Chapter Meeting: Monday, March 20th 5:30-7:00pm
I have reserved the Chippewa Falls Public Library meeting room for our chapter meeting on Monday, March 20th from 5:30-7:00. Come and join us to find out what is coming up for our chapter this year. Please contact Vicki Christianson at chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org if you plan to attend. Hope to see you there.
Girl Scout Snowshoe Event at Camp Nawakwa FEB. 25
On February 25th, with 15” of fresh new snow on the ground, the Chippewa Moraine Chapter led their annual snowshoe event at Camp Nawakwa. Snowshoes that were donated by Scheel’s in Eau Claire last year were available for girls that did not have snowshoes. There were about 30 participants for the event. We started out at the Heyde House at Camp Nawakwa and headed west along the ridge of the hill before heading downhill on the shared horse trail. After passing the horse trail picnic spot, we joined up with the Ice Age Trail and hiked around Picnic Lake. After crossing the bridge, we headed onto the lake ice. We followed close to the lake shore around to the east side of the lake where we made snow angels. Then on we went to the waterfront. From there we climbed the hill up to the flats and then up to the Heyde House. Perfect snow and a perfect day. Thank you to JoAnn Parks, Sherry Jasper and Pat Kosher for assisting on the hike.
Gaylord Nelson Earth Green Award Recipient: Jerry Sazama
Jerry Sazama is being presented with the “Earth Green Award” by the Chippewa Valley Group of the Sierra Club - Wisconsin. This award recognizes Jerry’s significant contributions to the environmental health of the Chippewa Valley and western Wisconsin through his dedication to the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the Chippewa County Land Conservancy. The event is scheduled for Monday, April 17th at 5:30 at the First Congregational UCC Community Room located at 310 Broadway St. in Eau Claire. There will be a reception with beverages, appetizers, and dinner, followed by a short program.
Members of our chapter are invited to attend this event. There is a fee of $25 per person to attend. If you are interested in attending the event, contact me at chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org and I will email you the registration form.
Chapter Trail Projects 2023
We have a couple of trail projects lined up for this year in addition to our monthly chapter workdays.. We will be building a new Dispersed Camping Area (DCA) just uphill from this beaver dam bridge on the Firth Lake Segment. This is near the western trailhead on 245th Ave. (Moonridge Trail). We will also be building new trail to replace our detour at Horseshoe Lake on the Chippewa Moraine Segment. Several years ago, lake levels on Horseshoe Lake rose about 2 feet higher than the bridge across a channel. The flooded bridge was removed after a temporary detour was made on an old forest road. We are now going to replace that detour with a more scenic trail high above the lake.
Look for information about our upcoming trail work in future emails.
Mobile Skills Crew 2023 Events - Next: Rib Lake
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/
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
Chippewa Moraine Chapter partnering with Blue Hills
At the Chippewa Moraine Annual Meeting in November, we voted to increase our assistance on trail maintenance on the Blue Hills segments. We help with trail maintenance on the Blue Hills every August. We are now adding a second team project in the spring. The first week of May, the Blue Hills will be having a sawyer/swamper group clearing up the damage to the trails from the storms this winter. The tentative dates will be May 4-7.
The Blue Hills will also have monthly trail maintenance days on May 9, June 28, August 2, and September 21. We will post information on registering for these events the month prior to each event. We hope to have a solid crew of volunteers at these work days to help the small Blue Hills Chapter maintain their trails.
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.
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.
Chapter Calendar 2023
These are our annual events. Watch for upcoming events and additions (in red) to this calendar in the monthly newsletters.
Mar. 20 Chapter Meeting
April 15 Monthly Trail Maintenance
April 17 Green Earth Award and Dinner with the Chippewa Valley Group of the Sierra Club
April 22 Adventure North 50K
April 20-24 Annual IATA Conference in Sheboygan
May 4-6 Sawyer/Swamper/Lopper Crew - Blue Hills
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
June 28 Blue Hills Trail Maintenance Day
July 17 Chapter Picnic at Mill Yard Park, Cornell
August 2 Blue Hills Trail Maintenance Day
Aug. 6 First Sunday Hike
Aug. 19 Trail Maintenance Day
Sept. 3 First Sunday Hike
Sept. 16 Trail Maintenance Day
September 21 Blue Hills 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
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