Badger on the Chippewa River Trail Traditional Cache
Badger on the Chippewa River Trail
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The Badger is Wisconsin's state animal, though few in the Badger State have ever seen one.
Wisconsin is known as "the badger state" because in the 1800s, miners dug tunnels into hillsides as they searched for lead and then lived in them during the winter months to keep warm. This reminded people of badgers and Wisconsin became known as the badger state.
The animal we know as the badger is found throughout our state. They hunt mostly during the night and live in large open fields and grasslands, and this badger home is adjacent to an open field. Badgers are short, stocky animals with a small face staggering around in the grasslands, it could be a badger.
Badgers hunt for animals found in grasslands like pocket gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, and small birds. They can sniff out food almost as well as dogs can. Badgers will snarl, growl, and can give off a musky and smelly scent like a skunk if disturbed. These aggressive traits are also why badgers are frequently chosen as a team mascot.
This is one of a series of caches along the Chippewa River Trail. The route traces quiet countryside and broad meanders of the Chippewa River. For the most part, it follows the rail bed of the Milwaukee Road railway, built in 1882, which connected Eau Claire to Red Wing, Minnesota. The railway was abandoned in 1980.
The Chippewa River was once the "Road of War" for the Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Dakota (Sioux). It was a direct canoe route between the center of Dakota power at the north end of Lake Pepin and Ojibwe territory in northwestern Wisconsin. The conflict raged for more than 150 years with the last battle taking place near Eau Claire in 1854.
The trail goes though the Lower Chippewa River Valley, an area with much remaining natural habitat, including 50% of the states plant species, 70% of the state's fish species, 75% of the state's nesting bird species and 25% of all native prairies remaining in the state.
A trail pass is required to bike on the trail. Passes are available at 44.47.165; 91.31.935, which is the Short Street range station. Passes cost $15 for an annual pass, or $4 for a daily pass.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Trbornpba.