• Three Parcels Added to Kangaroo Lake Preserve

• Land Trust and Ridges Preserve Critical Land

• 80 Acres Protected at Coffey Swamp

• Habitat Restoration Underway

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

Fall 2007, Vol. 10 Issue 1

2

Design & layout of “Landings” by LfpDesign!

PO Box 65 • Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235(920) 746-1359 • (920) 839-9990

Fax: (920) 746-1024email: info@doorcountylandtrust.org

www.doorcountylandtrust.org

Board of DirectorsLucy Klug, President

Dave Callsen, President ElectFran Burton, Secretary

Bryan Nelson, Treasurer

Nancy AtenJean BarrettCathy FioratoJim JanningJudy Lokken

StaffDan Burke, Executive Director

Terrie Cooper, Land Program DirectorJodi Milske, Stewardship CoordinatorJulie Schartner, Program Coordinator

Laurel Hauser, Communications/Development Karen Wilkinson, Administrative Assistant

Jack Finger, Stewardship Field Assistant

Oliver SkrivanieMary Standish

John TurnerRob Van Gemert

Karen Yancey

Cover photo: Little Lake Preserve on Washington Island,photo by Julie Schartner

Welcome to Landings. I hope this holiday season finds you and your family well and ingood spirits. We here at the Land Trust certainly have a lot of holiday cheer to share with youas evident by the beautiful cover photo of our newly-protected property on Washington Island’sLittle Lake. The announcement of our exciting purchase of thousands of feet of pristine shore-line at Little Lake is but one of the many land preservation success stories we will share withyou in this issue of Landings. The special places that are profiled in these pages capture the trueessence of Door County and their protection serves as a reminder to us all of the

important and lasting work we are accomplishing together.

In October, while attending the Land Trust Alliance’s national conference in Denver, Colorado, I was againreminded of the importance of our land preservation mission and the sense of urgency that underlies ourefforts. This conference brings together over 2,000 fellow colleagues working or volunteering for local landtrust organizations throughout the country. There are over 1,700 land trusts at work in the United States andthis gathering provides an ideal format to view our local conservation work here in Door County in a broad-er, national context.

It is so inspiring to know that the accomplishments we are realizing in Door County are being replicated incommunities throughout the United States. For example, on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, just 70miles from Door County, our friends at the Little Traverse Conservancy, Grand Traverse RegionalConservancy and Leelanau Conservancy have preserved thousands of acres of lakeshore, sand dunes, forestsand bucolic open spaces throughout northwest Michigan. When you put together the successes of the DoorCounty Land Trust with those of these three organizations, you gain a better appreciation for the ability ofcommunity-based land trusts to protect open space and critical wildlife habitat on a regional scale. On anational level, land trusts have now conserved over 37 million acres!

Encouraging news? Absolutely! But these accomplishments must be tempered by the fact that our mobile, ever-expandinghuman population is putting an unprecedented strain on the ability of communities to preserve their rural character, scenicbeauty and ecological integrity. Here in Door County where there aremore rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals than anyother county in Wisconsin, we still have an opportunity to preserveprecious lands that sustain and nurture our economy, our ecosystems,and our souls. As Land Trust members and supporters, you play anintegral role in helping us make the most of this opportunity. Ourchildren and grandchildren deserve to know Door County for what itis today – an inspiring landscape of unequaled beauty and ecologicalabundance. Please know that we appreciate all your support and dotake comfort in knowing that what we’re doing together in DoorCounty is being done all across America. Wishing you and yours allthe best this holiday season!

Sincerely,

Dan Burke, Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director

MissionStatement

To protect, preserve,and maintain lands

that contribute significantly to the

scenic beauty,open space, and

ecological integrityof

Door County.

Little Lake Preserve, Washington Island

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The Places We Protect:Brussels Hill Preserve

I know of no other place in the Midwest whereone’s identity is so connected to the end of the

county – north or south – they call home. Door Countyis a narrow but long spit of stone with a more or lessnorth-south orientation. About sixty miles of land sepa-rate the southern Door-Kewaunee county border fromthe peninsula’s northern tip. Distinct characteristicshave come to be associated with both areas. Some ofthese associations are accurate, others are not.

If one’s knowledge of “Southern Door” is limited toviews seen along the highway from the car window, it’sunderstandable to associate the area with agriculture.After all, Southern Door supports many scenic, family-run farms, in part because it has much deeper and rich-er soils than its northern counterpart. However, to seeSouthern Door only in this light would fail to capturethe rest of the story. Southern Door should also be rec-ognized for the significant contribution it makes to theecological integrity of Door County as a whole. A casein point is the rugged and varied terrain of the BrusselsHill area.

Situated between the town of Brussels and SturgeonBay, Brussels Hill is arguably the most recognizablelandmark in Southern Door thanks to the fact thatHighway 57 currently crosses this scenic wonder. (Thenew highway, due to be completed in 2008, will bypassthe Brussels Hill.) The Door County Land Trust, inpartnership with the Bissen family, is dedicated to pro-tecting the unique geographical features and the uniquehabitat of this hill.

In 2004, the Door County Land Trust began workingwith the Bissen family to permanently protect their415-acre property with a conservation easement agree-ment. This was an exciting venture for the Land Trustas it was the largest contiguous parcel ever protected.Although impressive in size, the scope of this projectwas equaled by the impressiveness of the land itself.Hidden within the Bissen property are features not seenfrom the highway – fissures, sinkholes, deep ravines andpit caves, all formed as part of the Niagara Escarpment.Ivan Bissen described it this way many years ago, “Onthe southwest side of our property is a deep draw that’s

been eroded out over the eons. You can stand there andlook and think about how nature keeps working andchanging things – very slowly, but it keeps working.”All types of native plants and wildlife thrive here,including the state threatened Red-shoulder Hawk, thelong-spurred violet and handsome sedge, globally raresnails, and spawning fish.

If it can be said that the Bissen property has its backto the Brussels Hill, then its feet are squarely planted inthe headwaters of Kayes Creek. Kayes Creek forms onthe northern edge of the Bissen property and sets off onits seven-mile journey through the Gardner SwampState Wildlife Area to Little Sturgeon Bay, one of themost important aquatic habitats in the lower Green Bayecosystem. But before it leaves the Bissen property,Kayes Creek fills large wildlife ponds that on any givenday provide refuge to hundreds of sandhill cranes and amyriad of other waterfowl species.

As exciting as the 415-acre conservation easementwas, it is also exciting to know that the partnership withthe Bissen family continues and is resulting in evenmore protected land. Recently, a key 40-acre parcel waspurchased by the family and connects parcels theyalready own. Soon after the purchase, Ivan and JoAnncontacted the Land Trust about placing a conservationeasement on this new property as well. The agreementwas finalized this past winter.

“Naturally, all of us at the Land Trust were thrilledwith yet another opportunity to partner with the Bissenfamily,” states Dan Burke, Executive Director of theLand Trust. “Protecting one of Southern Door’s mostimportant scenic and ecological areas is an honor forthe Land Trust and we can’t thank the Bissen familyenough for their land ethic and for having confidence inus to oversee the terms of these agreements.”

The next time you are traveling the highway throughthe pastoral farmlands of Southern Door, keep in mindthat there’s more to this part of the county than meetsthe eye. If the Land Trust hopes to preserve the ecolog-ical integrity of all of Door County, then we must workto establish more partnerships like the one we havewith the Bissen family throughout Southern Door. Wehope to report on more successes here soon!

Land Trust Easement Expands Southern Door Preserve

Land Trust members hike the Brussels Hill Preserve at Annual Gathering Celebration

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The Places We Protect:Kangaroo Lake Preserve

Crossing the Kangaroo Lake causeway can be amemorable experience. There’s almost always a

fisherman or two casting out a line or a kayaker pad-dling by. On chilly mornings when the mist rises fromthe lake, the low road seems to disappear completelygiving one the illusion of being suspended on water.This phenomenon has caused some locals to refer tothis stretch of road as the “Jesus Causeway.” First builtas a narrow corduroy ‘bridge’ constructed of tetheredlogs, the causeway is now more modern. It still, howev-er, traverses an area of ancient and inspiring beauty.

The northern half of Kangaroo Lake is home to theKangaroo Lake Preserve and is one of Door County’scrown jewels when it comes to scenic beauty and eco-

logical importance. Spring-fed waters, dense forest androcky outcroppings provide a haven for wildlife. Baldeagles, osprey, Caspian terns, and waterfowl of all sortsgrace the waters and fill the skies above while forestedbluffs rising from the lake’s western shore serve upsome of the most spectacular scenery Door County hasto offer.

The Kangaroo Lake Preserve represents the efforts ofan impressive coalition of partnering organizations,agencies and individuals who love this remarkable areaand are at work preserving it. The Door County LandTrust has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy, theWisconsin Department of Natural Resources, theKangaroo Lake Association, and many individuals to

ensure that the lake remains an area of beauty andinspiration forever.

Since these partnerships were formed over 10 yearsago, many accomplishments have been realized. Nearly600 acres are permanently protected, including themajority of lakeshore surrounding the north end ofKangaroo Lake. While this is a remarkable feat, criticalconservation work remains to be done to protect thewater quality, wildlife habitat, and rural scenery of thisarea.

“We are proud to report that due to the vision andgenerosity of three special individuals, the DoorCounty Land Trust has recently protected an additional90 acres at the Kangaroo Lake Preserve,” states LandTrust Executive Director, Dan Burke. “This area holdsa special place in the collective heart of our organiza-tion. The first land purchase we ever made was here onthe west side of the lake back in 1995. It was a mile-stone for us and it’s great to see the work continued.”

The Olson Land Donation“We don’t let the grass grow under our feet.” Bruce

and Carol Olson chuckle at the way they’ve made someof the major decisions in their lives. “We met each

other eight years ago in Augustand were married in December.We’ve never had a majorfight…we just knew what wasright for us,” says Carol. Bruceagrees. “I guess we know what welike and when we see a win-winsituation, we act on it.”

Last December, the Olsonsacted on another win-win situa-tion, and this time the Land Trustwas the beneficiary. “We hadreceived a packet of informationfrom the Land Trust explainingthe different ways people couldhelp protect property,” Bruce

recounts. “I read through it and learned that by donat-ing a parcel of land, we could receive a tax deductionfor the full appraised value. The Land Trust could notonly realize their protection objectives on that property,

Two Donations and a Purchase add 90 Acres to Preserve

Sunset colors the skies over Kangaroo Lake’s protected north side

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they could also use the value of our donated parcel as amatch for state and federal grants when purchasingother property in the area.”

Carol adds, “This is one of the things that attractedus to the Land Trust in the first place. We see a com-mitment to smart use of funds, to leveraging our dollarsto maximize land protection. That’s somethingextremely important. We’ve also met some of thenicest, down-to-earth people we know at Land Trustevents! We can honestly say it’s a large part of what wevalue about Door County.”

To make a short story even shorter, Bruce called thelisting agent on a 40-acre parcel he had been eyeingalong Peil Creek, just north of where it empties intoKangaroo Lake’s north end. “I told him that we wanted

to put an offer in, to then donate the land to the DoorCounty Land Trust, and to close within two weeksbecause we were heading out of town. If I rememberright, his exact words were ‘No way!’ ”

To the listing agent’s surprise, the initial offer wasaccepted and the purchase papers drawn up. Prior tothe Olson’s decision to pursue this purchase, they hadcontacted Terrie Cooper, the Land Trust’s LandProgram Director, and found that not only was theproperty of interest to the Land Trust, it was, in fact,the priority tract in the Kangaroo Lake area. “It was atthe top of our wish list, explains Cooper. “We have aprotection plan for all our project areas and we priori-tize the parcels of land within each of these areas byasking this question: If we have a willing seller and ifwe have funds, what property is the most critical topreserve? Many things go into this equation, but theproperty the Olsons purchased is key to maintainingthe ecological integrity of Kangaroo Lake. It also con-nects other properties we had already preserved hereand thus creates a protected corridor. The Olsons’ landdonation was made in late December, and it was thebest Christmas gift we could have received!”

The Olsons owned their 40 acres for less than 15minutes – the time it took to accept ownership andthen to make their donation to the Land Trust. Theirgift, however, will last into perpetuity. Even though thegrass doesn’t grow beneath their feet, it will continue togrow undisturbed along the banks of Peil Creek forgenerations to come.

The McNeil PropertiesDr. Dean

McNeil’s historywith Door Countygoes back half acentury when, onthe advice of afriend, he broughthis family northfor a visit. Thatwas the beginningof a long and var-ied relationship with Door County. For many summers,

Dean and Evadne McNeil and their four childrenmade the trip back and forth from Glen Ellyn, Illinoiswhere he practiced dentistry, to Ephraim, Wisconsin.They first stayed in rented cottages in Ephraim andeventually, for 8 summers, on their boat. They thenadded another chapter to their Door County story bybuying the Hillside Resort in Ephraim. As McNeilrecounts, “Our kids learned how to do roofing andpainting and carpentry and the resort was eventuallylisted on the National Register of Historic Places. Weran the Hillside from Memorial Day through LaborDay for many, many years. Our son, David, and hiswife, Karen, eventually took over the day-to-day man-agement until we sold it a few years ago.”

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Land Trust-protected lands at Kangaroo Lake

Autumn colors transform the woods at Kangaroo Lake

Peil Creek on a winter day

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The Places We Protect:Little Lake Preserve

Every story begins somewhere. The story of one ofthe Door County Land Trust’s newest and most

inspiring preservation successes began five to eightthousand years ago, give or take a few. It is the story ofWashington Island’s Little Lake Preserve and it beganlong before appraisals were conducted or purchaseoffers written or fundraising entreaties made. Thisstory began, as so many do, when the indomitableforces of wind and water collided. The setting isWashington Island’s northwest shore where a massive200-ft vertical limestone bluff (now known as BoyersBluff ), towers above the formidable glacial lake,

Nippising (now Lake Michigan). Over the course ofthousands of years, the windswept waves of LakeNippising tore away at Boyers Bluff causing it to shedsmall pieces of itself into the turbulent waters below.Waves tumbled the rocks until they became smooth,baseball-sized cobblestones. Eventually, these cobble-stones were pushed southward, closing off the openingto a small bay. The banked rocks formed a narrow stripof land and, in doing so, created what is now known asLittle Lake, Washington Island’s only inland lake.

When H.R. Holand wrote his history of DoorCounty, “Old Peninsula Days,” he recognized the

unique characterand beauty ofLittle Lake. “Thelittle bay becamea little lake, andthe stormwroughtbelt of beachstones that closedit in became adense belt ofwoodland. Nowthe little lake liespeacefully embo-somed by steephills…Among allthe scenicdelights of DoorCounty this littlelake is welltoward the top.”

Little Lake isindeed a ‘scenicdelight’ and is much the same today as when it caughtHoland’s eye in 1959. Tucked into the northwest cor-ner of Washington Island, its beauty is quiet andserene. Yet, standing on its west shore, one has only tolook over one’s shoulder to see the crashing waters ofGreen Bay not more than a stone’s throw away. Thethin strip of land separating the two bodies of water isfewer than 15 acres in size but possesses 2,000 feet ofLittle Lake shoreline on one side and 1,200 feet ofLake Michigan shoreline on the other.

After 18 months of writing grants, raising privatefunds to match the grants, and working with theEichelberger family (owners of the tract), the DoorCounty Land Trust was finally able to successfully pur-chase this one-of-a-kind property. “There are so manypeople who helped make this tremendous acquisition areality,” states Dan Burke, Land Trust ExecutiveDirector. “The grants we received from the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, the Knowles-Nelson StateStewardship Fund, and the Door County Green Fundwere definitely instrumental. But without the manymember donations to our 20th Anniversary Capital

Northern Half of Washington Island Lake Protected

Cedars surround the tranquil waters of Washington Island’s Little Lake

photo by Julie Schartner

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Campaign we would not have had the matchmonies these grants required. Although we stillhave just under $50,000 left to raise to coverexpenses we incurred, this purchase is a shiningexample of how a community of supporters canmake a lasting difference.” (Please see boxbelow to find out how you can help.)

Although a shallow lake (maximum depth5.5 - 7 feet), Little Lake has deep ecologicalsignificance. Fed by groundwater springs andsurface run-off water, it supports a productivepopulation of perch, rock and smallmouth bass. Italso is part of a wetland complex that hosts a varietyof rare boreal-rich plants such as the northern bogsedge, showy-lady’s slipper orchid, lesser fringed gen-tian, and dwarf lake iris. It also hosts old growth whitecedars and stands of hemlock and provides criticalhabitat for a large number of migrating and nesting

birds including bald eagles, whitepelicans, osprey and great blueand black-crowned nightherons. Its location provides anideal resting point in theannual avian migratory trip toCanada from points south.

In addition to its ecologicalimport, the Little Lake area

has significant historical valueas well. It was once home to a

large Native American villageand was the site of early French

missionary efforts. The Jens JacobsenMuseum on the southwest end of Little

Lake showcases a large collection of artifacts found inthe area dating back some 3,000 years. AnArcheological Preservation Covenant with theWisconsin State Historical Society protects theintegrity of the village site.

More recent events add another layer of cultural sig-nificance to Little Lake. In 1915, Thorstein BundeVeblen (1857-1929), one ofAmerican’s most famouseconomists and social theo-rists, purchased the proper-ty just acquired by theLand Trust. Veblen is per-haps best known for histreatise, “The Theory of theLeisure Class,” and forcoining the phrase “con-spicuous consumption.”According to “WashingtonIsland’s Thorstein Veblen,”written by Islander EstherGunnerson, Veblen firstvisited Washington Islandin the early 1900s to learnand speak the Icelandiclanguage with its inhabi-tants. He soon fell in lovewith its quiet beauty and

Despite the many generousdonations received for this

purchase, the Land Trust stillneeds to raise approximately$48,000 to cover associatedproject costs. If you would

like to help us erase this debt,please send donations to the

Land Trust earmarked “LittleLake Land Acquisitions” or

call Dan Burke or LaurelHauser at (920) 746-1359.

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Land Trust-protected lands at Little Lake Preserve

Thorstein Veblen

A narrow belt of cobblestones separates Little Lakefrom the waters of Green Bay

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Little Lake, continued from previous page

purchased the Little Lake property for $300 in 1915for use as a summer retreat. Older residents of theLittle Lake area recall Veblen rowing across LittleLake with his stepdaughters each morning in a home-made skiff to purchase milk and butter from a nearbyIcelandic farm. Veblen’s stepdaughters inherited theLittle Lake property upon Veblen’s death and eventu-ally sold it in 1943 to the Koyen family, ancestors ofthe Eichelbergers.

Few places in Door County can outshine Little Lakefor its scenic beauty, ecological importance, and cultur-al and historical significance. It is the Door CountyLand Trust’s wish to continue to protect the health ofthe Little Lake ecosystem by preserving the landsaround it. “This purchase and another done here in2005 are incredibly important to the successful preser-vation of Little Lake,” states Land Program DirectorTerrie Cooper. “In the past two years, the Land Trustand its supporters have been able to protect the entirenorthern half of Little Lake which includes nearly amile of pristine shoreline. We are grateful to theEichelberger family for working with the Land Trustand especially to all the private donors who have con-tributed and continue to contribute to this effort.”

About the same time they purchased the HillsideResort, the McNeils began purchasing land aroundKangaroo Lake in Baileys Harbor. “We bought 80acres of farmland on the corner of Plateau Road andEE where we eventually lived. We bought the landfrom Elsie Peil. Over the years, neighborsapproached us about purchasing more and moreproperty.” The McNeil holdings in the KangarooLake area grew to over 300 acres.

For the McNeils, owning farmland led eventuallyto farming and they donned yet another hat. Theydid fieldwork and milked cows on a couple of hun-dred acres. From the late 1980s to mid 1990s, theMcNeils’ daughter, Diane, and her husband ran thefarm. When the dairy operation ceased, the McNeilsused the land for grazing steers. Neighbor and long-time Land Trust member, Karl Klug, often helpedmove the Australian-style pasturing fences. “Twice aday we moved 100 yards of fence across the fields. Ienjoyed working with Dean. I really respected thecare he took with his land. He used very progressivefarming measures and was a terrific steward of hisproperty. In his quiet way, he set an example of howto thoughtfully maintain working lands.” Karl’s wifeand Land Trust board president, Lucy, concurs. “Forthirty years, Dean has protected the Peil Creekwatershed and we are indebted to him for that.”

Recently, Dr. McNeil donated a no-developmentconservation easement on a 10-acre portion of hisoriginal homestead north of EE. Spring-fed PeilCreek flows through the property before its emptiesinto Kangaroo Lake. “This is a special place for myfamily. As a memorial to my wife, I moved a largestone from the farm up to the top of the hill. It sitson a platform with a bench and a small fence aroundit. It’s a comfort to know that because of the LandTrust’s work, this land will stay the way it is, nothingwill happen to it.”

More of the McNeil family land will be protectedby year’s end when the Land Trust completes thepurchase of a 40-acre parcel sandwiched between 136acres already protected by the Land Trust. “This keypurchase helps further protect the ecological health

of Kangaroo Lake and the surrounding watershedand connects lands own,” states Dan Burke,Executive Director of the Land Trust. “We’re verygrateful to Dr. McNeil for his vision and dedicationto land preservation.”

It is because of people like Bruce and Carol Olsonand Dean McNeil that we can point to the KangarooLake Preserve as a shining example of how an entirecommunity can come together to preserve a place ofsuch importance. Other Door County neighborhoodscan look to the Kangaroo Lake area for the inspira-tion and insight needed to protect lands important totheir region.

Kangaroo Lake Preserve, continued from page 5

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The rock-strewn shores of Green Bay hug the west side ofnewly preserved property Olson land donation at Kangaroo Lake Preserve

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One of the strengths of the Door County LandTrust has long been our ability to find creative

solutions to conservation challenges. Another strengthis the close working relationship we enjoy with our fel-low conservation organizations. Over the years, theDoor County Land Trust has worked closely with TheRidges, The Nature Conservancy and the WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources to help further ourcollective mission of preserving the county’s ecologicaltreasures.

The Ridges Sanctuary is located just north of BaileysHarbor on highway Q. If you haven’t yet paid it a visit,doing so should be on the top of your Door County“to do” list. Its claim to fame is its low, sandy ridgesalternating with wet areas called swales. The ridges(ancient shorelines) run parallel to the shoreline of

The Places We Protect:The Ridges & Moonlight Bay

Partnerships and Generosity Help Preserve Key ParcelsBaileys Harbor, and extend inland about a mile.

This spring, The Ridges Sanctuary had the opportu-nity to purchase a 37-acre property on the Sanctuary’snorthwest border. The property is also within theboundary of the Mud Lake and Moonlight Bay StateNatural Areas. Its protection is of particular interest asit hosts many of the groundwater springs that feed intothe fragile ridge/swale complex.

The Ridges had secured just over half of the moneyneeded for this purchase from the Knowles-NelsonState Stewardship Fund (SSF) and a U.S. Fish andWildlife Service Coastal Wetlands grant. The SSFprovides up to 50% of funds needed for acquisitionprojects; the additional 50% must come from the non-profit applying for the grant either in cash or in thevalue of other lands in the area that the non-profit

agrees to permanently protect.

One of the primary landprotection tools used by landtrusts is the conservation ease-ment, a permanent agreementwith a landowner that restrictsthe type and amount of futuredevelopment allowed on theproperty. The owner retainsownership of the land and theLand Trust promises touphold the terms of the agree-ment into perpetuity. In areasof Door County that are eligi-ble for SSF grants (like TheRidges Sanctuary), the valueof a donated conservationeasements, as determined by acertified appraisal, can be usedto “match” SSF grants on

other land purchaseswithin these eligibleareas.

Knowing this, twogenerous landownerscontacted The Ridges.Very much wanting tosee The Ridges’ pur-chase of the 37 acrescome to fruition, theydonated a conserva-tion easement on theirnearby 22-acre prop-erty. The Ridges usedtheir easement value to match grants already secured,thus enabling the purchase to be completed.

Since The Ridges lacks a comprehensive program forwriting, accepting, monitoring and enforcing conserva-tion easements, the Door County Land Trust helpedThe Ridges complete the conservation easement. Inthe coming months, The Ridges will transfer the ease-ment to the Land Trust for permanent oversight.

According to Terrie Cooper, the Land Trust’s LandProgram Director, this conservation easement not onlyhelped fund The Ridges’ purchase of a critical 37-acreproperty, it has permanently protected a property withenormous ecological value. “The 22 acres covered bythe conservation easement are entirely wooded, theyborder the Mud Lake State Natural Area, and theycontain three ancient Lake Michigan shorelines createdover the last 3,000-5,000 years when postglacial lakelevels were much higher than they are today. This isprime habitat for Hine’s emerald dragonflies, baldeagles, osprey and a variety of plants including dwarflake iris, purple fringed orchids, fringed gentian, andstriped coral root. It’s wonderful to have these acresprotected.”

Cooper goes on to say, “This entire project is a greatexample of the strength of partnerships. Through gen-erosity, cooperation, and a shared vision, 59 criticallyimportant acres have been protected in Door County.The Land Trust is honored to have worked with TheRidges and these generous easement donors to makethis happen.”

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22-acre donated conservation easement property near Mud Lake State Natural Area

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In memory ofJoyce BirrJohn & Betty AmesLois & Jack BauerAndy & Sherren BergJack BirrLois EbertBob ForbesSusan HidalgoMarty & Mary KruegerJohn & Marietta LandwehrJune LongCarol & Paul MuckermanPatricia, Lori, Nancy & Susan

NevinsRaymond & Gloria PaulAnnie RoyalMr. & Mrs. R.O. SandowMargaret Schmitt

In memory ofRuss BrownAnonymous

In memory ofDonald O. HodgesLois Seiler

In memory ofShirley JohnsonThe Simons

In memory ofPeg NelsonThe Arneson Family

In memory ofBob and Elaine OefleinKeith & Katherine Lindstrand

In memory ofMarilyn SchoofWalter Schoof

In memory ofHoward and RosemaryTimianJohn & Karen TimianDan, Marjorie &

Richelle Andrae

In memory ofWilliam E. TwichellCharles Twichell &

Kristi TorkelsonPrince Charitable Trusts

In memory ofLouella S. WydeenSteve & Laurie Hess

Art ProceedsRandy RichmondShirley Weese-YoungWhitefish Bay Farm Gallery,

25th Anniversary Season

Dollars for Open SpacesBlacksmith Inn, Baileys Harbor

Book ProceedsFran Burton, Aurelia StamppPaul & Marilyn Mahlberg

We Care ProgramRoundy’s Supermarkets, Inc.

Kayak SymposiumRutabaga Paddlesports

Grand OpeningProceedsLiberty Square, Egg Harbor

Concert ProceedsHighland Road Musicians White Gull Inn

Proceeds from OutingsWashington Island Bird Festival

TributesIn honor ofBob DavisAnne & Richard Egan

In honor ofJoyce HothanAnonymous

In honor ofSandy PlaceLisa Schab & Bernd Harrer

In appreciation ofKen & Chris McLeishMr. & Mrs. Victor Temple

In recognition ofCharles TwichellPrince Charitable Trusts

In recognition ofBenna WildePrince Charitable Trusts

In honor of the50th Anniversary ofBob & Sara LarsenPeter & Gloria Sigmann

In honor of the50th Birthday ofGretchen SchmelzerPaul & Deborah GorskiThomas & Claire Minahan& other friends of Gretchen’s

In honor of the80th Birthday ofRobert SchoofTamara Burks

In honor of the80th Birthday ofJohn F. WilsonDan & Pat Kiehnau

Thank you for these Special Gifts !AIG

Fred Frey

Bank of AmericaArmella Norton

Bostik, Inc.Gary Delzell

GraingerRon Maloney

Kimberly ClarkFoundation

Kenneth Zwick

MemorialsGifts

Tributes & Memorials Land Trust Receives Gifts inMemory of Howard &Rosemary Timian

Dear Door County Land Trust,

More than 40 years ago, my parents had to be persuadedto purchase an abandoned farm without a house, in themiddle of nowhere. It was indeed desolate that winter somany years ago. We all fell in love with the property assoon as that massive amount of snow melted; the wildlifeemerged and beautiful views became apparent. We had apine plantation planted, and had a mobile home deliveredto the site from Milwaukee. The house had burned yearsago. My father fished in Hibbard’s Creek, visited all of theneighbors, and always told at least 2 jokes. Just recentlywe heard he had become known as “2 joke Howie.” MyMom dove into chores while my Dad was out and about.Most weekends were spent at the farm and some weekstoo, sometimes enduring white-out conditions on our wayto the outhouse. My parents have both passed away buttheir legacy continues in our generation and that of ourdaughter. We all enjoy the serenity of the Hibbard’s CreekPreserve. It is a place to nourish our souls and re-energizeour batteries.

On behalf of the families of John and Karen Timian,and Dan, Marjorie and Richelle Andrae we thank you foryour work towards land preservation.

Marjorie Andrae

Consider making a gift to the Land Trust in honor ormemory of a friend or family member. It’s a great way to

celebrate a life or the events that mark our lives!

Prince CharitableTrusts

Charles Twichell

Thrivent Financialfor Lutherans

Delores KaiserGlen RossmanHenry Scheig

UBSMaureen McCormick

CompanyMatching Gifts

The Howard & Rosemary Timian farmstead nearHibbards Creek, Jacksonport

As of press time, the Pension Protection Act(PPA) of 2006 will expire December 31, 2007. ThePPA allows donors 70 1/2 or older to contribute to aqualifying public charity directly from their IRA andexclude those contributions from their taxable grossincome.

Those who act before the end of the year can usetheir traditional IRA for charitable contributions ofup to $100,000. For those 70 1/2 or older, this is agreat way to make your end-of-the-year contributionto the Door County Land Trust. Discuss with yourtax advisor the wisdom of accelerating charitablepledges and/or designing future gifts to take advan-tage of this brief opportunity.

Please call Dan Burke or Laurel Hauser at (920)746-1359 if you have questions about naming theDoor County Land Trust as the recipient of an IRAcontribution. The Land Trust thanks you for con-sidering this giving option to benefit land preserva-tion in Door County.

An Option for GivingPension Protection Act Set to Expire December 31, 2007

The Land Trust invites you to a very special eventon Monday, January 21st, 2008. Land TrustEndowment Trustee, attorney Richard Hauser, andLand Trust Director, retired attorney, OliverSkrivanie, are offering a free estate planning semi-nar to members of the Door County Land Trust.

Joined by Land Trust staff, Hauser and Skrivaniewill present information on general estate planning,charitable giving strategies, and how land preserva-tion fits into creating the legacy you want to leavefor future generations.

Invitations will be mailed in December. Participa-tion is limited. We will meet at Bjorklunden Lodgein Baileys Harbor from 9 – 11 am. Key elements togood estate planning will be provided in abundance– great information, great food and coffee, and greatcompany – and maybe a few stories and jokes tolighten up a serious topic. This promises to be aninformative and enjoyable morning. We hope youcan join us!

Estate Planning Seminarfor Land Trust Members

The Door County Land Trust sincerelythanks our Dining for Open Spaces, 2007

hosts and co-hosts for their generosity,their loyal support and their hours spent

in the kitchen!Jean Barrett and Dave Nevalainen

Katie and Chris CallenVonnie and Dave CallsenVicky and Sam Carmen

Door County Land Trust StaffSandy and Russ Dagon

Sharon DoneganDiane and Jack Finger

Cathy and Tony FioratoCarrie and Dick HauserLaurel and John Hauser

Barbara and Doug HendersonDee and Arthur HopperDonna and Jim JanningLinda and T.C. Johnson

Lucy and Karl KlugEstella and Chuck Lauter

Judy and Ron LokkenBeverly and Dean Lueking

Joel LuekingLinda and Maury Mussa

Patti Podgers and Jim JohnsonJudy Samida and Guy Fortin

Barb and Bill SiebelMary and Mike StandishSue and Jim WorkmanSylvie and Ron Zigler

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Shoreline at the Detroit Harbor Preserve

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The Door County Land Trust went south for its9th Annual Membership Gathering to the land

of red brick farmhouses, roadside votive chapels,booyah, and Belgian pies – Southern Door County.Land Trust members Ivan and JoAnn Bissen host-ed the event and welcomed over 200 Land Trustmembers for a celebration of the successes of thepast year. The 455-acre Bissen homestead, pro-tected with a conservation easement, sits at thebase of Southern Door’s most recognizable land-mark, the Brussels Hill.

To start the day, Land Trust members hiked therugged face of the Niagara Escarpment and returnedto enjoy Belgian Ale, wine, hors d’oeuvres and a lot ofconviviality. The large white dining tents nestled inthe wide-open yellow and green fields presented animpressive sight. As guests gathered beneath the tentsto hear welcoming remarks by host, Ivan, a cacophonyof bugle calls silenced the crowd and all eyes turnedskyward to view hun-dreds of circling sand-hill cranes. AnnualGatherings typicallyopen with inspiringremarks, but none havebeen as eloquent asIvan’s and the cranes!

Following a deliciousdinner, the LandTrust’s ExecutiveDirector, Dan Burke,gave a State of theLand Trust presenta-tion outlining theaccomplishments ofthe past year, includingthe successful comple-tion of our 20thAnniversary Capital

9th Annual

Membership Gathering Celebration HeldCampaign and the protection of 12 additionalproperties throughout the county. All in all, the

Land Trust has surpassed 4,000 acres of pro-tected land and enters its third decade well

prepared to face future challenges andopportunities.

The Land Trusthonored several of itsmembers with awards.LaVonne and Dave Callsen andBryan Nelson and Joan Holliday wererecognized for their years of commitmentand leadership to the Land Trust and its mis-sion and were presented Distinguished ServiceAwards. Carol and Bruce Olson received the 2007

Ruth Neuman Landowner ofthe Year Award for their gen-erous donation of 40 acres inthe Kangaroo Lake Preserve(see page 4). Special recogni-tion was also given to thechairs of our major events,Jean Barrett, Donna Janningand Kathy Wolff. All recipi-ents received a round ofenthusiastic applause for theircontributions.

The evening ended with a brief butrollicking live auction. A tour of threelocal private wine cellars; a wildflower,fungus and fauna hike; a staff-led paddle and tour at theLittle Lake Preserve; and afamily apple-picking excursionraised many dollars for landpreservation work. Well-fedand feted members left as thesun set over the fields ofSouthern Door and brought toa close another successfulgathering of our members.

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Joan Holliday & Bryan Nelson,Distinguished Service Award Recipents

LaVonne & Dave Callsen,Distinguished Service

Award Recipents

Dan Burke (left) and Terrie Cooper (right) present theRuth Neuman Award to Bruce & Carol Olson

2007 Annual Gathering held at Bissen Homestead in Southern Door County

The Knowles-Nelson State Stewardship Fund(SSF) was established in 1989 as a source of

consistent funding for the state to purchase key landsfor recreation and preservation, and to provide match-ing grants to local governments and non-profit organi-zations to do the same. It was named to honor twoformer Wisconsin governors, Gaylord Nelson andWarren Knowles, whose contributions to conservationset a standard for bipartisan governmental involvementin environmental protection.

SSF plays an instrumental role in the level of landprotection work the Door County Land Trust canaccomplish. We apply for SSF grants when purchasinglands of ecological and scenic significance to DoorCounty and the State of Wisconsin. To receive grants,the Land Trust must match grant funds dollar for dol-lar with private donations. This is one reason why sup-port from our members is so crucial!

As part of the 2008 budgeting process, the state leg-islature has reauthorized the State Stewardship Fundthrough the year 2020 (it was set to expire in 2010)and, beginning in 2011, increases its annual fundingfrom its current $60 million level to $86 million, a40% increase. Also beginning in 2011, $12 million ofthis annual $86 million will be earmarked specificallyfor non-profit land trust organizations throughoutWisconsin. This is a 50% increase over current levels.

Although details of the fund have yet to be workedout, it is fair to say that the Door County Land Trusthas an important funding source lined up through2020. With help from our members, we will continueto put SSF funds to good use in Door County! TheLand Trust thanks everyone who wrote letters of sup-port, attended public hearings, and contacted theirgovernment officials. Also, hats off to GatheringWaters Conservancyin Madison forspearheading thisreauthorizationeffort on behalf ofall the local landtrusts throughoutthe state!

A Victory for ConservationState Stewardship Fund Reauthorized

The Places We Protect:Mud Lake State Wildlife Area

Last spring, John Wilson, Jr. joined a growingnumber of his Liberty Grove neighbors in pro-

tecting his ecologically significant property from futuredevelopment. In April, Wilson donated a no-develop-ment conservation easement to the Door County LandTrust on 40 acres along Grove Road.

The Wilson property abuts the 1,000-acre Mud LakeState Wildlife Area that is home to several rare plantsand animals including the Hine’s emerald dragonfly anddwarf lake iris. In fact, it is part of the wetland ecosys-tem that feeds into Mud Lake and supports criticalbreeding habitat for the world’s largest population ofthe federally endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly dis-covered along Lime Kiln Road.

“The discovery of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly breed-ing grounds is significant because it indicates an overallhealthy environment worth protecting,” explains JodiMilske, Land Stewardship Coordinator. “Habitat

restoration is extremely expensiveand not always 100% successful.It’s important to maintain thehealthy wildlife habitat that exists.The cedar swamps, hardwoodforests and open fields of the MudLake State Wildlife Area supportall sorts of wildlife including baldeagle, osprey, Caspian terns, wood-cocks, turkey, black bear, beaverand others.”

With his donation, Wilson joins11 other property owners in thisarea who have partnered with theLand Trust to permanently protecttheir properties through conserva-tion easements.

The Land Trust holds over 60

conservation easements throughout the county totalingmore than 2,000 acres. Property protected by easementsremains under private ownership and on the tax rolls.

Terrie Cooper, Land Program Director, explains that“each conserva-tion easement isunique, writtento reflect theneeds of theindividuallandowner. Thiseasement wasdesigned toexclude a 2-acreparcel on whichWilson built asolar-poweredand energy effi-cient home. Theremaining 40acres of theproperty willremain foreverin their undevel-oped natural state. This is significant considering thatunder current zoning, this property could have beensubdivided into 4, 10-acre buildable lots.”

“The partnership we have in the Mud Lake area withlandowners, the Wisconsin Department of NaturalResources, The Nature Conservancy and the RidgesSanctuary has resulted in over 3,600 acres of ecological-ly significant land being protected from inappropriatedevelopment,” states Cooper. “Together we have beenable to protect some of Door County’s most ecologicallyimportant treasures, a task that is much greater than anygroup or individual could accomplish alone.”

Easement Protects 40 Acres at 1,000-Acre Preserve

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Showy Lady-slipper orchid

Yellow Lady-slipper orchid

40-acre Wilson conservation easement

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The Places We Protect:Washington Island’s Coffey Swamp

You can still get lost in Washington Island’s CoffeySwamp. A biologist studying various flora in the

swamp in the 1990s came out shaking with relief afterbeing disoriented for hours by the fallen cedars, accord-ing to the late Muriel Gunnlaugsson, who lived on theedge of the swamp for more than 40 years.

Like Gunnlaugsson, many islanders have spent theirentire lives connected to the swamp in some way, eitherby hunting it or listening to the stories that surround it.And because of its dark interior, its dense floatingsedge mat and its fallen cedars, the swamp has spawnedmore than a few legends. There are stories of horsessinking into its “quicksand,” Native American bodiesfloating up from the deep, and cattle disappearing intothe swamp, never to be seen again. At night, in the fall-en logs of an old Dutch fishing village at the swamp’seast end, strange flickers of light have been reported.

Jim Olsen, whose ancestors lived on the edge of theswamp, describes its effect on the Island residents in hisessay in the “The Nature of Door”:

“The possibility of a hideous sinking death served todraw a Greek line around the swamp and leave it, thendrained to a manageable level, to heal its wounds. Thelife and history of Washington Island grew up around it;a grid of roads, schools in each quadrant, churches, stores,docks, ferries, icehouses, taverns, even a bowling alley.The lives of the Islanders as for us all were both rooted inand defined by these developments: rationalist. A differ-ence, by reason of isolation, was that the Island retaineda remnant of the ancient cultural tradition of oral histo-ry… stories surrounding the swamp were often tingedwith bitterness.”

It was this mysticism surrounding the swamp that, inpart, drew members of the Door County Land Trust’s

Washington Island Project Committee to make protec-tion of the swamp a top priority. “Coffey Swamp isstill so wild that it appeals to both the imaginative andthe more practical side of the conservation-minded,”said Karen Yancey, head of the 10-member WashingtonIsland Committee to provide local support to the LandTrust’s land protection efforts here.

As a northern hardwood swamp surrounding a richboreal fen, Coffey Swamp serves as the principal water-shed for the entire island. Rainwater from the “moun-tain” or high points in the center of the island travelsthrough wetlands and via the island’s only creek until itempties into Coffey Swamp where it is filtered by theswamp to return to the island’s fragile groundwater sys-tem or to Lake Michigan.

“It is hard to believe that as late as the 1980s, CoffeySwamp was identified as a possible site for an islandsewage treatment plant,” said Yancey. “I think that amajor role of our committee has been to educateislanders on Coffey Swamp’s importance to the envi-ronmental health of the entire island and to build trustamong the island community in the Land Trust’s abili-ty to protect areas like the swamp.”

Luckily, Coffey Swamp’s isolated location at thenorthern tip of Washington Island has kept it relativelyprotected from development and other human initia-tives. Recent efforts by the Wisconsin Department ofNatural Resources (WI-DNR) and the Door CountyLand Trust to establish the Coffey Swamp StateNatural Area are aimed at preserving this site well intothe future.

The WI-DNR has already secured protection of 96acres at the Coffey Swamp. This past winter, the DoorCounty Land Trust had the privilege of working withtwo of Coffey Swamp’s long-time landowners, Georgeand Susan Ulm, in purchasing a critical 80-acre parcelin the heart of the Coffey Swamp State Natural Area.

According to Susan Ulm, the land ethic is deeplyrooted across generations of the Ulm family. GeorgeUlm first visited Washington Island in the mid-1940son a Boy Scout outing from Chicago. He and his fatherwere both drawn to the expansive meadows, ruggedLake Michigan shoreline, the tangled and impenetrable

Where Wildness and Legends are Preserved

Washington Island’s Coffey Swamp16

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swamp, and the acres upon acres of apple and cherrytrees. Unlike many other places, large tracts of undivid-ed land were still available on the island and Georgeand his father eventually purchased over 300 acres,including the 80 acres recently acquired by the LandTrust. For many years, the Ulm family operated a fruitfarm on the land and used the islandproperty as their summer residence.When George introduced his wife,Susan, to Washington Island in themid-70s, it was a good fit. The island life suited her.“It’s a beautiful place. It’s beautiful every season of theyear. One of my favorite times is winter. You can walkthrough parts of the swamp over the ice and know thatthere is so much under there, layers and layers. At timesyou feel as if you can actually hear the aquifer.”

The Ulms began talking with Terrie Cooper, LandProgram Director of the Land Trust, about how theycould protect portions of their property. It was deter-mined that the Door County Land Trust would workwith the Ulms on the purchase of 80 acres and, once

completed, the Land Trust would then transfer the landto the WI-DNR for long-term ownership and steward-ship. The purchase and transfer was completed inFebruary. The Land Trust purchase relied on grantsfrom the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s CoastalWetland Program and the Knowles-Nelson State

Stewardship Fund. Individualdonations to the Land Trust’srecently completed 20thAnniversary Capital

Campaign were then used to match these grants.

Susan runs a bed and breakfast, Greengate Farm, onpart of their property and George entertains his life-long passion for ham radio with the Greengate FarmHam Radio Station. They enjoy these enterprises sur-rounded by an abundance of natural beauty. “It’s com-forting to know that these 80 acres are protected andwill stay as they are,” says Susan. “Preservation was alogical progression for us. We had the land in managedforestry for years. The land ethic goes back a long way.”Susan looks out across their land on one of WashingtonIsland’s perfect spring days. The sky is blue and the aircool. “I can sit here and watch pheasants, turkeys, evenwhite pelicans, all kinds of wildlife. It’s gorgeous hereevery day.”

With the successful purchase of this 80-acre propertybehind us, the Land Trust, in partnership with the WI-DNR, has applied for another U.S. Fish and WildlifeGrant that will help make future purchases at CoffeySwamp possible. These grants and landowners likeGeorge and Susan Ulm make the prospect of achievingour land protection goals at the Coffey Swamp StateNatural Area promising.

“The story of the protection of Coffey Swamp is real-ly about various people working together to establishcredibility with local landowners and to offer them arange of land protection options,” said Cooper. “Foryears, local residents have wanted to see the swamppreserved but did not have all the tools necessary, interms of grant partners and purchase options, to makeit happen. This is what the Land Trust brings to thetable. Our success in protecting Coffey Swamp contin-ues to boost our activities on the island; it has become acenterpiece of our efforts there.”

Purchase ExpandsRare OrchidHabitat

The Door County LandTrust’s Bay Shore Blufflands

Preserve is a spectacular landscapethat encompasses nearly 400 contigu-ous acres of towering bluffs, wind-sweptfields and majestic forest. Expansive as it is now, theBlufflands Preserve had humble beginnings. In 1995,the Land Trust acquired its first parcel of land here – a2-acre property along Bay Shore Drive. While the sizeof this lot may not have been impressive, what wefound there certainly is. Along with the now-protectedland surrounding it, that first small parcel is home toseveral rare species including one of Wisconsin’s largestcolonies of the exquisite Ram’s-head lady’s-slipperorchid. So, when the Land Trust recently had theopportunity to once again purchase a 2-acre parcel inthis area, we didn’t hesitate to act.

Located 8 miles north of Sturgeon Bay along a mileof the Niagara Escarpment, the Bay Shore BlufflandsPreserve is an ecologically complex site with a diversityof plant communities both above and below the escarp-ment bluff. The unique site conditions here supportsuch uncommon species as climbing fumitory, moun-tain maple, bulbet fern, common polypody, fragile fern,rare land snails, and, of course, the Ram’s-head orchid.Our latest purchase helps expand an area of thePreserve where a concentration of these rare species isfound.

While the grandeur of the Bay Shore Blufflands is atestament to the success the Door County Land Trusthas had in protecting this bucolic landscape, it is oftensmall achievements, such as our most recent 2-acrepurchase, that result in significant conservation. Wethank the Knowles-Nelson State Stewardship Fundand donors to our 20th Anniversary Capital Campaignfor making this acquisition possible.

Bay Shore Blufflands Preserve

Seasonal stream connecting Coffey Swamp to Green Bay

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“It’s gorgeous here every day.”- Susan Ulm

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Here at the Door County Land Trust, signing a conservation easement agree-ment or purchasing a piece of property is only the beginning of our conserva-

tion efforts. How we fulfill our ongoing, perpetual land stewardship responsibilitieswill ultimately determine our conservation success. Land stewardship is the responsi-bility of caring for the conservation values a property possesses and ensuring that thenatural resources are sustainably managed for current and future generations. Theterm “stewardship” entails a broad array of activities, from land management andrestoration to annual monitoring and legal defense of the conservation easements weaccept. The Land Trust’s mission of protecting ecological integrity necessitates that weengage in stewardship activities on all of these fronts.

On these pages, you get a brief glimpse into some of the restoration projects cur-rently underway on Land Trust preserves. Ecological restoration aims to renew adegraded, damaged or destroyed ecosystem through active human intervention. Thebroad scope of projects that fall within the realm of restoration includes activities suchas reforestation, removal of non-native plant and animal species, revegetation of dis-turbed areas, reintroduction of native species, erosion control, and habitat improve-ment for specific species. Restoration projects require careful planning and consider-able financial and human resources, and often the results are measured over a verylong period of time.

Stewarding the Lands We Preserve: Investing Today for the Future

Did you know?Habitat loss has been

cited as the leading causeof species extinction. Theloss or degradation of natu-ral areas has a direct impacton people, too. Naturalecosystems provide vitalfunctions that sustainhuman life such as purifi-cation of air and water,detoxification and decom-position of wastes, regula-tion of climate, regenera-tion of soil fertility andpollination of crops.

There are two importantways to reverse the trend ofhabitat and ecosystem loss.One is to preserve land inits natural state. The otheris to restore habitat that isdegraded. Your support ofthe Door County LandTrust is helping to reversethe trend of habitat loss inDoor County. Considermaking a gift to theStewardship EndowmentFund to ensure that long-term stewardship needs willbe met for the specialplaces we cherish. (Seepage 20 for more informa-tion about the Land Trust’sStewardship EndowmentFund.)

Restoring a Forest at Oak Road Wetland PreserveIn January of 2006, the Door County Land Trust purchased 155 acres of farm fields

and wetlands from the Tilden and Bernice Gabert family and established what is now

“I’m really doing this for my grand-kids and their children. The wellness ofthe land will benefit the health offuture generations.”

- Jack Finger, Stewardship Field Assistant

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known as the Oak Road Wetland Preserve just northand east of Carlsville. A 35-acre conservation easementaccepted in the spring of 2006 on the connectingDennis and Deborah Conta property further expandedthe size of the preserve. Beyond protecting these 190acres from future development, an important part ofthe Land Trust’s goals in the area include habitatrestoration.

On a gray day in the middle of this past October, 20bushels of acorns awaited their turn as frustrated butdetermined men huddled around a broken acorn plant-ing machine sitting just 150 feet from where it startedearlier that morning. A few hours later, the machinewas back in operation and all the acorns were settled inthe ground on 10 acres along the west side of OakRoad in the heart of the Land Trust’s Oak RoadWetland Preserve. The brief morning setback was areminder of what we already knew: Restorationrequires time and patience.

Armed with patience, time, and a restoration plan,the Land Trust is endeavoring to restore about 150acres of farmland to its natural pre-European settlers’state. The restoration plan was developed with the helpof U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist, GaryVanVreede, and Wisconsin Department of NaturalResources Forester, Bill Ruff. A multitude of ecologicalfactors were considered in order to create a plan thatwill ultimately increase the native biodiversity of thearea. An array of restoration activities will be imple-mented over several years to restore or create habitatsincluding upland hardwood and lowland coniferforests, prairie and wetland.

The restoration project began in 2006 with theplanting of prairie grasses. Slow-growing, cool-season,native grasses were planted this summer. Work contin-ued this fall with the acorn planting, and more acornswill be planted next fall. Over the next two years wewill call upon the Door Stewardship Alliance volun-teers to help plant other species of trees and shrubs. A

neighboring farmer, Frank Lautenbach, has beeninstrumental in this restoration effort by generouslysharing his time, equipment, and planting expertise.In both the literal and the figurative sense, theseefforts are only “planting the seeds” for what’s to come.This restoration project will require monitoring, main-tenance, and active management into the foreseeablefuture.

“Planting acorns, trees and shrubs isn’t the same asplanting a forest,” explains Jack Finger, Land TrustStewardship Field Assistant and coordinator of theOak Road Restoration Project. “If an adequate seedbank exists and we’re able to control competition bynative and non-native species, we could simply allownatural succession to happen. This land would eventu-ally return to its natural state of a climax forest but itwould take hundreds of years. By doing this restora-tion project, we are giving the land a boost towardbecoming that forest. However, even if all the treesand seeds we plant survive, it will still take many yearsto revert to its pre-settlement condition. This agricul-tural field on Oak Road used to be a forest once. Wehope it will be again someday with time and a littleassistance from the Land Trust.”

“As I participate in this project, my incentive is thefuture,” Jack said. “I’m really doing this for my grand-kids and their children. The wellness of the land willbenefit the health of future generations.”

Bay Shore Blufflands Neighbors TakeInvasive Species Control into TheirOwn Hands

Last April, the Land Trust received a call from DanCollins. He and his wife, Nancy Aten, were about tosubmit a proposal to the Wisconsin DNR’s recentlyestablished Landowner Incentive Program (LIP). LIPgrants offer financial assistance to private landownersto protect rare plants and animals by managing orrestoring habitat for at-risk species. Dan and Nancyhave a conservation easement with the Land Trust onabout 100 acres within the Land Trust’s Bay ShoreBlufflands Preserve located 8 miles north of SturgeonBay. Dan was calling to make sure their intention tocontrol two invasive plant species - reed canary grass

and common buckthorn - was permitted within theterms of their conservation easement. Their well-planned, 17-acre restoration project was in line withthe terms of their conservation easement agreement, sothey received our blessing and we wished them luckwith their proposal.

Good news arrived this fall; the proposal was fundedand work will begin soon on their restoration project,including 400-plus hours of new labor by Aten andCollins as their contribution. “This is really excitingfor us,” states Aten. “We’ve seen how one or two inva-

sive plant species candegrade the entireecosystem of a property.In some cases, an areaonce home to 20 differ-ent native plant speciescan become reduced toonly one or two. Weworried that withouttaking a proactive role,we would risk losingnative species on ourland. This grant helpsus significantly increasethe pace and scale of ourrestoration work.”

Dan and Nancy are no strangers to conservation.The acquisition of their Blufflands property saved itfrom impending development and the donation of aconservation easement initiated the Land Trust’s workat the 350-acre Bay Shore Blufflands Preserve. Theyhave been volunteering for the Land Trust for over adecade and Nancy has served on the Land Trust boardsince 1999. Nancy is a landscape steward and designerwith a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture andboth Dan and Nancy have been proactively monitoringand removing invasive species on their land for manyyears.

Dan and Nancy’s efforts augment work being doneelsewhere at the Blufflands Preserve. Since 2002, theLand Trust has been working to control invasivespecies using a variety of tools and resources. Door

Stewardship Alliance volunteers and nearby neighborshave donated hundreds of hours eradicating non-nativebush honeysuckle and common buckthorn. Grantassistance has been sought to contract eradication workon a larger scale. Funding from the Natural ResourceDamage Assessment Fund (NRDA) paid for a con-tractor to remove buckthorn, honeysuckle, and thewetland invader Phragmites (giant reed grass) alongthe north end of the preserve as part of a partnershipproject with The Nature Conservancy. This autumn, agrant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Programwill fund a contractor to remove more buckthorn andhoneysuckle along Bay Shore Drive.

The Blufflands invasive species control project is agreat example of a multi-faceted restoration strategythat involves many partners including non-profitorganizations, volunteers, contractors, governmentagencies and a variety of funding sources, includingLIP. For more information about LIP, visit their web-site at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/WLIP or call theLIP coordinator, Christina Painter-Hodges, at 608-266-8736.

When the Going Gets Tough at the Fen… We Hire a Contractor!

Located within the Land Trust’s 107-acre KellnerFen Preserve east of Sturgeon Bay was a seven-acre,

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Buckthorn eradication at Kellner Fen

Collins poses with cross-section of largestbuckthorn cut from their property

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tangled mass of twisted buckthorn branches so thickand impenetrable it was hard to imagine anything elseexisting in that space. The Land Trust’s LandStewardship Coordinator, Jodi Milske, was faced withthe difficult task of deciding how to best restore thislandscape. She knew the scale of this project was muchtoo large for volunteer crews alone, and she feared thatcontractors would bring in heavy equipment thatmight damage the existing native vegetation and createdisturbances that could lead to an infestation of yetanother invasive species. Could she find a contractorwho would be willing to tackle this project using amethod that wouldn’t further degrade this site?

In 2005, the Land Trust secured a $20,000 grantfrom the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program tofund contract work to control buckthorn at this andother Land Trust sites. After seeking bids from manycontractors, the Land Trust hired NorthernEnvironmental to control three of the most denselyaffected acres. Northern Environmental agreed to workby hand using the “cut stump” method. In the fall of2006, a crew of a dozen men spent four days cuttingthe buckthorn plants off near the base with hacksawsand chainsaws. They then applied an herbicide specifi-cally designed to focus on the target plant and causelittle damage to surrounding native vegetation. Thecrews then stacked the buckthorn branches in piles 10or 12 feet high. The piles provide wildlife habitat atthe moment and may eventually be burned on a coldwinter day.

“This was an enormous undertaking and I am reallypleased with the results. I am encouraged by how tena-ciously the remnants of the native plant populationrebound given the chance. A year ago, this area was anecological wasteland. Today it is a diverse communitybeing reborn,” Milske said. “This first phase is just thebeginning. There is a lot more to do. The buckthorncovers many more acres and, unfortunately, Phragmiteshas begun to invade the western margin of the fen.The Land Trust is committed to doing all we can toprotect and restore this fragile, unique and incrediblydiverse wetland habitat.”

More and more, land conservationgroups around the country are realizingthe implications of managing land intoperpetuity. The Door County LandTrust is committed to taking an activerole in stewarding our preserved landfor the long-term health of our fragileenvironment. But the scope of thiscommitment is large and complex andwill take strong partnerships with gov-ernment agencies, private funders andon-the-ground volunteers to ultimatelysucceed. With habitat loss around theglobe occurring at unprecedented rates,we hope the land stewardship activitiesof the Land Trust and its partners pro-vide the hope and encouragement need-ed to further efforts to save our nativeecosystems.

P erpetuity... this one concept guides every deci-sion and action land trusts make. When the

Door County Land Trust preserves a beautiful piece ofproperty, we do so with the assumption that our man-agement responsibilities extend into perpetuity. Ourfinancial obligations, therefore, extend into perpetuityas well. To help meet these responsibilities and toensure our organizational strength far into the future,the Land Trust established a Stewardship EndowmentFund in 2001. The Endowment’s value recently sur-passed $500,000.

Governed by a six-person Board of Trustees, theStewardship Endowment Fund is set up differentlyfrom our other funds. Only income generated byinvesting the fund’s assets may be used by the LandTrust; the Endowment’s principal is sacred, never to bedistributed. Thus, the Stewardship Endowment Fundis built for the future… built for perpetuity.

Each year, significant funds are needed to pay prop-erty taxes and to fund invasive species removal, habitatrestoration and trail maintenance on lands we own.On the conservation easement agreements we hold,there are monitoring and enforcing expenses. It is ourgoal to grow the Stewardship Endowment Fund to alevel at which the income can cover these stewardshipcosts. We conservatively estimate that level to be inexcess of $3 million. We’ll keep our membership up-to-date on this goal and we thank everyone who hasmade a donation to the Stewardship EndowmentFund over the years.

The Endowment’s Board of Trustees is comprised ofTony Fiorato, Richard Hauser, Jim Kinney, DaveNevalainen, Mary Standish and Rob Van Gemert. Wethank all of them and recently retired trustee, PaulBurton, for serving the Land Trust in this importantcapacity.

The Land Trust’s StewardshipEndowment Fund: Ensuring Perpetuity

Stewardship, continued from previous page

Aten-Collins conversation easement at Bay Shore Blufflands photo by Nancy Aten

undeveloped shoreline, and wetlands that providecritical habitat for a host of birds, fish and insects, aswell as rare plant species. Of primary significance isthe noted presence of both the federally endangeredHine’s emerald dragonfly and federally threateneddwarf lake iris. In addition, Detroit Harbor has beenrecognized as the most productive smallmouth bassnursery in northern Green Bay.

Since we began work to establish the Preserve in2004, the Land Trust has received grant supportfrom the Knowles-Nelson State Stewardship Fundand the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and has pro-tected over 100 acres here. Earlier this year, theDoor County Land Trust purchased two additionaltracts, one on Washington and one on DetroitIsland. The Land Trust also received a very generousland donation along Washington Island’s LobdellPoint Road from the Gunnlaugsson family. Thesepurchases and donation expand the Detroit HarborPreserve by 35 acres and add an additional 500 feetof undeveloped shoreline. This newly-protected landalso helps maintain the scenic integrity of the islands.

“To be sure, these additions safeguard criticalwildlife habitat and protect water quality. But theWashington Island acquisitions also preserve a largewooded corridor along Lobdell Point Road,” explainsDan Burke, Land Trust Executive Director. “Lobdellis the entryway onto Washington Island from theferry terminal and the dense forest canopy along theroad significantly contributes to the rural, natural feelof the island. The Land Trust has now protected overone mile of forest along this road and we thank theGunnlaugsson family for making this accomplish-ment possible.”

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The Places We Protect:the Detroit Harbor Preserve

Key Purchases and a Land Donation ExpandProtection on Washington and Detroit Islands

Traversing “Death’s Door” via ferry is a quintes-sential Door County experience. The island

chain off the northern tip of the Door Peninsula,consisting of Plum, Pilot, Detroit and WashingtonIslands, is part of a larger group of islands betweenWisconsin and Upper Michigan known as the GrandTraverse Islands. In the 1970s, Michigan andWisconsin developed plans to create state parks onmany of these islands, but the political winds forsuch a large endeavor were not blowing favorably andthe full scope of the plan has yet to be realized. TheDoor County Land Trust, however, has made it a

priority to work with the communities on two ofthese islands – Washington and Detroit – to identifyand protect the most ecologically significant areashere. One such area is the recently establishedDetroit Harbor Preserve.

Encompassing the southwest tip of WashingtonIsland and all of Detroit Island, the Detroit HarborPreserve was established to protect several rarespecies of plants and animals as well as the coastalwetlands, forest resources and fisheries of this area.Within the boundaries of the Preserve are a GreatLake estuary, many small islands, thousands of feet of

“…the dense forest canopy along (Lodbell)road significantly contributes to therural, natural feel of the island.”

- Dan Burke

An aerial view of the key lands and waters of the Detroit Harbor Preserve photo by Mike Grimm

Detroit Harbor

Ferry Terminal

Richter Bayou

Detroit Island

Washington Island

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Membership support is critical to thesuccess of the Land Trust. Not only

do our members provide much neededfinancial support, they also make land dona-tions, volunteer on our preserves and at ourevents, act as our spokespersons in the com-munity, serve as a continual source of inspi-ration and motivation and make our jobs somuch more fun!

For the first ten years of existence, the Door CountyLand Trust was a non-membership organization.During those ten years, we protected an average of 20acres per year. In 1996, our by-laws were changed andwe began accepting annual support. Since then, theaverage numbers of acres we protect each year hasgrown to close to 400! This is how integral annualmembership support is to our success.

Even in this age of instant messaging and emails,nothing beats a conversation “over the fence post” (or,over a cup of coffee at Al’s) as the most effective means

Ross and Julie AllenJohn and Pat Bach/GorenceRoy and Terri BackDavid BarnesDick BashamTim and Barb BauerBill and Donna BensonJim and Susan BirgerBarbara BockBeverly BransonKelly and Rhonda BruskyGeorge and Judy BushGary and Sheila CadwalladerRon and Carol CalabreseDick and Jan CampbellKathy and John CampbellSam and Vicky CarmenArdis CermakTerry and Andrea ConnellyDennis and Bonnie ConnollyDarrell and Susan ConwayWill and Ginny CraigPeter and Myra CristallJim and Marilyn CushingSandy and Russell DagonRonald and Candace DammonPauline DeanGary and Amy DelzellGloria and Ron Dougherty/KlimaitisJane and David Doughty/WoodTad and Andy DukehartBob and Mary DunworthSteve and Margaret ElliottTim and Holly ErskineJeffrey EwaskowitzDennis and Mary FalesAudrey ForslundNancy FreehaferGerri FriedbergDennis and Susan GarrityHildy GradyEric and Barbara GreenfeldtDoris HansenEarl and Agnes HeyrmanAnne HoblerMike and Deb HollyGeorge and Sue Raye HughesAnn JerdeeBill and Cathy JohnsonDavid and Mel JohnsonJoseph JohnsonDonald JonesJack and Raeona JordanAllan and Sue JurssCharles KalmbachJohn and Karin KareckiJohn and Karen KierstynTom and Lucy KileJames KitaSylvia LandinMitch Larson – On Deck Clothing Co.Martin and Diana Lash/WallaceJerry and Pam LecyKeith and Katherine LindstrandDavid and Carrie LinkKathleen and Steve Losekamp

Kim LoveTim and Julie LyonsPaul and Irene MayerKen and Debra McIntyreBill and Diane MillerJohn and Jan MuellerDale and Mary Beth MurphyJim and Sandra MurphyPamela MurphyWally and Elaine NalewayErica Nelson – Quest RealtyDan and Penny NiesenJames OlsenPat OlsonRay and Carol Ann OsinskiJeff and Barb OttumPat and Wes OvertonCharles and Patricia OxenfordSteve and Mary ParentPhil PassenPeter and Sharon PeshekLucia and Pete PetrieVictor and Gabriele PfeifferJim and Marianne PorterRachel PrattBruce and Nancy RaemischDave and Lolly RatajczakNaseem and Lou RezaBob Ross – Ross Law OfficeBarbara SajnaDick and Sally SandrettiKaren SandstromMartha SauterErnie and Betty SchluterThomas and Lorna SchroederGail and Dennis SchwabWalt and Tiggy ShieldsCarroll and Sharon SiefertPeter and Gloria SigmannJim and Kay SmithRichard and Mary SpecialLee StahlCheryl StevensEdward and Janice StowellDebby SweenSteve TalbotVirge Temme

Virge Temme Architecture, Inc.Howard and Rosemary Timian FamilyCharles and Kristi Twichell/TorkelsonKenneth and Rori UhlhornJim and Maryann TyndallKerry and Kathie VavraShirley VavraGordon ViethMichael and Julia WaiteRichard and Pamela Wegner

Liberty Square ShopsDavid and Linn WellsLee WinklerSherry and Rand WolfKaren and Lloyd WolterPeter ZellerRon and Sylvi ZiglerStan and Pat Zyskowski

Welcome New Members!(for first time gifts received between 1/1/07 and 11/15/07)

of communication in Door County. That’s why we relyon you to help us spread the news about the LandTrust to friends and neighbors.

If you know of someone who loves the rural characterand open spaces of Door County but is not a memberof the Land Trust, please share their name and mailinginformation with us. We’ll send them a new memberpacket and an invitation to join our efforts. Or, betteryet, give a friend or family member a gift membershipin the Door County Land Trust this holiday season(see next page). Thank you for helping us widen theLand Trust circle.

Longtime residents of the Chicago area, Cathy and herhusband, Tony, didn't discover DoorCounty until the early 1990s when onelong weekend here led to half a dozenvisits a year, and, in 2000, a home inFish Creek. Cathy feels that herinvolvement in the Land Trust hasenriched their lives in Door County inmany ways - from the wonderfulDCLT members and staff with whomthey've worked and celebrated, to the

education about the environment that they'vereceived. Cathy is retired from a career as aproject manager and systems developer atHewitt Associates in Lincolnshire and at theIllinois Student Assistance Commission inDeerfield, Illinois. With five grandchildren inthe Chicago area, Cathy and Tony dividetheir time between Door County andIllinois, and are looking forward to spendingmore time in Door County now that Tony issemi-retired.

DCLT welcomes Cathy Fiorato to the Board

Help Widenthe Land TrustCircle

New Land Trust members hike at Lautenbach Woods Preserve

Give someone special the enduring gift of land this holiday season.By giving a gift membership to the Land Trust, you and your recipient can

help preserve Door County’s most beautiful, wild, and ecologically impor-tant places – for yourselves, for future generations, forever! A one-year giftmembership to the Land Trust is a great way to honor your children, spouse,friends, and even co-workers or employees – anyone and everyone you knowwho loves Door County. Please fill in and mail the form below. We willsend the recipient notice of your gift in an attractive Land Trust notecard.

Along with the satisfaction of knowing they are making a difference in DoorCounty’s future, your recipient(s) will receive Landings, our journal of landpreservation, a Land Trust decal for their vehicle, invitations to our events andhikes, and our sincere thanks. Gift memberships at the $100 or above level willalso include a packet of four beautiful notecards depicting Door County LandTrust preserves.

Show off your support of the Door County Land Trust this holiday season by giving someone you love a comfy denim shirt or handsome hat with the new Land Trust logo available exclusively from theDoor County Land Trust.

To view these items and other Land Trust merchandise or to download a Merchandise Order Form, please visit our website at www.doorcountylandtrust.org.

As a present for yourself or someone you know who loves Door County,Door County Land Trust merchandise makes a wonderful gift!

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Happy Holidays!Spread Holiday Cheer with the Land Trust this Year!

Gift Memberships Land Trust Merchandise

o Patron $35 – 99o Preserver $100 – 249o Steward $250 – 499o Guardian $500 – 999o Legacy $1,000 – 4,999o Heritage $5,000 and above

o This membership is being given as a gift from:

__________________________________________________ (Please attach giver’s address and phone number to this form.)

Please make checks payable to:Door County Land TrustP.O. Box 65Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

To: Name(s) ____________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________________________________

State ______________ Zip _________________________

Credit Card # __________________________________________________________________

o MasterCard o VISA Exp date _______________________

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Our Sturgeon Bay Office has Moved!We’re pleased to announce that after enduring

falling ceilings, intermittent heat and cramped quar-ters, the Door County Land Trust has moved to anew office in the historic district of downtownSturgeon Bay. We are now located at 23 North FifthAvenue just kitty-corner from the White Lace Innand St. Joseph’s Church one block north of MichiganStreet. This is the main office of the Land Trust andis generally staffed Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 4:00 pm (Because much of our work takesplace out on the land, we recommend calling to checkour hours on any given day.) We hope you’ll stop inand say hello next time you’re in the neighborhood!

Our Northern Door office in Baileys Harbor is stilllocated behind the Moccasin Shop (8099 Highway57) in downtown Baileys Harbor and members arewelcome to stop in there as well. (Again, please callbefore making a special trip!)

Main Office and Mailing Address:Door County Land Trust

P.O. Box 65, 23 N. 5th AvenueSturgeon Bay, WI 54235

(920) 746-1359 • fax: (920) 746-1024email: info@doorcountylandtrust.org

Northern Office (no mail receptacle):Door County Land Trust

8099 Highway 57, Baileys Harbor, WI (920) 839-9990 • fax: (920) 839-9762

The Places We Protect:Woods at Monument Point

Two Purchases Add 30 Acres to Preserve

Earlier this year, the Door County Land Trustpurchased two properties that added 30 acres of

protected land to the Woods at Monument PointPreserve. Located just northwest of Carlsville, thePreserve hosts a beautiful northern hardwood forestabove the Niagara escarpment that provides idealhabitat for a rich diversity of bird species.

A 20-acre land purchase from Dean and Judith

Krueger and family and a 10-acre land purchase fromDonald and Kayval Larson were funded by the Knowles-Nelson State Stewardship Fund as well as donations fromour recently completed 20th Anniversary CapitalCampaign. Each of these properties borders land alreadyowned by The Nature Conservancy and the Door CountyLand Trust. To date, a total of 90 acres in the Woods atMonument Point Preserve have been protected by the LandTrust and Nature Conservancy.

The importance of protecting undeveloped forestland inDoor County is critical to preserving migratory and nestingbird habitat. Historically, Door County was covered with amix of hardwood and conifer forests. These forests offereda diverse understory of woodland plants and provided habi-tat to a host of woodland mammals and birds.Fragmentation of this forest has led to a decline in songbirdnesting habitat for a number of species.

Door County’sremaining forestsalong the shoresof Green Bay andLake Michigancreate a criticalmigratory corri-dor and offerresting spots forthousands ofneotropical song-birds moving

from Central and South America to Canada each year. Inaddition, the Woods at Monument Point Preserve is one ofthe few sites left in Door County providing nesting habitatfor the State Threatened Red-shouldered hawk.

The Land Trust thanks the Larson and Krueger familiesfor working with us to add these important forestlands tothis Preserve.

Sunlight filters through dense forest at the Woods at Monument Point

Land Trust staff at new Sturgeon Bay office

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