How to help the Ice Age Trail Alliance (and Renew Your Plates)

Mornin' to the genius who turned a Port-o-John into an ice fishing shack. Behold, the Crappie Shack. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here. 

*Wanna snag this Wiscampsin License Plate holder for your ride? Use your unique referral code below to share share with 5 outdoorsy folks in your life and voila! It's yours! 

What we're stoked about this week:

• IATA license plate 🚘

• Ethical Hunter Award Nominations 🦌

• Devil's Lake one of most Instagrammed state park 📱

Ice Age Trail Alliance License Plate

We interrupt this programming for an important message:

Your license plate could use a facelift. 

Sure, we all love the classic WI plate - little farm, sun rising over a barn where some farmer somewhere is milking 'Ol Bessie for a glass of that delicious, frothy milk used in custard, cheese curds, cottage cheese, the IV mainlining straight into my veins...

Oh sorry, got carried away. In short - we've always had the classic plate and specialty plates (like the Packers and Brewers), but now there's a shiny new one to add to the list. 

Introducing the Ice Age Trail Alliance license plate:

• Will be available sometime around March

• Will cost $40 extra per year in your DMV fees (but... $25 of which goes to help the IATA)

• Features a unique full-sheet look with a retro teal and yellow - and of course the infamous mammoth

Yep, you can't drive your car on the Ice Age Trail, but you can rep the 1,200-mile long trail showcasing our unique history with glaciers right on your car. How cool is that. 

Now, you may be asking yourself a few questions. What is the Ice Age Trail and why do I want it on my car? Why won't my new neighbor from Chicago ever shovel my driveway like I shovel his? 

Keep readin' for answers (except on your FIB neighbor, that's just how they are...)

What is the Ice Age Trail again? A 1,200-mile long trail that showcases the many features left behind by the glaciers thousands of years ago. It is one of 11 National Scenic Trails in Wisconsin, one of three that are fully contained within one state.

Hmm. Let me see a map. Roughly 60% of 'Sconnies live within 20 minutes of this epic trail.

What can I do on this trail? Hike it from start to finish, check off segments as you go, set Fastest Known Times (known as FKTs - this one is pretty insane), or load up the car with friends for a weekend backpacking trip. 

What will the money from the funds be used for? Nothing is more of a bummer like hiking the IATA and hitting those dreaded highways. Money from the plates will help purchase more land for developing continuous trail. 

How do I apply for a special license plate? Save your money and wait till you're within three months of your current ones expiring (more money for the pub). See more here.

Other plate FAQs: Once the plate is available for the public, 500 people have to buy it within three years. If at any point after that the number of active registrations falls below 500, the IATA has 12 months to meet the threshold again. If they don't, the plate will disappear faster than a brat at a tailgate.

What are other available special license plates in Wisconsin? Packers, Brewers, you name it, we got 'em right here.

Face it folks, we're all waiting for snow, might as well be waiting at the DMV for this new plate. No better way to ~subtle~ brag and help your local green spaces out while you're doing it. 

Now get out 'der!

Wiscampsin Weekly Poll

Well folks its officially been decided by the Wiscampsin Weekly Poll of January 18th: Perch is the 'Sconnie's preferred fish fry panfish with 60% of the votes!

NEW: Wisconsin Events

Butt glued to the couch? Here are some great Wisconsin events to get you out 'der:

SNOWSHOE HIKE ALONG ICE AGE TRAIL AT FOREST HEADQUARTERS on Saturday, January 28, 2023, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit

LAPHAM PEAK CANDLELIGHT HIKE/SKI on Saturday, January 28, 2023, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Kettle Moraine State Forest - Lapham Peak Unit

SEASONAL SCAVENGER HUNT on Saturday, January 28, 2023, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at Devil's Lake State Park - Nature Center. Families will receive a set of clues to go on a scavenger hunt. Each family will need to work as a team as they hike along the trails to complete this challenge. Some challenges require a GPS unit (provided by the Nature Center) or a smartphone and make sure to bring your camera.

Know a WI Outdoors-related event happening? Reply to this email with the details and we will share the week before the event!

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🦃 Nominate an ethical hunter: Could be your neighbor, your Aunt Sheryl - anyone who went out to fill the freezer this past year in an ethical way ("you can't just claim self-defense on every kill, Cousin Joe!). The DNR is seeking 2022 nominees, elect 'em here. 

📱 But first, let me take a selfie: We always knew Devil's Lake State Park was a beaut, but now new data shows it's the 5th most Instagrammed state park in the entire US. Now if only it could take the place of a few of the Kardashian clan...

🐺 New wolf study to chomp into: A new study shows that when one member of a wolf pack dies by car crash or poaching, the chance of the pack staying together decreases by 27%. Don your reading glasses and read more about the study here. 

Meme of the Week 😂 

A review from the Trail... Well shucks, you guys are the cheese to our curd