Photo by: Cameron Gillie
Highlighting Successes: 2023 Trailbuilding and Habitat Improvement Events!
Volunteers learned new skills, made new friends, built and maintained the Ice Age Trail, and improved the Trail’s surrounding habitat.
2023 Habitat Improvement Projects
2023 Trailbuilding Events
Completed Event Recaps
October 18 – 22, 2023: Cross Plains Segment, Dane County
Project Outcomes:
- 268 volunteers donated 4,776 service hours.
- 12,000 feet of tread crafted.
- 128 feet of boardwalk built (4 structures).
- 50 feet of bridgework constructed (3 structures).
- 200 feet of stone retaining wall created.
September 26 – October 1, 2023: Rib Lake Segment, Taylor County
Project Outcomes:
- 152 volunteers donated 4,388 service hours.
- Cleaned 3 miles of new tread.
- Built an 84-foot boardwalk.
- Constructed 9 approaches to existing structures.
- Crafted 1 mile of tread.
- Built 19 timber steps.
September 6 – 10, 2023: Sturgeon Bay Segment, Door County
Project Outcomes:
- 157 volunteers donated 3544 service hours.
- 3,900 feet of tread rerouted and constructed.
- 34 timber steps replaced with 37 dolomite slabs.
- Vegetation cleared from around the terminus stone.
August 10 – 13, 2023: Iola Ski Hill Segment, Waupaca County
Project Outcomes:
- 101 volunteers donated 2,237 service hours.
- 2,700 feet of tread constructed.
- 2 stone staircases totaling 12 steps and a 15-foot-long retaining wall.
- 17 box steps framed, filled, and tamped.
- Trail Layout and Design: a team explored future opportunities along the Skunk and Foster and New Hope segments.
July 12 – 16, 2023: IAT-U: Trail Skills, John Muir Park Segment, Marquette County
Project Outcomes:
- 47 volunteers built a 305-foot boardwalk and a 20-foot bridge.
- 34 volunteers conducted 800 feet of tread maintenance.
- 20 volunteers learned to identify invasive species (like spotted knapweed and prairie clover).
- 19 volunteers learned how to use Survey 123 while assessing the health of structures along the Trail.
- 17 volunteers learned safety protocols for future Swamper duties.
- 16 volunteers learned to plan for and repair water damage during Trail plumbing.
- 12 volunteers were certified/re-certified during 2 adult First Aid/CPR/AED classes.
- 11 volunteers learned the finer points of signage while applying fresh, yellow blazes.
June 21 – 25, 2023: Storrs Lake Segment, Rock County
Project Outcomes:
- 51 volunteers donated 1,181 service hours.
- An 856-foot boardwalk will now keep boots dry along the segment.
- Volunteers stayed healthy and hydrated despite the heat!
June 8 – 11, 2023: Crew Leader Training, Iola Ski Hill Segment
Thirteen volunteers who regularly attended MSC events within the last year applied for and were accepted into the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s Crew Leader Training, June 8 – 11.
The sessions were a mix of classroom-style learning and hands-on fieldwork. Discussions focused on managing a range of volunteer personalities, actively listening and communicating expectations, and successful conflict resolution strategies. Participants practiced leading a crew and teaching trailbuilding skills, like four-step tread construction, during the time in the field. Their classmates helped provide realistic scenarios by wandering off, improperly storing tools, or creating distractions.
May 17 – 21, 2023: Rib Lake Segment, Taylor County
Project Outcomes:
- 101 volunteers donated 2,773 service hours.
- Finished 4 boardwalks started in April and built 1 more.
- Built a bridge (over Sheep Ranch Creek) along the East Lake Segment.
- Built 3,500 feet of tread.
- Completed 2 stone staircases, one of which had been started in 2022.
- Set 7 gigantic stepping stones across a low, muddy area.
April 27 – 30, 2023: Rib Lake Segment, Taylor County
Project Outcomes:
- 73 volunteers donated 1,995 service hours
- Completed 5 boardwalks totaling 217 feet
- Started 3 boardwalks totaling 261 feet
- Began placing stepping stones for a 7-stone crossing
- Roughed in 1,000 feet of tread
- Cleared a ½ -mile of corridor
February 9 – 10, 2023: Gibraltar Rock Segment, Columbia County
Thirty-seven volunteers donated 310 service hours to chopping down eastern red cedar and removing invasive brush from the remnant prairie and savanna.
February 3 – 4, 2023: Cross Plains Segment, Dane County
Twenty-five volunteers came out and donated 195 service hours to the second HIP event. (Extreme cold cancelled the planned work day on February 3). They removed woody vegetation to create conditions for the preserve’s remnant prairie to flourish.
January 20 – 21, 2023: Table Bluff Segment, Dane County
Seventy volunteers dedicated more than 600 service hours to removing and burning invasive brush, creating space for oak trees to grow. Ultimately this work will restore the area’s oak woodlands.
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