In the News
Recent Projects
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
 May
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
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
 December 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.”
 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
 September
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.”
 The 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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