Ice Age Trail Alliance
Chippewa Moraine Chapter
Ice Age Trail Dispatch
January 2023
Happy New Year- Looking Back and Forward
Happy New Year 2023! We hope that the new year finds you on the Ice Age Trail. 2022 was a busy year. The highlights were the new owl at the Obey Center, our new Chapter Hiking Patch (available on the Ice Age Trail Website), and especially the new boardwalk on the Firth Lake Segment. 2023 is shaping up to be another busy year. Our annual hikes are on the calendar. We have the go-ahead to add another DCA (Dispersed Camping Area) by the beaver pond and bridge toward the west end of the Firth Lake Segment. Our big project this year will be to reroute the detour on the Chippewa Moraine Segment by Horseshoe Lake. This will take us off the temporary forest road and take us uphill to travel high above the shoreline of the lake. We hope you will join us for this project of trail improvement.
Get Involved with MSC Projects in 2023
Have you thought about getting involved with MSC (Mobile Skills Crew) projects? The MSC calendar has been set and there are projects going on all over the state in 2023. Attending an event is a great way to learn about trail building, invasive species removal, and building structures such as boardwalk and bridges. Experience is not a requirement. It’s terrific on-the-job training. Information on the events is available on the Ice Age Trail Website. Check it out at: https://www.iceagetrail.org/our-work/trail-building-maintenance/msc-program/ Note: While the full calendar is posted, not all the details have been included yet. The page should be completed in the next couple of weeks.
Jan. 20-21 Table Bluff (Invasive Species Removal)
Feb. 3-4 Cross Plains-Mammoth Back (Invasive Species Removal)
Feb. 9-10 Gibraltar Rock (Cedar Removal)
Apr. 27-30 Rib Lake (Trail Building)
May 17-22 Rib Lake (Trail Building)
June 8-11 John Muir Park (IAT-University: Crew Leader Training)
June 21-25 Storrs Lake
July 12-16 John Muir Park (IAT-University)
Aug. 9-13 Iola Ski Hill & Emmons Creek (Trail Building)
Sept. 6-10 Sturgeon Bay (Trail Building)
Sept, 26-Oct. 1 Rib Lake (Trail Building and Celebration)
Oct. 18-22 Cross Plains
Thousand Miler Happy Hour Series - ZOOM
The Ice Age Trail Alliance is offering this series of Zoom meetings which are part of their Virtual IAT-University program.
Grab a beverage of your choice and a comfy chair. Settle in for entertaining and inspiring tales by recent Thousand Milers. They’ll share their adventures along the trail, favorite segments, meaningful Trail Angel interactions, encounters with wild animals, and much more. This three part series features a panel of segment hikers, thru hikers, and family friendly hikers. Along with lots of photos and short stories, these armchair sessions will have you considering where you’d like to explore next and are the perfect way to stay connected to the Trail during the cold winter months.
Schedule (each session is 6:30-8:00):
January 10, 2023: Segment Hikers
February 7, 2023: Thru Hikers
March 7, 2023: Family Friendly Hikers
To register and for more information, visit: https://bit.ly/3hS19Mb
Time to Renew Your Volunteer Agreement
All new volunteers need to have a completed Volunteer Agreement for the National Park Service in order to participate in our trail improvement days or to volunteer at events. They have a new form on the Alliance Website. Since the volunteer agreement is now an annual requirement, I am asking for all current Volunteer Agreement holders to renew their Volunteer Agreements in January. If you do not have a printer, let me know, and I will mail you a paper copy of the agreement to send in.
To access the new Volunteer Agreement, here is the link: https://www.iceagetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/Packet-Individual-301a-exp-10_2024.pdf Please fill out the fillable form and email it to Daniel_Watson@nps.gov Please note the large box at the bottom of the first page of the new Volunteer Agreement. Dan Watson has provided links and videos for volunteers to look at.
NOTE: Fill in all the required boxes. The fillable boxes are on everything except the signature line. You can type your name and date in the date box next to the signature line. Save the document to your computer and then send it to Dan Watson as an attachment. Or print off your completed document, sign it, and mail it to Dan Watson Dan’s address is on the directions page that comes with the form.
When you send in the Volunteer Agreement to Dan Watson, he will sign it and return it to you. Please print a copy for yourself or save it in your files. Email me at chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org to let me know that you have received your new signed Volunteer Agreement.
State Park Stickers for 2023 Available Now
A number of state parks are near or on the Ice Age Trail. Park stickers are now available for 2023. You can order them at: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/admission
There is a reduced rate for WI residents who are 65 or older.
Chapter Calendar 2023
These are our annual events. Watch for additions to this calendar in the monthly newsletters. One addition will be additional trail work days with Blue Hills. There will be two large crew trail work days (Spring/Fall). We will also post monthly Blue Hills work days which individuals can chose to attend. Our trail building project on the Chippewa Moraine Segment by Horseshoe Lake will be announced in the newsletters prior to the event.
Feb 11 Candlelight Ski andSnowshoe Event - Brunet Island State Park
Feb. 18 Snowshoe Hike with Girl Scouts
Mar. 20 Chapter Meeting
April 15 Monthly Trail Maintenance
April 22 Adventure North 50K
April 20-24 Annual IATA Conference in Sheboygan
May 7 First Sunday Hike - Chippewa River
May 10 Mayflower Hike with Natural Resources Foundation - Chippewa River
May 15 Chapter Meeting
May 20 Trail Maintenance Day
June 3 National Trails Day Hike - Harwood Lakes
June 17 Monthly Trail Maintenance
June 20 Solstice Hike with Girl Scouts
July 17 Chapter Picnic at Mill Yard Park, Cornell
Aug. 6 First Sunday Hike
Aug. 19 Trail Maintenance Day
Sept. 3 First Sunday Hike
Sept. 16 Trail Maintenance Day
Oct. - All Month: Mammoth Hike Challenge
Oct. 7 Parade of Colors Hike - Chippewa Moraine
Oct. 14 Hike and Meet Monty- Chippewa River
Oct. 21 Trail Maintenance Day
Nov. 20 Annual Chapter Meeting
See you on the trail!
Vicki Christianson
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Coordinator