On April 30th, we hosted our 4th annual Land Legacy Gathering in partnership with the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA).
From early in the morning, the sky threatened to open up. All day it looked and felt as if a spring storm was inevitable. Fortunately for the 70 or so people who decided to ignore the forecast and join us for a guided hike on the Table Bluff Section of the Ice Age Trail, the rain never came as we walked through more than 400 acres of prairies, sedge meadows, and savannas near Cross Plains protected by the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the Swamplovers Foundation.
The Land Legacy Gathering brings our supporters to the places that make Wisconsin special – the places they’ve helped protect by donating their time and money to Gathering Waters Conservancy.
Every year we jointly host the Land Legacy Gathering with a land trust to provide our members with an opportunity to see the ultimate results of their support of Gathering Waters. At the event they experience the land and are introduced to the people and the stories behind the protection of special places. In this case, the story was shared by Kevin Thusius and Mike Wollmer from the IATA and Lee Swanson and Jerry Goth from the Swamplovers Foundation. They shared their passion for the land, the challenges they’ve faced, and the triumphs they’ve enjoyed all while walking us through the landscape.
This Land Legacy Gathering contained a special element. During a reception at the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s headquarters we announced that IATA will receive a Land Trust Excellence and Advancement Program (LEAP) grant.
This is the inaugural year for LEAP, a partnership with the Land Trust Alliance, and we are proud that IATA is one of six land trusts chosen to receive customized services this year. Mike Wollmer, Executive Director of IATA, happily welcomed the news.
Thank you to everyone who made the Land Legacy Gathering a success, including our generous sponsors and the hard-working folks at IATA and Swamplovers. If you would like more information on how to explore the Ice Age Trail, Wisconsin’s own National Scenic Trail, visit IATA’s website. Don’t forget to check out a few of our photos from the event.
