Trio of Land Projects Expand Land Protection

Hibbard Creek photo by Julie Schartner   With the recent addition of three land projects, DCLT now protects more than 9,400 acres across Door County and its surrounding islands. The three projects are an addition to the Hibbard Creek Natural Area, the creation of the new Oak Bluff Natural Area, and a new conservation easement.…

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Oak Bluff Natural Area: Land Protection by the Bay 

  Door County Land Trust’s portfolio of protected properties includes a variety of ecologically sensitive lands protected for the plant and animal inhabitants. The latest land protection project, completed on December 6, 2023, is a perfect example of why some lands are best protected for wildlife.  When it comes to the Land Trust’s recent creation…

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Hibbard Creek: Extending an Important Wildlife Corridor

Hibbard Creek. Photo by Julie Schartner   The recent purchase of 77 acres near the Hibbard Creek Natural Area aligns with the Land Trust’s goal to extend protection in wildlife corridors that provide for movement across the landscape. These corridors are crucial for the survival of animal species as they provide new home territories for…

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Southern Door Ecological Gem to Become 15th Land Trust Preserve

An exceptionally scenic and ecologically significant 75 acres in the Town of Clay Banks has recently been added to Door County Land Trust’s roster of protected properties. The former dairy farm features a half-mile of Bear Creek that flows into Lake Michigan that supports coldwater fish. Within its eye-catching landscape of open fields, wetlands, native…

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Kellner Fen Natural Area Addition Expands Land Protection

Sandhill Crane

Sand Hill Cranes are one of many species that will be protected on the new acreage. The success of Door County Land Trust’s (DCLT) most recent land purchase is the direct result of the generosity of the Fischer family. The new addition of 63 acres extends the protection of water quality and wildlife surrounding the…

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Donated Land Extends Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay Banks

NP1

A generous land donation by the Bogdanowicz family that includes 150 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline was recently accepted by the Door County Land Trust (DCLT). Located in the Town of Clay Banks, this land is directly to the south of the Land Trust’s Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay Banks. The donation extends the preserve’s boundary, which…

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Fischer Family Inspires Generosity

The children of Anne Fischer are putting forth a challenge to those who value the future of Door County’s wild spaces. The Fischer Family’s goal is to inspire fellow members to give generously before December 15, 2022, to match their $350,000 grant. Donate Now! Childhood memories of immersing themselves in the wilderness around what is…

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The Big Plant: Native Tree and Plant Give-Away 2023

Native Plant and Tree Give-Away Aims to Improve Wildlife Habitat Throughout Door County Upcoming tree and plant giveaway events: 2023 Dates to be announced *** How to Plant Trees and Perennials: How to plant The native tree and plant give-away is a part of The Big Plant coordinated by the Climate Change Coalition of Door…

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Anonymous Donor Inspires Giving for Land Protection at Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp

Anonymous Donor Inspires Giving for Land Protection at Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp Ephraim, WI – An anonymous couple is inspiring others to give to the Door County Land Trust’s ongoing land protection efforts at Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp Natural Area. The couple have a love of the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp and have been long-time supporters of the efforts to protect…

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The Perfect Cozy Conservation Gift

The Perfect Cozy Conservation Gift. Give the perfect gift this Christmas! Place a bid for a gift basket featuring a hand-crocheted afghan donated by member Maureen McGrath, a copy of the ‘Guide to the Places We Protect’, and candied nuts homemade by Land Trust president Donna DeNardo. Each gift comes with a gift membership for the…

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Daily Nature

Daily Nature Join us in celebrating the rhythm of the days and seasons by sharing photos, observations, and reflections from nature. Just as spring pushes forward, so too does our community-focused conservation work. We invite you to reach out to us and stay connected. Share your thoughts and pictures below. After review, we’ll post them…

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Surge of Support to Protect Pebble Beach

Surge of Support to Protect Pebble Beach Sister Bay, WI – Door County Land Trust is pleased to announce a remarkable gift from angel donors Mary and Bob Wiley of Sister Bay, to protect Pebble Beach. Door County Land Trust and the Village of Sister Bay are partnering to protect 600 feet of shoreline and…

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Conservationists of the Year – Chambers Island Nature Preserve Executive Committee

Gathering Waters, Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts is excited to honor as part of the Land Conservation Leadership Awards Chambers Island Nature Preserve Executive Committee as Conservationists of the Year Conservationist of the Year – Chambers Island Nature Preserve Executive Committee is made up of a team of four women who own property on Door County’s…

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Holiday Hunt Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Safe Hiking and Hunting

Holiday Hunt! A special deer hunt will take place December 24, 2017 – January 1, 2018.  Hikers may wish to avoid these Door County Land Trust nature preserves open to this special hunting season: Three Springs Nature Preserve, Heins Creek Nature Preserve, Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve, Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve, Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay…

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Newly Protected! 17 Acres Adjacent to Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve

Conservation Easements Protect Homes for The Wildest Things Short-tailed weasel at Aten-Collins Conservation Easement. Photo by Nancy Aten Visionary landowners Nancy Aten and Dan Collins completed the donation of a 17-acre conservation easement to the Door County Land Trust this fall. The property, located near the 274-acre Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve, adds to a…

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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…

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Mapping 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…

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Restoring 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,…

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Door County Land Trust Protects 37 Acres Near Rowleys Bay

Bruce and Joan Pikas at their new conservation easement 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…

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Join 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…

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Stewardship Work Day at Gilson-Peterson Natural Area.

Our next volunteer opportunity will be Tuesday, June 6th, at Door County Land Trust’s Gilson-Peterson Natural Area. Gilson-Peterson is a 40-acre sanctuary located near Ellison Bay. The forest is dominated by a mixed-aged stand of hemlock, white pine, sugar maple, and beech. We will be hand-pulling forget-me-nots that are invading the forest and crowding out native herbs,…

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Three Springs Nature Preserve Recognized as a Wetland of International Importance

Three Springs Nature Preserve

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…

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