Door County Land Trust
How We Save Land
Gift Exchange
Gift Exchange By Francha Barnard, Door County poet and volunteer As for me, on a trail hike, you wouldn’t want me to lead; can’t identify the ten different mushrooms or four or five ferns we’d see. Can’t tell the various orchids apart or the birdsong we’d hear nearby; can’t even find the bird in the…
Read MoreMapping Guides 2018 Restoration Work
This four-person crew spent part of their summer mapping invasive species in preparation for a restoration project to begin in 2018. Door County Land Trust’s Three Springs Nature Preserve is one of several sites prioritized in this partner project to map, monitor and reduce invasive species within Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands Ramsar site, an…
Read MoreRestoring Balance to an Interconnected Ecosystem
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve ridge and swale wetland. Photo by Jason Wilke, restoration and invasive species removal contractor 399 acres at the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve and 50 acres at Heins Creek Nature Preserve are being restored, thanks to funding from the North American Wetland Conservation Act Grant. The project,…
Read MoreDoor County Land Trust Protects 37 Acres Near Rowleys Bay
Door County Land Trust Protects 37 Acres near Rowleys Bay In late August, landowners Bruce and Joan Pikas donated a 37-acre conservation easement on their boreal forest tract to the Door County Land Trust. The conservation easement adds to existing protected land in the area which includes several other conservation easements, The Nature Conservancy’s Mink…
Read MoreJoin us at the Bay Shore Blufflands Buckthorn Blast Kick-off Event!
You are invited to join us for a community gathering to kick-off the Bay Shore Blufflands Buckthorn Blast project September 1, 9:30-11:30 a.m.! Learn about the invasive species and unique ecology of the Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve. Take a hike with staff experts and meet stewardship volunteers committed to the Buckthorn Blast. Sign up…
Read More8,000 Acre Milestone!
The Door County Land Trust announced today that in its 30th year, we have now surpassed 8,000 Door County acres protected from development through the addition of 106 acres to the Chambers Island Nature Preserve. We are pleased that with this most recent acquisition we surpassed two milestones—8,000 acres protected in perpetuity and at 593…
Read MoreWe need your vote to purchase the islands!
Town of Gibraltar voters – We need your vote to purchase the islands in Lake Mackaysee on Chambers Island! Wednesday, August 2, 6 pm, Town of Gibraltar Special Agenda The two islands in Mackaysee Lake on Chambers Island owned by the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands are being sold. The islands can be…
Read MoreDoor County Land Trust Surpasses 8,000 Acres Protected
106 Acres Added to Chambers Island Nature Preserve The Door County Land Trust announces today that it has now surpassed 8,000 acres protected from development through the addition of 106 acres to the Chambers Island Nature Preserve. Door County Land Trust Executive Director Tom Clay says, “We are pleased that with this most recent acquisition…
Read More120 Acres of Coastal Wetland Property Protected!
Door County Land Trust Protects Wetlands at the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp State Natural Area Sturgeon Bay, WI July 15, 2017 – The Door County Land Trust (DCLT) is pleased to announce it has protected 120 acres of coastal wetland property in the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp State Natural Area. The property was acquired from landowner John Wehling,…
Read MoreVolunteer at Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve!
Join the fun at our next Door Stewardship Alliance work day at Door County Land Trust’s Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve on Tuesday, July 11th. The work will consist of clearing vegetation encroaching into the trail corridor as well as replacing parking area posts. We will meet at the preserve parking area located at 5519…
Read MoreDoor County Land Trust Acquires Critical Habitat on Chambers Island
The Door County land Trust (DCLT) is proud to announce first, the acquisition of 113 additional acres for the Chambers Island Nature Preserve and second, a $150,000 grant from the David V Uihlein Sr. Foundation of Milwaukee toward acquisition of additional land for the preserve.
Read MoreGet to Know the Three Springs Nature Preserve
Get a glimpse of one of the Door County Land Trust‘s hidden gems, the Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Preserve, and learn more about the significance of this property here >>
Read MoreBirds of Washington Island
Washington Island birder and volunteer photographer Melody Walsh shares these photos, fresh from the Island! Washington Island is known for its charm and relaxed pace of life, but did you know the island is also home to a wide variety of birds? Spring is a great time to see the feathers residents of the island,…
Read MoreStudents with Shovels: A Tree Planting Story
In pre-settlement times, Door County was covered shore to shore in dense forests. Our native plant communities and wildlife habitat depend on quality contiguous forests. Last week, at Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve, students from Sturgeon Bay High School worked alongside staff and volunteers to plant more than 2,500 trees, including white pine, white cedar, chokecherry,…
Read MoreMay 2017 eNews . Letter from the Executive Director
The season of visitors has begun on the Door Peninsula. Our travel-weary friends came from South and Central America, Gulf of Mexico environs and Southern United States locales. Many arrived under the cover of darkness, riding the southerly currents of low pressure weather systems. And upon their arrival, they feed, rest and commence their…
Read MoreVolunteers working to inventory invasive species
Mapping and inventorying invasive species not only tells us what is present, but allows us to be strategic and prioritize our efforts going forward. Volunteers worked to inventory and map invasive species at Oak Road Nature Preserve in 2016 so treatments could begin this spring, in June of 2017. Now, volunteers are following these maps…
Read MorePlant Surveys, Species Inventories, Bird Counts and more!
The Door County Land Trust relies on volunteers to gather vital pieces of information in the field. Projects include spring bird counts, identifying invasive plants and more. The information gathered through these projects helps to show the value of land protection and restoration efforts. To volunteer for citizen monitoring projects, please contact [email protected].
Read MoreHelp Us Plant Trees at Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve
Thursday, April 27, 2017 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve 6749 County G, South of Egg Harbor Join us for an afternoon of tree planting to celebrate Earth Week! We are continuing our efforts to plant native seedlings at our Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve. Please meet just north of the preserve parking…
Read MoreNative Landscaping “Spruce”-Up
Tuesday, April 18, 2017 9:00 am to 12:00 pm 23 North 5th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay Are you looking for fun, fresh air and the opportunity to dig in to some wildness right here in the middle of the city? Join us to help “spruce” up the native woodland landscape at the Door County Land Trust’s…
Read MoreSustain Our Great Lakes Grant
This key grant will help restore Door County Ramsar wetlands through removal of invasive species. Read more… This key grant will help restore Door County Ramsar wetlands through removal of invasive species. Read more… This key grant will help restore Door County Ramsar wetlands through removal of invasive species. Read more… This key grant will help restore Door…
Read MoreFrom Conservation Vision to Nature Preserve
Land Selection Process Is a Grand Equation for the Door County Land Trust By Laurel Hauser With 308,480 total acres of land in Door County and natural features as diverse as bluffs, forests, farmland, cedar swamps, streams, and lakeshore, how does the Land Trust decide which properties are most deserving of protection? This question goes…
Read MoreSaving the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program
The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been providing funding to the state, local governments, land trusts, and other non-profits to protect land for more than 25 years. This fund has been vital to protecting Door County’s exceptional lands and waters. Wisconsin’s latest budget proposal maintains funding for this program, but community support is needed to ensure…
Read MoreLawrence University, Door County Land Trust sign conservation easement agreement to preserve 305 acres of Björklunden property
Baileys Harbor, WI An agreement between Lawrence University and the Door County Land Trust (DCLT) will preserve more than 300 acres of Bjorklunden, the college’s 441-acre estate south of Baileys Harbor, from future development. Representatives from Lawrence and the DCLT signed a conservation easement agreement Thursday, Nov. 17 in the Björklunden lodge that will preserve and…
Read MoreThe Door County Land Trust Creates a New Conservation Easement at Claybanks Creek in Southern Door
Sturgeon Bay, WI November 14, 2016 – While “looking for a campground” as a young family, Ann and John Bladholm discovered a 40-acre woodland nestled along Claybanks Creek in Southern Door County. There, John and Ann would spend many years vacationing and in retirement, loving the land and exposing their children and countless guests to…
Read MoreA New Conservation Easement Protects Stream and Forest in Southern Door
While “looking for a campground” Ann and John Bladholm discovered a 40-acre woodland nestled along Claybanks Creek in Southern Door County. There, John and Ann would spend many years, loving the land and exposing their children and countless guests to the wonders of nature. In an effort to protect the land’s precious natural state…
Read MoreProtecting Wetlands for Green-eyed Dragonflies
Three Land Purchases Ensure Protection of Water and Wetlands By Julie Schartner, Land Project Manager Once believed to be extinct and now found in only four states, the Hine’s emerald dragonfly is among the most endangered dragonflies in the United States. The largest population is found here— in Door County, Wisconsin. Through land purchases at…
Read More10-acre addition at the Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve
We at the Door County Land Trust are excited to tell you of our recent 10-acre addition at the Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve. The acquisition protects a key parcel, extending the contiguous forest cover needed to sustain this unique and fragile ecosystem along the Niagara Escarpment. We encourage you to take a hike and enjoy…
Read MoreDoor County Land Trust Earns National Recognition
Sturgeon Bay, WI August 18, 2016 – The Door County Land Trust announced today it has achieved accreditation – a mark of distinction in land conservation. The nationally-recognized Land Trust Accreditation Commission awards accreditation to land trusts that meet standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that their conservation efforts are permanent. Cathy…
Read MoreAnnual Gathering celebrating 30th Anniversary of the Door County Land Trust
On Sunday, August 14, 300 members, volunteers and friends gathered to celebrate 30 years of protecting Door County’s exceptional land and waters. The Annual Gathering was held at the first property ever protected by the Door County Land Trust, a property protected by Conservation Easement agreement by Ruth Neuman in 1986, which is now cared…
Read More170th bird species recorded on Chambers Island
For a small, four-square-mile island, Chambers Island’s list of nesting and migratory birds includes a remarkable number of species deemed as rare, endangered, special concern or of greatest conservation need. For the birds, Chambers Island provides a safe resting stop on their migration or a summer nesting site to raise their young. Earlier this…
Read MoreVolunteer Opportunity – Three Springs Nature Preserve
Join the Door County Land Trust for a morning of work at Three Springs Nature Preserve to control non-native scotch pine. Scotch pine is a coniferous tree in the pine family (Pinaceae) that strives in old fields and open forested areas like at Three Springs. We have worked here in the past to control scotch…
Read MoreNative Tree Planting Creates a Resilient Landscape
In April 2016, the Door County Land Trust’s volunteer group, the “Stew Crew,” planted more than 1000 native tree and shrub species after controlling non-native honeysuckle at Lautenbach Woods. The Stew Crew continued their efforts at Three Springs and planted 800 native tree and shrub species after controlling non-native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). The tree…
Read MoreEvil Weevils and Thistles with Nets
The Land Trust’s Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve is host to one of the region’s most robust populations of the federally-endangered Pitcher’s dune thistle, a rare plant that depends on open sand dunes. Researchers from Chicago Botanic Gardens and Land Trust staff hope joint efforts can keep this population healthy for years to…
Read MoreA Travel Back Through Time on Chambers Island
The Land Trust staff recently spent two days on Chambers Island working on activities related to the establishment of a 1,000-acre Chambers Island Nature Preserve. While many hours were spent walking through the magnificent forest on the island to evaluate properties the Land Trust is interested in acquiring and post boundary markers on the recently…
Read MoreThree Springs Nature Preserve Recognized as a Wetland of International Importance
The Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands complex has recently been designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty for protection of exemplary wetland systems around the world.This 11,443-acre wetlands complex joins Everglades National Park in Florida and Chesapeake Bay Estuary in Virginia as one of only 37 sites in the…
Read MoreSwimming Upstream with the Chinook
Strawberry Creek, Wisconsin’s most important Chinook salmon stream attracts thousands of spawning salmon each fall. While relatively small in size, Strawberry Creek plays a vital role for the Lake Michigan fisheries. The creek is home to the first stocking and egg collection site for Chinook salmon in Wisconsin and continues to be Wisconsin’s primary source…
Read MoreA Home with a View: Kestrel Nest Boxes Installed at the Legacy Preserve at Clay Banks
Preserve Steward Tom Mabbott spear-headed the project to install nesting boxes at three Door County Land Trust Preserves. The nesting boxes will give a safe nesting area to these birds that need open fields to hunt prey. Kestrel populations have dwindled over the past few decades due to the use of pesticides which make shells…
Read More