Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities Survey
The Dane County Chapter of the IAPTF would like to offer you the opportunity to participate in completing the 1200 mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail. This survey will help us match your skills and interests with Ice Age Trail activities. Our goal is to make your Ice Age Trail and volunteer experience as rewarding as possible. To access the survey, please Click Here or visit the File Library.
ColdCache Creator
Play a valuable role in our Cold Cache program creating environmental education sites!
GeoCaching: outdoor treasure-hunt using a GPS receiver or other navigational tools to hide and seek "caches" containing a logbook and "treasure" (usually trinkets of little value).
EarthCaching is similar, except you seek out natural features instead of human-placed caches.
ColdCaching is a type of EarthCache, discovering natural features along the IAT.
Visit http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?key=iatcc for current sites. Each one includes instructions for a simple task or questions to verify your find.
The coordinator, coldcache@iceagetrail.org, will walk you through the process. Guidelines are at www.iceagetrail.org/coldcache.htm.
Marvelous hobby for anyone interested in science. Endless classroom project possibilities.
Environmental Educator
Help educate children about the Ice Age Trail, and plants, geology and wildlife. This could involve developing educational programs or literature and include field trips. An educational guide and exercise book is available for the Lodi Marsh Education Trail segment.
Event Planner/Coordinator
If you enjoy creating and managing fun events and people we have several events each year where you could use your planning and coordinating talents. Events include a volunteer recognition party in late winter, National Trails Day Festival (1st Saturday in June) and Ice Age Amble (around early October). Other special events may be planned as well based on interest and creative thinking.
Farmers' Market Coordinator
Each year we have an Ice Age Trail display at the Saturday Dane County Farmers' Market (April-October). The current coordinator welcomes an assistant to help (and possibly expand) our outreach. Attendance at Farmers' Market is not a requirement. Duties include: delegate the shifts, replenish the literature and transport the materials. This is an important (fun!) trail-building effort with its own tangible feelings of accomplishment.
Farmers' Market Table Staff
Like food and people? Meet new friends, have fun, and inform passersby about the Ice Age Trail at the capitol square Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings. Such a relaxing way to volunteer! A coordinator will assist with transporting and stocking materials.
Special events - WHA Garden Expo and Canoecopia - are options too.
Interested parties should contact Theresa at twbadger@yahoo.com or 608-438-1857
Fundraiser
Do you have a flair for funds? Are you creative in thinking about ways to raise money or donations? The opportunities range from obtaining small donations or items for specific events, to fund raising for purchases of major equipment or even Trail lands. Could include finding grant opportunities and writing proposals.
Hike Leader
Lead hikes on various segments of the Ice Age Trail. Times and locations are flexible and it can be a hike with a theme or simply to breathe fresh air. Knowledge of the Ice Age Trail, plants, birds and geology are a plus.
Ice Age Trail Speaker
If you are enthusiastic about the Ice Age Trail, hiking, recreation, nature, or geology, a good way to spread the word about the Ice Age Trail is to talk to organizations or groups about the Trail. We get a number of requests for such presentations, and talks are usually informal. We have plenty of slides and other materials for use.
Photographer
Take pictures of the Trail or special events for publication or poster presentations. Can also include leading photo outings on the Trail for similarly inclined shutterbugs.
Promotion and Public Relations
With all our events and outings, it is very important that the media receive notices to ensure that people are aware of the opportunities that exist on the Ice Age Trail. We need people to help promote the Trail, contact the media, and provide them with appropriate information on Trail happenings and events. Can also involve outreach to the community and organizations to solicit their involvement.
Sign Creator / Graphics Design
Show off your artistic talents! Create signs or other graphics for the Ice Age Trail. These can be larger trail or interpretive signs, poster boards for displays, signs for displays or special events, or graphics for the newsletter or other publications. Usually involves computer work, but can also be freehand for such items as t-shirts.
Tools Maintenance
Having tools in good shape is essential to accomplishing trail work safely and efficiently. If you have some mechanical skills and can take care of hand tools such as saws and loppers, and perhaps chain saws and our field mowers, we could use your help. Having good tools in good shape for volunteers helps them enjoy their volunteer activities.
Trail Building and Maintenance
Help build and maintain the Ice Age Trail. May involve participating in native plant community restoration, usually by removing exotic or invasive plants, but also can involve prairie work including seed collecting and controlled burns. Workdays are mainly on Saturdays throughout the year. Rides may be available to those without transportation. Meet new people and have fun in great outdoor settings. Tools are provided.
Trail Manager or Monitor
Would you like to help manage a section of the Ice Age Trail? We are looking for additional trail managers to help lead outings and maintain segments of the Ice Age Trail. We have 5 trail sections in Dane County where we need people to assist the current managers. We are also looking for monitors to occasionally hike a segment of Trail to check conditions or to check the status of Trail properties.
Volunteer Coordinator
We need a people person linking new trail enthusiasts to their Ice Age Trail interest opportunities. Contact Gary 249-7870 nattrails@aol.com or Theresa twbadger@yahoo.com for more details.
Web Site Maintenance
Our chapter web site at madison.communities.com/iceage could use someone to enhance and maintain this site. Or simply assist in updating events here or through various community calendars: Isthmus www.thedailypage.com, United Way www.volunteeryourtime.org, IAT Alliance www.iceagetrail.org etc.
Wood Craft
Beneficial to both long-distance and neighborhood hikers along the trail are viewshed/resting benches, weatherproof mapboxes, kiosks and informational signage. Classic Leopold benches are simple to assemble and definitely enhance trail relaxation. Maps protected from the elements point us in the right direction and compell us to explore what's around the bend. Can your woodworking talent supplement the path's natural features?
Writer / Publications / Editor
Looking for people with story-telling talents who can offer new perspectives on the Trail. Articles appearing in our newsletter "Ice Age Drift" and "Mammoth Tales" or other needs such as flyers and brochures. Can involve assisting with layout and graphics. This is a good opportunity to build writing skills and get published. Help get Trail information out to media sources to reach more people.
Youth Group Leader
If you like children and leading outings, this may be a perfect fit for you. Help guide and lead youth groups (from scouts, 4H, camps, etc.) on outings or work activities on the Ice Age Trail. Can also involve getting school or community groups connected with Trail activities.
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