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.

Habitat Statewide Projects color

2023 Habitat Improvement Projects

MSC Statewide Projects - dates color

2023 Trailbuilding Events

Completed Event Recaps

Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Ice Age Trail, Cross Plains Segment MSC 2023
A volunteer crew crafts tread through a golden-hued forest. Photo by Dave Caliebe.

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.
152 volunteers donated 4,388 service hours to the final Rib Lake MSC project, allowing for the grand re-opening of the Rib Lake Segment! Photo by Dave Caliebe.
152 volunteers donated 4,388 service hours to the final Rib Lake MSC project, allowing for the grand re-opening of the Rib Lake Segment! Photo by Dave Caliebe.

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.
This MSC event included two Thousand-Miler completions! Photo by Patrick Gleissner.
This MSC event included two Thousand-Miler completions! Photo by Patrick Gleissner.

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.
Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Ice Age Trail, Iola Ski Hill Segment, Portage/Waupaca County Chapter
Beautiful tread weaves through the woods. Photo by Dave Caliebe.

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.
Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Ice Age Trail, MSC, IAT-U
A volunteer pair gets hands-on experience building a boardwalk. Photo by Patrick Gleissner.

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.
Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Ice Age Trail, Storrs Lake Segment, MSC 2023
The 856-foot boardwalk is complete! Photo by Patrick Gleissner.

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!
Grouppic

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.

A scenic shot of a wooden bridge over a creek in the northwoods.
A scenic shot of Sheep Ranch Creek Bridge. Photo by Patrick Gleissner.

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.
An Alliance volunteer sits on newly constructed stone steps at a Trailbuilding event.
Alice Weinert, Ice Age Trail Alliance Volunteer. Photo by Michelle McArdle.

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
Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Habitat Management, 2022
Photo by Dave Caliebe.

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.

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Habitat Management, 2022
Photo by Eva Ballering.

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.

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Habitat Management, 2022
Photo by Dave Caliebe.

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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