BAILEYS HARBOR, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A 40-acre parcel of land is now protected in Baileys Harbor.
The Door County Land Trust Conservation Easement acquired the land from Tom and Cynthia Wolfe who purchased the land in 1981 with the goal to rebuild its native forest.
It was originally part of a 160-acre dairy farm, once used for growing crops.
Throughout their ownership, the Wolfes removed invasive species and replaced them with hundreds of native trees and shrubs.
The Door County Land Trust says the Wolfe easement is an important step as it is less than one mile from four existing conservation easement properties and 1.5 miles from the Door County Land Trust’s Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve.
The Wolfe’s hope their conservation easement will spur additional conservation easements in the Upper Door watershed and become part of a larger buffer of private open space, land, and habitat reserves.
“Private land conservation is becoming increasingly important in and around Door County, especially in ecologically sensitive areas experiencing an increased amount of development pressure. The great thing about conservation easements are that they keep the land in private ownership while protecting the conservation values in perpetuity.” Landowners can continue to manage their property in a way that is consistent with the conservation easement and the long-term ecological health of the property. This conservation easement prohibits future development outside of the property’s home site, called a building envelope, protecting the property’s ecological value for future generations,” said Door County Land Trust Conservation Easement Program Manager Drew Reinke.
Located on the western edge of the Ephraim-Baileys Harbor Swamp corridor, one corner of the property connects to the Ramsar designated Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands, an extensive wetland complex of regional and global importance.
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