WISCONSIN -- If you are planning to attend any volunteer led activities along Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail, you may be out of luck due to the government shutdown. The Ice Age Trail Alliance, who runs and maintains the 1,200 mile path, says they have temporarily suspended all volunteer activities. The cancelations include the popular First Day Hikes, which were scheduled for January 1st. 

While volunteer activities are cancelled, the entire Ice Age Trail will remain open for use during the shutdown. The activity cancellations come because the insurance volunteers are covered under is offered through the National Park Service. With funding temporarily halted, volunteers are not able to get coverage. 

 “We can’t in good conscience recommend volunteers provide any kind of service to the trail in the event that they are injured or have some type of a claim.” Says Ice Age Trail Alliance Executive Director Mike Wollmer. 

While Wollmer hopes the shutdown is resolved soon, he says he is very disappointed he has had to suspend several popular activities. 

“Telling people that want to do good things that they can’t do good things just doesn’t seem right to me.”says Wollmer 

The Ice Age Trail hosts more than one million visitors annually.​