The goal of the SCA/USFWS Trails Inventory program is to provide the Fish and Wildlife Service with a comprehensive and accurate inventory of all trails on USFWS sites across the country. This is certainly an ambitious project as there are over 600 USFWS sites nationwide. This project will take us to every corner of the country, to high mountains and low deserts through bayous and fjords. We are all extremely excited for this opportunity as it provides the chance to perform an important service to the USFWS, expand our own knowledge and expertise, and experience many different parts of the country for the first time.
Hitch 3- Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio
On Hitch 3, Christina and Susan saw the most wildlife either of them had seen to date on the FishTracs program. Eagles, herons, cranes, and egrets abounded as Susan and Christina became aquanted with two Great Lakes on Hitch 3 through Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. They inventoried a total of nine refuges despite being flooded out of Illinois refuges closer to the Mississippi River. Water was high even on a few refuges in Wisconsin with the duo doning a pair of hip boots while GPSing trail at Necedah NWR. Being rerouted to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan however, was nothing to complain about. With stops in Seney NWR and Pendills Creek NFH, a black bear sighting, and one memorable boat ride in Green Bay, they had an authentic U.P. experience.
Recreational activities on Hitch 3 included stops at the Saturday Farmer’s Market in Madison, a weekend in the Painted Rocks National Lakeshore on the coast of Lake Superior, and a day at the Henry Ford Museum just outside of Detroit. Foods enjoyed included aged chedder, bratwurst, local jerky and produce, pasties, and more aged chedder.
