21 Dec Tread Lightly! Impact Report: Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Cleanup

Project: Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Cleanup
Project #34/50
State: Wisconsin

This report was a collaboration between Tread Lightly! and Cindy Pope of Northology Adventures

Description: This project was funded by the Quadratec 50 for 50 Initiative. Together with Tread Lightly!, Quadratec has committed to fund a project to improve off-road trails and public lands in each state over 24 months. 

The Tread Lightly! Quadratec 50 for 50 Cleanup in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, organized with the support of Northology Adventures, Wisconsin Overland, and Wisconsin Jeep Owners Group members, proved to be a significant success in cleaning up several dump sites targeted by National Forest staff. Volunteers gathered at the Laona Ranger Station from across the upper midwest, working diligently to clean up dump sites from Crandon, WI, to Mountain, WI, 45 miles away.

On October 28, 2023, twelve volunteers from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota dedicated their time and energy to this cleanup effort. Despite the challenging conditions and distance, their commitment shone through, emphasizing the importance of conserving these natural landscapes. These volunteers split into two teams and worked tirelessly from 9 am to 3 pm, accumulating an impressive total of 72 hours of volunteer work. One team rolled an illegal hunting blind out of the deep woods and the other recovered a discarded trailer full of trash. Other trash collected included mattresses, furniture, car and boat parts, an inflatable pool, cans, bottles and general household trash. A 20-yard dumpster was completely filled and over a dozen discarded tires removed from the woods.

The Tread Lightly! Quadratec 50 for 50 Cleanup in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest was not only a testament to the dedication of the volunteers but also a reminder of the importance of taking ownership of our public lands and responsibility for keeping the area clean regardless of the source of the trash.

 Thank you to the following partners for their support:

• Quadratec
•  USFS
• Northology Adventures
• Wisconsin Overland
•  Wisconsin Jeep Owners Group Members

“Working with Scott and Brady was great. Scott made sure we had all the gloves and trash bags we needed for the cleanup and communicating with Brady in advance and working with him on the day of the event was easy and super helpful.” -Cindy Pope, Head Northologist with Northology

“Tread Lightly! and Quadratec have done a lot of great work together on the 50 for 50 Initiative since last April, but projects like this on in Wisconsin where we don’t have staff nearby are only possible with organizations like Northology and individuals like Cindy Pope taking the initiative to get volunteers together to make a difference. We can’t thank them enough for their help in service to public lands!” -Scott Ammerman, Northeast Program Manager, Tread Lightly!

“The amount of garbage in the woods made me very sad, but seeing all the volunteers who cared enough to come help clean it up filled my cup.”-Christina Goodwin, volunteer

Want to get involved in your own Tread Lightly! project? Find upcoming activities, events and grant opportunities at treadlightly.org.