Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Preserve- photo by Julie Schartner

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Ceremony held to Dedicate the Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Nature Preserve

On Friday, July 23, over seventy Door County Land Trust supporters, neighbors and community members gathered on Three Springs Road just east of Sister Bay to officially dedicate and celebrate northern Door County’s newest nature preserve, the 421-acre Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Nature Preserve. The preserve is owned by the Door County Land Trust and is open to the public for hiking, hunting, birding, skiing and other low-impact recreational and educational activities.

“This is an exciting day for the Land Trust and for the Door County community as a whole,” explains Door County Land Trust executive director, Dan Burke. “When the Door County Land Trust purchased and permanently protected the Three Springs property in 2008, it was the largest undeveloped tract remaining in northern Door and the county’s largest conservation project in over 40 years. Over the past 18 months, our volunteers have been hard at work building trails and a wildlife viewing platform and generally getting the preserve ready for visitors. Today’s event is a tribute to them and to the many people who have cared for this land over the years and provided funds to preserve it. It’s been a real community effort.”

The new Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Nature Preserve is located two miles east of Sister Bay and lies within a 17,000-acre wildlife corridor that extends north of Baileys Harbor and stretches along Lake Michigan. This corridor hosts the highest density and greatest diversity of rare plants, animals and natural communities found in Wisconsin. The new preserve is also home to the headwaters of pristine North Bay. 

Since its settlement by European immigrants in the 1870s, the Three Springs property has been owned by only three families--the Ericksons, Wilsons and Reynolds. Friday’s dedication thanked and honored the families and their descendents.

According to Three Springs Preserve Steward and local historian, Paul Burton, “Three Springs is a special place because the ecology and essential character of the land has been preserved over the years. When the Erickson family settled here in the late 1800s, they were more interested in clearing the land and farming than providing a sanctuary for wildlife, but their impact on the land over time was minimal. Today, stone fences and the original barn stand as monuments to their struggle to farm land that resisted their best efforts.”

Erickson family descendents eventually sold the land to Harold C. Wilson of Ephraim in 1940. Wilson, of the Wilson’s Ice Cream family, was an avid naturalist and opened one of Wisconsin’s first public nature preserves on the site. Wilson’s children, Mary and Paul Wilson, were in attendance. Mary assured the crowd that “our father would love that this area has been preserved forever in its natural state and would be honored to have his name associated with it.”

The Door County Land Trust purchased the Three Springs property from George and Jean Reynolds in 2008. The Reynolds had owned and the land since 1970. Over their tenure, they added surrounding parcels as they became available, brining the contiguous acres from 160 to 460. George and Jean’s son Stephan spoke on behalf of his parents and family. “We are honored to be here for this dedication and we’re so pleased that the Door County Land Trust has taken over the stewardship of the Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Nature Preserve. Although we don’t have Three Springs all to ourselves anymore, that seems so entirely appropriate and gratifying. After all, nature is God’s gift to be shared by all who appreciate and respect it.”

Burke closed the dedication ceremony by thanking Land Trust supporters, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Knowles-Nelson State Stewardship Fund, and The Nature Conservancy for providing the financial support needed to create the new preserve. “Our real thank you gift,” stated Burke “is this beautiful preserve. We hope that the people of Door County come and explore and enjoy the treasures that are here and are inspired to help protect other special places like this.”


Recent Purchase Completes Land Protection Work at Washington Island’s Little Lake

Little Lake Preserve - photo by Julie SchartnerMay 2010- The Door County Land Trust announces the purchase of property on Little Lake, located on the far northwest side of Washington Island. This 1.38-acre parcel adds 200 additional feet of protected shoreline to the Door County Land Trust’s Little Lake Nature Preserve. This purchase is significant in that it completes the Land Trust’s immediate land protection goals for the Little Lake area. With the recent purchase, the Land Trust has protected a total of 33 acres and 5,546 feet of shoreline at the Little Lake Nature Preserve.

Karen Yancey, chair of the Door County Land Trust’s Washington Island Committee, explains, “This is very exciting news. Little Lake is the island’s only inland lake and it is a favorite spot not only for islanders and visitors, but also for wildlife. This is truly one of the island’s magical places. I feel good knowing that my children will be able to bring their children here someday and find the same serene place.”
Little Lake is fed by groundwater springs and surface run-off water and has a maximum depth of 5.5 – 7 feet. The present lake level is three feet above that of Lake Michigan. It supports a productive population of perch, rock and smallmouth bass and is part of a wetland complex that hosts a variety of rare boreal-rich plants such as the northern bog sedge, showy-lady’s slipper orchid, lesser fringed gentian, and dwarf lake iris. It also hosts old growth white cedars and stands of hemlock and provides critical habitat for a large number of migrating and nesting birds including bald eagles, white pelicans, osprey and great blue and black-crowned night herons. Its location provides an ideal resting point in the annual avian migratory trip to Canada from points south.

Terrie Cooper, Land Program Director for the Door County Land Trust, explains, “Few places in Door County can outshine Little Lake for its scenic beauty, ecological importance, and cultural and historical significance. By preserving the land surrounding the lake, the Door County Land Trust hopes to protect the health of the Little Lake ecosystem far into the future. We are thankful for the help we’ve received from willing landowners and from granting agencies such as the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Coastal Wetlands Grant program. Critical support also came from private individuals who support our work and have made private donations.”

The Door County Land Trust is a local, non-profit organization supported by over 2,000 contributing members. Its mission is to preserve, maintain and enhance lands that contribute significantly to the scenic beauty, open space and ecological integrity of Door County. Since its inception in 1986, the Land Trust has protected over 5,200 acres throughout Door County and over 700 acres on Washington and Detroit Islands. Many of the lands owned by the Door County Land Trust are open to the public for hiking, hunting, birding, skiing and other low-impact recreational and educational activities.

Wind and Water

Although the Door County Land Trust’s work at Little Lake began less than a decade ago, Mother Nature’s story goes back much further. The formation of Little Lake began five to eight thousand years ago with the collision of wind and water. These forces eroded portions of the massive 200-ft vertical limestone bluff now known as Boyers Bluff causing it to shed small pieces of itself into the turbulent waters of Lake Nippising below. The waves of Lake Nippising, now known as Lake Michigan, tumbled the rocks until they became smooth, baseball-sized cobblestones. Eventually, these cobblestones were pushed southward, closing off the opening to a small bay and creating what we now call Little Lake.

When H.R. Holand wrote his history of Door County, “Old Peninsula Days,” he recognized the unique character and beauty of Little Lake. “The little bay became a little lake, and the stormwrought belt of beach stones that closed it in became a dense belt of woodland. Now the little lake lies peacefully embosomed by steep hills…Among all the scenic delights of Door County this little lake is well toward the top.”

Native Americans and a Famous Economist

In addition to its ecological import, the Little Lake area has significant historical value as well. It was once home to a large village of Woodland era Native Americans and hosts a Native American burial ground. It was also the site of early French missionary efforts. The Jens Jacobsen Museum on the southwest end of Little Lake showcases a large collection of artifacts found in the area dating back some 3000 years. An Archeological Preservation Covenant with the Wisconsin State Historical Society protects the integrity of the village site.

More recent events add another layer of cultural significance to Little Lake. In 1915, Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929), one of American’s most famous economists and social theorists, purchased the property just acquired by the Land Trust. Veblen is perhaps best known for his treatise, “The Theory of the Leisure Class,” and for coining the phrase “conspicuous consumption.” According to “Washington Island’s Thorstein Veblen,” written by Islander Esther Gunnerson, Veblen first visited Washington Island in the early 1900s to learn and speak the Icelandic language with its inhabitants. He soon fell in love with its quiet beauty and purchased the Little Lake property for $300 in 1915 for use as a summer retreat. Older residents of the Little Lake area recall Veblen rowing across Little Lake with his stepdaughters each morning in a homemade skiff to purchase milk and butter from a nearby Icelandic farm. Veblen’s step-daughters inherited the Little Lake property upon Veblen’s death and eventually sold it in 1943. A study cabin built by Veblen was recently moved from its original site on the west side of Little Lake to the grounds of the Jens Jensen Museum by the Washington Island Heritage Conservancy. Renovation efforts are underway.
 


Door County Land Trust Addition at Bay Shore Blufflands

Newest addition to the Bay Shore Blufflands Preserve- photo by Julie Schartner

April 2010- The Door County Land Trust adds critical habitat acreage to its Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve

The Door County Land Trust is pleased to announce that its Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve is growing! In April, the Land Trust purchased another small but crucial piece to one of Door County’s most ecologically valuable and beloved natural areas.

The Land Trust’s work at the Bay Shore Blufflands began modestly in 1995 when the discovery of a colony of Ram’s-head Lady’s-slipper orchids, a state threatened plant, inspired the purchase of a two acre tract harboring these fragile orchids. More orchids were found near the property the following year and the Land Trust’s work began in earnest. What began as a two acre purchase has now grown to one of the largest nature preserves in northeast Wisconsin and hosts one of the most expansive colonies of Ram’s-head in the State. Located along Bay Shore Drive just west of Carlsville, the Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve now encompasses nearly 500 acres and includes impressive stretches of Niagara Escarpment as well as undeveloped Green Bay shoreline.

The Door County Land Trust was able to accomplish the latest addition to the Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve with the help of Land Trust supporters and the Knowles Nelson State Stewardship Fund.

To get a sense of the type of wildlife and habitat found at the Bay Shore Blufflands project area, be sure to check out the Earth Day photos.


Door County Land Trust Purchase Establishes the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve

Aerial view of Sturgeon Bay Canal- photo by Jeff DavisDecember 15, 2009—The Door County Land Trust announces that after six years of negotiating and fundraising it has completed the purchase of 332 acres within the city of Sturgeon Bay for the establishment of a public nature preserve. Known locally as the Canal Property, this parcel is located along Lake Michigan and the south side of the Sturgeon Bay Shipping Canal. The Land Trust purchased the property from the Sturgeon Bay Utilities who have owned it since 1984.

“This is truly a remarkable place. It’s a favorite of the Door County community and we’re thrilled to be able to say that it is now permanently protected for all to enjoy and appreciate,” states Dan Burke, executive director of the Land Trust.

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve will be open to the public for low-impact recreational and educational uses such as swimming, hiking, wildlife viewing, school field trips, and research. The Land Trust intends to develop and maintain walking trails, erect educational kiosks and increase efforts to eradicate the invasive plant species now on the property. “The Ship Canal property is a well-loved community asset. We want it to stay that way. Our vision,” states Burke, “is to improve the ecological health of the property, enhance the experience for visitors, and make sure this treasure is well-cared for and around for generations to come.”

The Land Trust plans to formally dedicate the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve some time next summer.

Total costs for the purchase and short-term land stewardship of the property are just over $2 million. The Land Trust received over $1.6 million in grants from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Knowles-Nelson State Stewardship Fund and over $350,000 from private donors and foundations.

“This has been a very ambitious fundraising project, and we are so pleased by the community’s enthusiasm and generosity. Although the purchase itself is completed, we are still accepting donations for the ongoing care and maintenance of Door County’s newest nature preserve,” states Laurel Hauser, development director for the Land Trust.

The effort to purchase this land was greatly aided by leadership gifts received from the Ellsworth and Carla Peterson Charitable Foundation, American Transmission Company, the John C. Bock Foundation, the James E. Dutton Foundation, and an anonymous Sturgeon Bay foundation. “We are thankful for the generous support we received from many individual donors and the Door County Community Foundation as well. This has truly been a community-wide effort,” states Hauser.

“Selling the 332 acres to the Door County Land Trust is the best possible outcome for our ratepayers, the people of Door County, and the land itself,” states Jim Stawicki, general manager of the Sturgeon Bay Utilities. “The fact that Sturgeon Bay Utilities realized fair market value for the property and that the land will be well-cared for and available to all is a positive outcome for the entire community.”

Click here to view the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve Information Sheet (1 mb).Prior to the Land Trust purchase, protection of the Canal Property was in doubt as a number of development proposals have been considered over the years. More recent proposals included a coal-fueled power plant, aquatic industrial park, all terrain vehicle park and mixed use residential development.

Citizen groups, neighbors, and admirers of the Canal Property have worked for years to keep the land in its natural state. Educator and local naturalist, Mike Madden, describes the land as “one of Door County’s ecological gems. The pristine beach and dunes, ridge and swale formations of ancient shorelines, towering hemlocks and the awe-inspiring views of Lake Michigan and the canal make this one of our most beloved natural areas. In addition to its beauty, it provides habitat for many rare and endangered plants and animals including osprey, bald eagles, pitcher’s dune thistle and migrating warblers. This is an important place for us to protect and we’re grateful that the Land Trust is here to do it.”
 



The Kreuter Preserve 91 acres in the Town of Clay Banks

Kreuter Preserve- Photo by Julie SchartnerSeptember 2008- Located along Lake Michigan approximately 6 miles south of Sturgeon Bay, the 91-acre Kreuter Preserve offers what is arguably one of the most breathtaking views in all of Door County. From the top of a windswept bluff, a bucolic, green farm field stretches to the edge of a high clay bank.  This high bluff or bank then cascades down to a sand beach where it meets the sparkling blue waters of Lake Michigan.  Looking out on the horizon from this hill-top field, one sees the Door Peninsula appear and disappear as its wooded shoreline stretches northeastward out into the open lake.

The purchase of the Kreuter property by the Door County Land Trust in the autumn of 2008 protects nearly 3,000 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline—  one of the longest stretches of undeveloped, unprotected lakeshore remaining in Door County.

Also found here is a diverse mix of natural communities including cedar forest, open fields, a meandering stream, and, of course, the steep bluff that bisects this new nature preserve.  This eclectic mix of habitat provides an ideal place for many plants and animals to reside including shore birds, bald eagles and a number of rarely encountered wildflowers. 

The Door County Land Trust purchased this property from two sisters, Nancy and Susan Kreuter. Funding for this purchase was made possible by a grant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, donations from Land Trust members, and a generous donation from the Kreuters in the form a “bargain sale.” The Kreuters agreed to sell their property to the Door County Land Trust for half of the appraised fair market value.

“We are thrilled that Susan and Nancy Kreuter provided us with the opportunity to purchase and protect this one-of-a-kind parcel,” states Dan Burke, Executive Director of the Door County Land Trust.  “Due in large part to their generosity, the spectacular scenery and wild shoreline here will be enjoyed and appreciated by many people and will remain a place of beauty and inspiration forever. Over the next year, our staff and volunteers will be hard at work developing a detailed land management plan which will include habitat restoration as well as public use activities such as hiking, birding, and hunting.”   


Three Springs Preserve- Photo by Julie SchartnerThe Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Preserve― 421 acres near Sister Bay

August 2008- “The purchase of the Three Springs property marks the biggest conservation purchase ever by the Door County Land Trust and, more importantly, protects what had been the largest, unprotected parcel remaining in northern Door County,” said Dan Burke, Executive Director of the Door County Land Trust.

Although this beautiful, undeveloped tract, lies just 2 miles east of Sister Bay, it is almost a secret place, out of sight of a major road and unknown to most of the public. The 421-acre Three Springs Preserve lies within a region of Door County which hosts the highest density and greatest diversity of rare plants, animals and natural communities found in Wisconsin. This property is a key piece in a 17,000-acre State Natural Area corridor that has been described as one of the premier natural landscapes of the western Great Lakes and is a pivotal parcel in a grand landscape of wilderness that encompasses the Ridges Sanctuary, Toft Point, Mud Lake, and North Bay.

Springs that meander through the property give it its name, but more importantly they provide specialized habitat for plants and animals, including endangered and threatened species. The rare Hines Emerald Dragonfly lays its eggs in vegetation on the banks of a pond formed by the springs. Endangered Dwarf Lake Iris and spectacular Showy Lady’s Slippers bloom in the swampy soil of nearby woods. Smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brown trout, Chinook salmon, and Northern Pike spawn in the coldwater springs. The headwaters of North Bay arise on the property, providing a critically important habitat for Lake Michigan’s whitefish population, 80% of which spawn just offshore of North Bay. The forests contain white cedar, tamarack, balsam fir and black ash. The property also provides crucial stopover and breeding habitat for neotropical migratory birds.

The Door County Land Trust purchased the Three Springs property in the autumn of 2008 and the acquisition was funded through a mix of state, federal and private funds. The Land Trust received a $746,000 grant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund and a $471,750 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Nature Conservancy generously provided the Land Trust with a $90,000 donation and a grant from the Wisconsin Land Fund also aided in the purchase. In addition, the Door County Land Trust received over $180,000 from its members in support of this project!

“An historic project of this magnitude could not have been accomplished alone,” explains Burke. “We thank our state and federal agency partners, The Nature Conservancy, and all our donors for working collaboratively to preserve this special place. We also owe a big thanks to the landowners, George and Jean Reynolds, for being great stewards of this place for the past 40 years and providing us with the opportunity to establish this new preserve.”

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Door County Land Trust
PO BOX 65
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

E-mail: info@doorcountylandtrust.org

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