Photo by: Cameron Gillie
2023 Trailbuilding and Habitat Improvement Events
Learn new skills. Make new friends. Help build and maintain the Ice Age Trail and improve its surrounding habitat.
2023 Habitat Improvement Projects
2023 Trailbuilding Events
Save the Dates! And sign up for Habitat Improvement Projects.
January 20 – 21, 2023: Table Bluff Segment, Dane County
Help maintain species diversity and ecosystem quality along this popular segment. Build and burn brush piles; remove invasive brush and trees from prairies to prepare for future broadcast burns.
February 3 – 4, 2023: Cross Plains Segment, Dane County
Burn brush piles previously created at Mammoth’s Back Preserve. Buckthorn removal will continue as we clear Mammoth’s Back and preserve its remnant hilltop prairie.
February 9 – 10, 2023: Gibraltar Rock Segment, Columbia County
Felling, piling, and burning eastern red cedar continues at the Steenbock Preserve. Join us as we pull back the cedar curtain and unveil the view of Lake Wisconsin and the Baraboo Hills.
April 27 – 30, 2023: Rib Lake Segment, Taylor County
If you like building boardwalk, or want more practice with the craft, this is the project for you! We’re installing four structures to protect wetlands and keep boots dry along four brand-new miles in Taylor County.
May 17 – 22, 2023: Rib Lake Segment, Taylor County
Since 2022, the effort continues toward building four brand-new, gap-closing miles. We’ll complete a 2.5-mile section and get a head start on the last mile.
June 8 – 11, 2023: Crew Leader Training, Location TBD
Learn the skills you need to lead the next trailbuilding generation. Aspiring volunteer crew leaders, please apply! If you’re a proven leader, on or off the Trail, please consider submitting a short application.
June 21 – 25, 2023: Storrs Lake Segment, Rock County
We’re building a boardwalk to address a perennially wet area of the Trail, which creates frequent closures. This structure will enhance the hiker experience through the Storrs Lake Wildlife Area, a popular recreation spot.
July 12 – 16, 2023: IAT-U: Trail Skills, John Muir Park Segment, Marquette County
Learn new skills from experienced staff and trained volunteers. Ice Age Trail University (IAT-U) classes will include boardwalk construction, trail maintenance basics, and the ins and outs of blazing. Courses will have attendee limits. Check XYZ for updated course offerings.
August 9 – 13, 2023: Iola Ski Hill Segment/Emmons Creek Segment, Portage/Waupaca Counties
Come help complete last year’s reroute efforts on the Iola Ski Hill Segment and spruce up the Emmons Creek Segment with a new boardwalk and tread maintenance.
September 6 – 10, 2023: Sturgeon Bay Segment, Door County
Join us as we reroute the Trail away from shared ski trails to a dedicated path leading to the recently relocated Eastern Terminus. Let’s build a view-worthy Trail for the terminus, which now enjoys a scenic spot overlooking Green Bay (the bay, not the city).
September 26 – October 1, 2023: Rib Lake Segment, Taylor County
Add your muscle to the final sections of this four-mile effort to reconnect the Rib Lake Segment. We will host a GRAND opening, complete with a celebratory hike! Begin the Mammoth Hike Challenge on freshly-constructed Trail.
October 18 – 22, 2023: Cross Plains Segment, Dane County
Help us take advantage of acres of public land as we work to extend the Trail by almost three miles, eliminate a road walk, and create a loop for additional hiking opportunities. Expect to clear corridor, build boardwalks, and cut tread. Join the annual pumpkin carving contest, too!
Completed Event Recaps
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