Wisconsin Life

I'm here on the Lodi Marsh Segment of the Ice Age Trail, ready to help volunteers improve the trail.

chainsaw purrs

Wisconsin is full of breathtaking glaciated landscapes. The Ice Age Trail Alliance works to maintain and create better ways to enjoy these resources.

background conversation

I caught up with Luke Kloberdanz, Director of Philanthropy, who has been working with volunteers on a project to improve part of the trail running through the Lodi Marsh. So, can you tell us about the goal of the Ice Age Trail Alliance?

Luke Kloberdanz

Sure. So, the Ice Age Trail Alliance, our focus in working with our partners at the National Park Service, Wisconsin DNR is to create a continuous 1,200-mile footpath across Wisconsin, tracing the glacial landform. So, that requires us to purchase land, protect land, work with our partners to do the same. And then, we do the layout and design to create the trail that you're going to help us build today. Oh, wow! So, it sounds like a combination of preservation but also enjoyment of the land? - Absolutely, yeah. So, can you tell us about the project? Sure. So, we are in the Lodi Marsh State Wildlife area, and when you have a trail that goes near wetlands, sometimes you can develop wet areas. So, we've had a space that for a long time has been really wet, especially in spring like we're experiencing today. And so, as people were walking on that path, it got wider and wider. We want to not have an impact on the landscape like that. So, our volunteers and our staff work together to identify an alternative route where we could install a 300-and-some-odd-foot boardwalk to keep boots dry and to go light on the land. Given my slippery experience earlier today, I appreciate what you all are creating to help keep us off of the muddy trails that exist currently. Yes, yeah, right, yes. So, what should I be getting into, or what should I be looking forward to for the rest of my time here at the Lodi Marsh Ice Age Trail? Oh, wow, yes. So, we say, "There's a job for everyone." Okay. - And we do provide training, but we always want people to do what they feel comfortable doing. So, we have all kinds of things going on right now, from digging in muck to setting footings for our boardwalk to screwing down deck boards to a little bit of everything. So, I'm off to join dedicated volunteers working in snow and mud to make this section of the Ice Age Trail safe and less intrusive to wildlife. Here, let me loosen this up a little bit. It definitely takes a determined group of volunteers and staff to keep this resource in Wisconsin thriving.