What's Happening...

2009 ends with over 5,000 protected acres!

The end of 2009 brought more, truly significant milestones for the Northwoods Land Trust's conservation efforts.  We were able to record seven additional conservation easements granted and one new outright conservation land donation from private landowners in Vilas and Oneida counties during the year.  These easements protected just over 1,049 acres of additional woodlands, wetlands and natural shorelands, including several miles of lake, river and stream shorelines.  We also added one more parcel to our non-binding Conservation Area Registry Program, which now includes over 550 acres. 

Altogether, the land trust has now exceeded 5,000 acres of protected lands through conservation easements and outright land donations.  We have also just topped 50 perpetual conservation projects in place.  In total, the Northwoods Land Trust has now protected over 27 miles of lake and river shorelines.

Among the 2009 projects located in Oneida County is our largest conservation easement to date - over 800 acres of woodlands, wildlife habitat and wetland in the towns of Newbold and Pine Lake.  The Wellenstein family granted this easement through the Highlands Limited Partnership of Wisconsin and signed by siblings Rick Wellenstein, Charlie Wellenstein, Michael Wellenstein, Anna Wellenstein and Bart Wellenstein.  This property includes most of the shoreline on Fredrich's flowage and a large part of Douglas Lake, a DNR-listed "wild lake."  This land protection project is also adjacent to a 595-acre property conserved by parents Walter and Janet (Nina) Wellenstein in 2007, ensuring lasting protection to a block of over 1,400 acres of family lands. 

Other Oneida County projects included the second conservation easement granted by Don and Sue Kratsch of West St. Paul, MN.  This conservation easement permanently protects about 1,525 feet of natural shoreline frontage where Nine Mile Creek flows into the Eagle River in the town of Three Lakes, Oneida County.  The Kratsch family previously conserved a 21-acre parcel with over 2,000 feet of frontage just across the river, so they have now protected a corridor of outstanding natural scenic beauty just upstream from the Burnt Rollways Dam on the popular chain of lakes.

Dr. Walt and Donna Gager, of Brookfield, granted a conservation easement on their 120-acre property in the town of Pelican.  This woodland site is productively managed for forest products.  The property also includes several vernal ponds, which are important breeding areas for many frogs, toads and salamanders. 

Jeff and Sara Wiesner protected in perpetuity a 37.8-acre undeveloped property with about 1,000 feet of natural shoreline frontage on Bearskin Lake in the town of Hazelhurst.  This property is also enrolled in the Managed Forest Law program, and features active bald eagle and broad wing hawk nests and a spring flowing into the lake which remains open the year around.

Vilas County projects this year included a 78.5-acre woodland and old farmstead property protected through a conservation easement in the town of Washington.  This family property was protected by siblings Donald Behm, Jeffrey Behm, Sylvia Behm, Jeanette Schachtner and David Behm.  The land lies adjacent to the Nicolet National Forest.

Early in 2009, Thomas and Eileen Pawlacyk of Neenah signed a conservation easement on 23 acres of woodlands in the town of St. Germain.  Located along the Hwy. 70 corridor, this property protects natural scenic beauty with paved bicycle trail and public snowmobile trail corridors.  The Pawlacyks are also previous easement donors for other large properties in the towns of Plum Lake and St. Germain.

An 11-acre parcel along the west shore of Found Lake in the town of St. Germain was preserved by ecologists Dr. Gene and Phyllis Likens of New York.  This property has been the site of over 50 years of scientific research documenting over 100 years of forest recovery and regeneration.  A research report titled "One Hundred Years of Recovery of a Pine Forest in Northern Wisconsin" was published in American Midland Naturalist in 2002.

Pat and Sue Dugan, of Rhinelander, purchased three subdivided lots on popular Squash Lake in order to keep some of the lake's shoreline natural.  To these lots they added a unique, long, narrow esker peninsula extending out into Squash Lake, and gifted the combined property outright to the Northwoods Land Trust to ensure that it remains protected forever.  As the third property donated as conservation land to NWLT, the Dugan Squash Lake Nature Preserve includes a total of 4,088 feet of frontage.  The site will be open to the public for nature observation, birding, hiking and snowshoeing.  More importantly, the donation provides lasting protection for much of the shoreline of a shallow bay, extensive fish spawning areas, and wonderful natural scenic beauty for all lake users to enjoy in perpetuity.

Our sincerest THANKYOU to all of these private landowners who made the incredible commitment to perpetual conservation protections for their properties in 2009.  And we already have several additional land protection projects in line to close in 2010.  With your help, we are truly making a difference in the northwoods. 

Looking ahead with the Northwoods Land Trust

He was concerned about how quickly the surrounding lands have been subdivided and developed, and was sad as he told me how he didn’t act quickly enough to save another 750 acres before it was split up. 

His face lit up when we rounded a bend and spotted two adult bald eagles perched on a dead snag.  He listened intently to my explanation of how land protection agreements, or conservation easements, can keep properties like his wild and intact on into the future. 

He wanted to know more about the newly-enhanced income tax benefits of donating a conservation easement, but that wasn’t why he had called me.  Through his hand shake as I was leaving, I could feel his commitment to conserve some of the northwoods for all of the generations to come.   

Next I drove down to Oneida County to visit yet another conservation project.  This 144.5-acre property abuts state land and includes over a half-mile of swamp frontage on a lake. 

“You can’t get there from here,” except by foot or by boat, is one of the challenges and benefits of this property.  Parking on state land, I walked along an old ditch line trail following deer and coyote tracks for over a half mile.  I crossed some marsh pockets and took photos of the tamarack-spruce swamp on the open horizon that marked the boundary of this property.

This is clearly a spot left untouched through time.  Underneath the canopy of tamaracks and black spruce is an ancient matt of sphagnum moss and bog sedges.  Just one small island of higher ground is surrounded by thick swamp.  I found some grouse tracks and realized these could be from a spruce grouse.  Less than a mile from here in the same type of habitat is one of the rare sites in Wisconsin where I’ve seen spruce grouse, gray jays, black-backed woodpeckers and boreal chickadees.

This property is now our first nature preserve.  The landowner gifted the land as an outright donation to the Northwoods Land Trust.  Her gift keeps some of this beautiful lake shoreline and undisturbed boreal forest wildlife habitat forever wild – a gift that will last long beyond her lifetime.

But there are costs to the Northwoods Land Trust to preserve such lands.  With nine new land protection projects in Vilas, Oneida and Iron counties recently completed, we must raise nearly $50,000 of contributions just to cover the significant costs of ensuring we can protect these lands forever.  Contributions from our supporters are critical to help encourage these and other landowners to make that incredible step of ensuring outstanding properties are conserved now.  Time is running out.

We have now achieved our next great milestones in protecting the northwoods –

-          Three nature preserves on private lands donated outright to NWLT to be kept entirely in their natural state, where wild things will take precedence now and for generations to come.

-          Over 27 Miles of lake and river shorelines that will remain forever pristine.

-          Over 5,000 total acres of woodlands, wetlands, lake and river shorelands and wildlife habitat protected forever.

It is the goal of the Northwoods Land Trust to keep part of the northwoods forever wild – we invite and encourage you to participate in that effort.  There is no better feeling than knowing that you have helped to protect this place we all love – for all time. 

Bryan Pierce, Executive Director