DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Thirty more acres of undeveloped land in the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp Natural Area are now protected.
The Door County Land Trust announced its purchase of the property on Friday. The land, located about 600 feet from the waters of Green Bay, includes a portion of Hidden Springs Creek, which flows into Eagle Harbor. Most of the property is a forested wetland, but there is a small farm field that is transitioning back into forest.
The Door County Land Trust says the purchase will protect the quality of water flowing into Eagle Harbor and Green Bay, and protect the stream corridor and fish spawning habitat.
The Door County Land Trust now protects 307 acres within the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp Natural Area.
Last year, the state Department of Natural Resources listed the swamp as a priority site for migratory bird habitat. Because of the importance to migratory birds, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Joint Venture funded part of the purchase. The Door County Land Trust also received grants from the DNR’s Knowles Nelson Stewardship Grant Program and the Bock Foundation.
The land trust plans to continue raising funds to take care of the land in the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp. It has a 2020 fundraising goal of $136,000, which includes efforts at Washington Island’s Big and Little Marsh and Coffey Swamp, and fishery habitat near Little Sturgeon and Sawyer Harbor in southern Door County. Donations can be made online.
