Latest News on the Grand View Project:

The good news… The Door County Land Trust has received official notice that it will receive two grants that will fund all but $206,000 of this acquisition project. Private funds are needed for this remaining amount and to date $175,000 of the $206,000 needed has been secured as hundreds of people have made a contribution to this effort! Thank you to everyone who has made a donation or is considering doing so.

Negotiations continue… While fundraising efforts are going well there is still a legal impediment that is preventing the sale from taking place.  Negotiations continue between the seller and another party with legal interest in the property and we remain hopeful that a settlement between these two parties can be reached soon so that the Land Trust can proceed with the purchase.  Stay tuned! 

Last updated: 12/06/2011
 

Help Preserve the Grand View in Ellison Bay!

The Grand View Property…  It is grand! Travelling north along the Door County peninsula on highway 42 just before the road dips down into the picturesque village of Ellison Bay, you find yourself high on top of the Niagara Escarpment. From this vantage point a view unfolds that takes your breath away—whether you’re seeing it for the first time or for the first time that day!

The “Grand View” property presents a quintessential Door County vista that includes the sparkling waters of Green Bay, islands in the distance, and massive sheer bluffs of two nearby county parks. It is easily one of the most recognizable and most beloved views in the county and the state.

Although privately owned, the scenery the Grand View property offers has been enjoyed by the public for decades and is viewed by thousands of camera-toting tourists each year. Best known for the view from the top, the 16-acre Grand View property extends down the escarpment and contains a northern hardwood forest, marshy wetland areas and two ponds as well.

Recently, this signature view shed and connected lands have come under the threat of development when construction of a 44-unit condominium and residential project began. This alerted the Door County community to the fact that what had “always been there” would not continue to be there without a concerted land preservation effort.
 

The Door County Land Trust Enters Into Purchase Offer; Fundraising Efforts Underway

To save this iconic view and beloved property, the Door County Land Trust initiated talks with the landowner and has entered into an Offer to Purchase 16 acres at Grand View. If the Land Trust is successful in purchasing this property, the Grand View Scenic Overlook and Park will be established and will be open to the public for sightseeing, hiking, picnicking and other low-impact recreational uses. The upper 4 acres of the property will be a mowed scenic overlook; the lower 12 acres will undergo habitat restoration and be the site of a new hiking trail system. After the purchase, the Land Trust intends to transfer ownership of the property to the Town of Liberty Grove for the park’s long-term management.

Fundraising efforts to preserve Grand View are off to an encouraging start. The Land Trust has learned that two grants that it worked hard to apply for have been awarded. Although the grants from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund of Wisconsin and the National Scenic Byways program are critical to moving forward with this purchase, they are only part of the funding picture.

The Land Trust is now seeking private donations to fully fund this project.

How can you be a part of the effort to establish the Grand View Scenic Overlook and Park?

The best way for you to help the effort to save Grand View is to become a contributing supporter of the Door County Land Trust through a generous tax-deductible donation. If you are already a Land Trust supporter, consider a one-time gift to our Special Places Fund. The Special Places Fund provides the resources we need to protect and care for places like the Grand View.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this donation request and for helping us protect the “best of the best” of Door County’s natural and scenic landscapes.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to:

Door County Land Trust
P.O. Box 65
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Or, donations may be made online.

If donations for Grand View exceed project needs, funds will be directed to protecting other high priority properties for our community.

• For information about the Door County Coastal Byway, visit www.doorcountycoastalbyway.com.