the Mammoth Hike Challenge in October. It is a way for all to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail by hiking 40 miles on the trail AND visiting three of our Trail Communities. You have the whole month of October to hike and visit!
Learn more and register TODAY for this FREE event: https://www.iceagetrail.org/mammoth-hike-challenge/
The IAT became a National Scenic Trail by an Act of Congress which was signed on October 3, 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. More than a milestone, it elevated the IAT from a local project to the national stage, in the same breath as the universally recognized Appalachian Trail. In addition, the support of the National Park Service and continued funding support by Congress made universal standards and route acquisition possible.
The Mammoth Challenge is designed to direct hikers to not only get out and enjoy the trail, but to do discover new sections they may not have visited. Organized around Trail Communities, it makes good on the promise to the 13 communities that joining with the IATA in a partnership to promote and support the trail will bring new visitors to their communities as well.
To make the whole thing fun and exciting, a smartphone app has been developed as your guide to the experience. It not only highlights some of the interesting points along the trail (and literally lets you know as you are hiking), but it identifies a number of quirky and interesting points to check out in the trail community. In addition, you may find a special contest, or coupon to a local business. Don’t be surprised if you get an email with suggestions for things to do when you visit.
The amount of information packed into the Cornell area section of the app is formidable, and Cornell Trail Community coordinator Vicki Christianson has done a ton of work with her team. The app is packed with information about the trail and the communities you will visit. It will be a like having a personal guide along on your adventure!
You’ll get a limited edition patch celebrating the 40th anniversary and a certificate for completing the project. You have the whole month to work on it. You can sign up as an individual, family, or team! Once you sign up, you’ll get access to the mobile app and itineraries and travel information to enrich your trip.
Learn more about our 13 Ice Age Trail Communities HERE.
See you on the trail,
Richard Smith
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Chair
--
The Ice Age Trail
A Walk Through Time