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Trails · Long-distance trail

Ice Age Trail Alliance

“Create, maintain, and protect the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.”

68 years on the ground, 80 cents of every dollar to the work.

Home groundCross Plains, WI
Founded1958
Tax status501(c)(3)
Led byLuke Kloberdanz

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The work

What they do

Trail building, maintenance, and land acquisition for the 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. Works with NPS on this National Scenic Trail.

Where the money went, FY2024

The work, and what it cost

Trail’s

$1.1M, 32% of spending

The alliance has built and maintainsed more than 700 miles of the ice age national scenic trail. Alliance staff coordinate this effort among 19 volunteer chapters and volunteers from across the upper midwest.

Read it as they filed it
TRAILS - THE ALLIANCE HAS BUILT AND MAINTAINSED MORE THAN 700 MILES OF THE ICE AGE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL. ALLIANCE STAFF COORDINATE THIS EFFORT AMONG 19 VOLUNTEER CHAPTERS AND VOLUNTEERS FROM ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST. IN ADDITION TO TRAIL CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, STEWARDSHIP, AND OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, THE ALLIANCE ADDED APPOXIMATELY 6.7 MILES OF NEW TRAIL AND STARTED THE PROCESS TO BUILD ANOTHER 15 NEW MILES IN THE FUTURE. ALL TOLD, THE ALLIANCE'S 1,986 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 103,439 HOURS - A NEW RECORD.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.

Lands

$860K, 26% of spending

The alliance completed eleven land transactions while helping partners complete three additional acquisitions and thereby protected 188 acres of land and added an estimated 3.2 miles of future trail.

Read it as they filed it
LANDS - THE ALLIANCE COMPLETED ELEVEN LAND TRANSACTIONS WHILE HELPING PARTNERS COMPLETE THREE ADDITIONAL ACQUISITIONS AND THEREBY PROTECTED 188 ACRES OF LAND AND ADDED AN ESTIMATED 3.2 MILES OF FUTURE TRAIL. PROPERTIES WERE PROTECTED IN BOTH FEE AND EASEMENT. ALL THESE LANDS WILL HOST A VARIETY OF PUBLIC RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT INCLUDE THE ICE AGE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL. THE ALLIANCE ALSO HOSTED 3 HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, DESIGNED TO REMOVE INVASIVE SPECIES, COLLECTED 308 POUNDS OF NATIVE SEEDS, AND BURNED MORE THAN 300 ACRES.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.

Outreach

$749K, 22% of spending

The alliance continues to engage new members and trail users. 2024 included the 5th mammoth hike challenge with more than 9,000 registrants with 78% being new.

Read it as they filed it
OUTREACH - THE ALLIANCE CONTINUES TO ENGAGE NEW MEMBERS AND TRAIL USERS. 2024 INCLUDED THE 5TH MAMMOTH HIKE CHALLENGE WITH MORE THAN 9,000 REGISTRANTS WITH 78% BEING NEW. OUR SAUNTERS AND THINK OUTSIDE YOUTH EDUCATION WORK DREW MORE THAN 10,000 YOUTH TO THE TRAIL. WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES DESIGNATED AS ICE AGE TRAIL COMMUNITIES TO 24. MEMBERSHIP CONTINUED TO GROW TO 6,945 MEMBERS. ICE AGE TRAIL LICENSE PLATES CONTINUE TO GENERATE REVENUE AND MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ALLIANCE.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.

Follow the dollar

80 cents of every dollar goes to the work

80¢
80¢ the work12¢ keeping the lights on8¢ raising the next dollar

A good sign, not a scorecard: what matters is the extremes, and this is nowhere near one.

$2,685,926 programs, $408,140 management, $254,695 fundraising. Form 990, FY2024.

The people

Who does the work

27paid staff
2,000volunteers last year
16board members
Luke KloberdanzExecutive Director & CEOComp $136,018, FY2024
Kevin ThusiusSenior Director of Land ConservationComp $100,852, FY2024

Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. If it’s out of date, tell us. Work at the Ice Age Trail Alliance? Claim this page.

Those 2,000 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If the Ice Age Trail Alliance is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.

Find your way in

The filings

14 years of filings

Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at or tap the line for any year.

$2M$4M$5.0M FY2420112024
Total revenue by fiscal year
YearRevenue
2011$866,920
2012$2,355,333
2013$908,066
2014$2,023,367
2015$2,341,012
2016$2,358,022
2017$1,983,243
2018$2,030,380
2019$2,117,170
2020$4,118,704
2021$3,561,895
2022$5,491,175
2023$4,141,742
2024$4,993,823

From $867K in 2011 to $5.0M in FY24, with no missed filing in 14 years. 2022, at $5.5M, stands well above the other years on file.

Stand with the Ice Age Trail Alliance

The mission is theirs. The backing is yours.

Sources and methodFinancials, headcounts, and program text: IRS Form 990, FY2024 and 13 prior filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 39-6076028. Leadership and compensation: Form 990 Part VII and the return’s signature block, FY2024 filing. Org-reported figures are always labeled. Data verified as of 2026-09-23. Nothing on this page is pay-to-play.