Kevin Thusius manages the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s lands program by negotiating and completing land transactions for the Alliance and assisting partners with land protection efforts. He also manages the Alliance’s 3,400 acres of land interests, including 55 easements and dozens of Alliance-owned preserves. Other key duties include leading the Alliance’s advocacy efforts and assisting with large-scale planning efforts led by our partners.
Kevin traces his interest in the Trail back to his high school days when he used the Trail to access favorite hunting and fishing spots. He found the Trail again when he changed his focus from engineering and mathematics to a degree that interested him on a deeper level, ornithology. It turns out studying birds led him down the path towards land protection – the most complete way to protect them, other animals, and their habitats. Kevin relishes the linear greenspace of the Trail, knowing it provides sanctuary for diverse plant and animal populations. Importantly, this land will be available for future generations of hikers who head to the woods to hear the pounding of a pileated woodpecker or the trill of a warbler.