Innovative program helps children learn about nature and Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail
By John Koski
Editor
The Ice Age Trail Alliance visited the East Troy Lions Public Library Friday and brought along two special guests – Molly the wooly mammoth and her daughter Millie.
The all-volunteer group educated about 25 children and their parents in a well-conceived, multi-faceted program that ranged from learning about wooly mammoths during the last Ice Age to an introduction to the lives of early Native Americans.
The program began with Barb Converse reading aloud a book about wooly mammoths, followed by an imaginative walk through ankle-deep mud, traversing a primeval forest, and trekking across a glacier where the children experienced an unexpected “snowstorm” of white confetti.
At the end of the journey, the children were surprised by the appearance of a previously unseen seven-foot-tall Molly the wooly mammoth who welcomed the return of her lost daughter Millie – and who appreciated the pats she received from the children.
The second part of the program had children listening to Lynn Larson, of East Troy, portraying a Native American Ojibwe.
As she and the children sat around a pretend campfire, Larson introduced them to our natural environment and the beauty, tranquility and excitement that can be found there.
The goal of the program, according to Converse, is to introduce children to nature and to encourage them and their parents to walk along some of the many completed portions of the Ice Age Trial that traverses about 1,200 miles in Wisconsin.
“We want to introduce and connect children to nature,” Converse said, adding that the Ice Age Trial has many opportunities for families to take short, leisurely walks – some of which can accommodate strollers – intermediate walks, and longer, more challenging walks.
“Hiking together is one of the best ways to bond as a family,” Converse said. “Hiking provides an opportunity for children to learn about the beauty of nature, as well as cultivate the idea of an active lifestyle that will benefit them in the future.”
Ice Age Trail
The Ice Trail is one of only 11 National Scenic Trails in the United States, Converse noted.
The trail generally traverses the end moraines of the most recent glaciers 15,000 year ago, according to the National Park Service, which oversees the trail.
A moraine is a mass of rocks and sediment deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges.
The eastern end of the trail is at the tip of the Door Peninsula. From there the trial follows a mostly southerly direction passing through the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Eagle – which has 30 miles of completed trails – on its way to Janesville, where it begins to turn north, ultimately turning west just north of Antigo. It continues a westerly meander, ultimately arriving at its western terminus in St. Croix Falls.
Although the trail is still a work in progress, about 300 miles are certified, which means that the segment is developed and managed according to approved trail plans. An additional 250 miles of completed trail segments are also open for public use.
There are 21 chapters of the Ice Age Trail Alliance along the trail’s route. Each chapter is composed of volunteer stewards who maintain trail segments and promote the trial (such as the event at the East Troy Lions Public Library), among other activities.
For more information about the Ice Age Trail Alliance, call (800) 227-0046 or go to iceagetrail.org.
