DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – It was a banner year for conservation efforts in parts of Northeast Wisconsin.
The Door County Land Trust is marking 17 projects this year, and an overall total of nearly 9,900 acres of land that will be protected forever.
Nestled under a fresh January snow, the 118-acre Oak Bluff Natural Area features a 150-foot bluff and some rustic trails.
“That shoreline is really critical for bird habitat and water quality in general,” said Emily Wood, Door County Land Trust executive director.
Wood says another project can be found below the scenic overlook in Ellison Bay, called Grand View.
“I think it was a six-acre parcel there. That was sold to us by a family that purchased it just to keep development away from it,” she said.
And not far away, Wood calls a section of the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp Natural Area a wetlands workhouse.
“That little 20-acre parcel that not many people will probably ever see is doing a lot of work behind the scenes,” she said.
The Land Trust also finalized a deal to secure a piece of local history.
“Camp Cuesta is protected. So we were able to protect the 24 acres there at Kangaroo Lake. It’s been operating as a Girl Scout camp since the 1960s. We were able to work with the Girls Scouts of the Northwest Great Lakes to provide an ongoing partnership, where the Girl Scouts will be able to continue to do their events and activities at the camp house,” said Wood.
And just last month, Wood says the Land Trust crafted a personalized conservation easement with the Barnard Family.
“120 acres, just south of Carlsville. It’s really exciting for us because it’s a working property. So quintessential Door County. Tart cherry production for over 150 years in the family. And the family really had the connection, that long history with the land, and wanted to see it protected with the Land Trust, but want to continue to do the thing that they’ve been doing. Farming that land,” she said.
Work at the Door County Land Trust continues. Leaders say they already have closings on five properties scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
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