Habitat Improvement: Gibraltar Rock Segment at Steenbock Preserve

What You’ll Help Do

Each year, the view of Lake Wisconsin and the Baraboo Hills improves at the Alliance-owned Steenbock Preserve. Help remove invasive brush from the oak savannas and woodlands using loppers and hand saws. Trained sawyers will bring down invasive trees, too. If there is adequate snow cover, we’ll also burn the brush piles

Join us each day, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, February 9, and Saturday, February 10, and learn what it takes to restore the savannas of the Steenbock Preserve.

We also need NPS-trained sawyers and swampers (a person to ensure crew safety when a sawyer is running the chainsaw) and brush haulers to pile and burn the debris. We encourage NPS-certified sawyers to bring their chainsaw and PPE.

Registration:

To help us plan this event with your needs in mind, please register by Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

Limit: 50 volunteers.

Event is full. Email Lisa Szela, Volunteer Support Coordinator, (lisa@iceagetrail.org) to be added to the waitlist.

All Talents and Abilities Welcome!
There’s a role for volunteers of all ages and abilities. And no experience is necessary to participate in MSC events. Friendly Alliance staff and certified volunteer crew leaders provide hands-on training to get you started immediately.

Schedule
Your contribution of time and energy is welcome for any part of the event.

The event runs Friday, February 9, and Saturday, February 10, and the hours each day are 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Lunch is provided each day. 

Parking and Volunteer Check-In
Parking is located at the parking lot on Hwy 113 at the Colsac Ferry Crossing. Please follow the yellow Ice Age Trail Event signs.

Parking may be limited this time of year, so please consider ride-sharing.

There is no overnight camping or base camp for this project.

What to Bring
Bring winter-appropriate footwear such as insulated boots. Ice cleats (Micro Spikes, Yak Traks, etc.) and walking sticks are highly recommended for for secure footing.

  • A plastic sled and/or backpack for hauling gear may prove helpful.
  • Appropriate ‘near-fire’ clothing (no synthetics – leave that fancy coat at home).
  • Clothing to dress in layers (for warmth and to keep dry).
  • A daypack, sunscreen, and leather gloves.
  • A water bottle(s) and a thermos filled with a warm beverage.
  • NPS certified sawyers are welcome and encouraged to bring their saws and PPE.

Looking Ahead:

Want to know what’s in store for the entire season? The list of 2024 HIP and Trailbuilding events coming, soon!

Questions?
Please contact Steve Pence, Land Restoration Specialist, by emailing: steve@iceagetrail.org

We hope to see you soon!

Happy Trails,

The Gibraltar Rock Segment Project Team

Volunteers Transform Slopes of Steenbock Preserve

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Steenbock Preserve, Gibraltar Rock Segment, MSC, 2021, Mobile Skills Crew, Volunteers, Land Stewardship
Dane County Chapter volunteer Tom Wise clears trees to help transform the hillside from an encroaching juniper forest into diverse oak and prairie habitat. Photo by Patrick Gleissner.
For the fifth year running, the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) came together with volunteers to continue restoration efforts on the Gibraltar Rock Segment. Under exhaustive conditions, crews worked to remove the invading juniper forest from the slopes of the Steenbock Preserve. Thanks to your efforts, biodiversity will be increased and nearly three acres of historic prairie can begin to heal and reclaim the landscape.

Continue reading