The Largest Easement Donation to a Wisconsin Land Trust

On December 1, 2011, the Winter Park Pines Nature Preserve was established with the granting of a perpetual conservation easement by Ken and Carolyn Aldridge to the Northwoods Land Trust.  This 3,195 acre property -nearly  five square miles – includes about 43 kilometers of cross-country ski and snow shoe trails at the core of the Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center’s trail system.  This project is the largest conservation easement ever donated to a land trust in Wisconsin.

Minocqua Winter Park is regarded as one of the premier cross-country ski trail systems in the Midwest.  The ski chalet is located on 40 acres of land owned by the Town of Minocqua and managed for public use under an agreement with the Lakeland Ski Touring Foundation, Inc.  The Winter Park Pines Nature Preserve surrounds the chalet property.

Through the land protection agreement, the Aldridges have granted skiers perpetual access to the existing trails, allowed for sustainable forestry, and limited land fragmentation and development which will keep the land in its natural state.  Through the Aldridge’s generosity, the land will remain forever open to the public for winter sports including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and skijoring (skiing with dogs).

The conservation agreement also protects over 13 miles of natural shorelines on the Squirrel River, Yukon Creek, Howard’s Creek, and other small, un-named streams and ponds.  In addition, the land provides natural habitat buffers around and adjacent to the Squirrel River Pines State Natural Area.

The public is invited to the dedication of the new  Winter Park Pines Nature Preserve on  Thursday, December  29^th at 11 a.m.  at the chalet.  

To get to Minocqua Winter Park, take Hwy. 70 about 6.5 miles west of Minocqua, turn south on Squirrel Lake Road for about 4 miles, and follow the signs east ¼ mile on Scotchman Lake Road to the entrance drive.   For more information on the preserve or dedication, contact land trust Executive Director Bryan Pierce at (715) 479-2490.   

Squirrel River, Northwoods Land Trust Photo

LEAP: The Right Services at the Right Time

This past January Gathering Waters Conservancy launched Wisconsin’s Land Trust Excellence and Advancement Program (LEAP), a three-year program to deliver focused and enhanced services to Wisconsin’s land trusts.  LEAP offers customized services to land trusts through an application process, as well as universal services to all land trusts.

Earlier this month we began accepting applications for the second round of LEAP customized services.  There’s still time between now and December 2nd for Wisconsin land trusts to submit an application to receive these tailored, one-on-one services.

As the applications come in, we’re also focusing on new universally available services to land trusts in the coming year.  In the next week there are two especially terrific trainings that still have openings:

Friday, December 2nd at 11 a.m.
Ask An Expert Call: Is it Fund-raising or Not? Making Sense of Fund-raising Expenses
To register, please e-mail your organization’s name, participant names, and e-mail addresses today.

Wednesday, December 7th at 10 a.m.
LEAP Webinar: Succession Planning for your Land Trust
Come spend your lunchtime with national non-profit expert Andy Robinson. This 90 minute webinar is appropriate for all levels of knowledge and would be useful for board members, executive directors or operational directors. Because of the generous support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation through LEAP, this webinar is being offered at the discounted rate of $25 per connection to our members. Register by December 6th.

As we move to 2012, we want to be sure LEAP offers the right services at the right time to Wisconsin’s land trusts and are interested in talking with you about how to do this successfully.  Please contact Kate Zurlo-Cuva to talk more about how GWC can develop our programming to best meet your organization’s needs.

Celebrating Frog Bay

On Friday, November 18th, Bayfield Regional Conservancy closed on a superb property with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.  The following post is excerpted from an article by Dennis McCann in BRC’s newsletter

David Johnson remembers that when he bought a prime piece of Lake Superior frontage at public auction in 1980 he learned from a county clerk that the Red Cliff tribe had wanted the land but could not afford to put in a bid. It made him feel a bit funny to obtain onetime tribal land in such a way, he said recently, but not enough that he considered turning the property, which he knew would someday have much greater value, back to the tribe.

But fast-forward more than 30 years and that is exactly what is happening. In a move applauded by tribal officials, Johnson and his wife, Marjorie, are selling the property to the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, in partnership with the Bayfield Regional Conservancy. The acquisition will protect the now 88.6 acre property, including Johnson’s original 40 acres and an adjacent piece he added later, along with keeping in its pristine state the nearly quarter mile of sandy and pebble beaches offering views of five of the Apostle Islands.

Rose Gurnoe Soulier, tribal chairperson, said Red Cliff residents are elated at being able to again have access to a site that holds cultural and spiritual significance and which historically was within the reservation boundary and in tribal ownership.

Even better, that new access to what Soulier calls “this gem” will soon be enjoyed by more than just tribal members. In an unprecedented move for a Wisconsin Indian tribe, Red Cliff officials are planning to repurpose the property as Frog Bay Tribal National Park, open to both tribal and non-tribal members for hiking, birding, beach use and other recreational opportunities. The tribe will also use the property for gathering medicinal plants, nature-based educational activities and traditional and spiritual ceremonies, uses that will both protect the property and help preserve tribal traditions and way of life.

To further ensure long-term protection of the property, the Bayfield Regional Conservancy will hold a conservation easement on the land that will permanently restrict uses that are not compatible with protection of its conservation values, including subdivisions, development, excessive logging and more.

How the transfer came about involved more than a bit of serendipity. The Johnsons were longtime close neighbors and even closer friends with former Sen. Gaylord Nelson and his family. It was Nelson, of course, who is deemed the father of the Apostle Islands, and the view from the Johnsons’ Frog Bay property was of islands managed as part of the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness. It was Nelson’s daughter, Tia, who said Marjorie Johnson was “like a second mother to me,” who put the Johnsons’ in contact with Ellen Kwiatkowski at BRC and initiated discussions that led to tribal acquisition.

“One of things that I really like about this project is it brings so many groups together,” said Kwiatkowski. The purchase is being funded by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program which provides funding for local units of government to acquire important coastal lands. This will be the first time that a Native American tribe receives funding from that program to reclaim coastal lands. The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program also provided a lot of technical support to help bring the project to fruition. Kwiatkowski noted, “This is our first partnership project with the Red Cliff Tribe and we see many opportunities for future collaboration. Our mission of land conservation is very much in alignment with the Native vision of land stewardship that looks seven generations into the future to evaluate sustainable land use.”

Celebrating Our Partnerships this Fall with the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust

In October, Ozaukee Washington Land Trust sponsored  a unique opportunity to showcase its partnerships to the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally conference participants.  OWLT has been innovative with neighboring industries including the Fondy Food Market, Mequon Nature Preserve, and Sprecher Brewery.  Follow along as the participants make a few stops along their beautiful fall hike.  Or, better yet, head to Milwaukee’s north side and re-create the journey yourself!

Hikers start off at the Mequon Nature Preserve

OWLT executive director Shawn Graff addresses LTA Rally field trip participants at the Mequon Nature Preserve

Steve Petro of the Fondy Market takes pride in the field trip lunch presentation. Fresh vegetables prepared for the lunch were grown just ½ mile from the Forest Beach Migratory Preserve in a partnership with Afterglow Farms.

Field trip participants end the day with smiles at the Sprecher Brewery. Here the group gets a tour before sampling the wares.

This is the third of a three-part series featuring the terrific field trips offered at Rally in Wisconsin last month.  We hope they inspire you to get outside and love the places that make Wisconsin special.

Now Accepting LEAP Applications!

We are now accepting new applications for land trust participation in Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program (LEAP) customized services.  We are very excited to have the resources to continue LEAP in the coming two years and have opened up a second round of applications.

Early this year, Gathering Waters launched LEAP, a program of services for land trusts that are both universally available as well as customized.  We have brought LEAP to Wisconsin land trusts jointly with the Land Trust Alliance in order to work with land trusts to uphold our perpetual conservation obligations as a community.

Photograph by Adrienne Wallner

LEAP universal services are open to all Wisconsin land trusts and consist of trainings, workshops, and other opportunities available throughout the year.  Customized services are available to select land trusts by application.   Selected participants will receive a customized suite of intensive services in 2012 and 2013 including an assessment, implementation plan, coaching and mentoring, and a grant to accomplish a major goal or task.

To apply for customized services please complete an application and submit it by Friday, December 2, 2011.  Questions can be directed to Kate Zurlo-Cuva or MaryKay O’Donnell from the Land Trust Alliance.

The Milwaukee River Basin Like You’ve Never Seen It

We were so impressed by the field trips our member land trusts offered at the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally that we’re giving you a glimpse of the action.  Last week we featured some gorgeous shots of the Ice Age Trail in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest near Parnell Tower and today it’s a trip along the Milwaukee River with the River Revitalization Foundation.  Join the lucky Rally participants and see what this organization has done for the Milwaukee’s riverfront!

The Milwaukee river basin was a bit windy but the weather was excellent, crisp and sunny.

During the 2+ hour hike, we worked our way through a 2.5 mile loop from the east to the west bank, including stops at the Urban Ecology Center and Riverside Park.

From this magnificent location, hikers walked back along the estuary to Milwaukee’s Ale House on the river for a beer and some cheer.

These photos are part of a three-part series.  Check back next week to see our final set of highlights from Rally in Wisconsin.

The Northern Kettles in All Their Fall Glory

Attending the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally gives us a few key reminders about our work.  That we are here to uphold perpetual land conservation, that we have lots to learn from each other, and that our landscapes are stunning and worth protecting for our grandchildren’s grandchildren.  If you were lucky enough to join in on a field trip with Kevin Thusius of the Ice Age Trail Alliance, you got to witness this scenery.

These photos are part of a three-part series.  Check back to see more of highlights from Rally in Wisconsin in the coming weeks.

Rally Training – It’s the Real Deal

We’re home and recovered from a long weekend of intensive seminars, workshops, field trips, and receptions at Rally, the Land Trust Alliance’s annual training event.  This year, we were proud to host the thousands of participants in our great state and enjoyed the opportunity to learn from land protection experts from around the country.

We got the latest information from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, participated in conversations that will help us take climate change into account with our work, were joined by several top attorneys and land trust leaders to ask ourselves, “are we doing the right thing” with perpetual conservation easements, and convened our Wisconsin land trust council to discuss future programming for our community.

We were especially excited to celebrate our Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program with a reception sponsored by our board member Art Harrington and Godfrey & Kahn.  We are nearly one year in to this signature partnership program with the Land Trust Alliance and are proud that it was highlighted at Rally this year.

Rally is always a unique opportunity to learn from those around us.  The workshop sessions were incredibly useful as were the conversations in the hallway.  The energy was palpable in the conference center and though we left exhausted, we left filled with a sense of elation for what we do.

Next year’s Rally is in Salt Lake City on September 29-October 2.  See you next time in the mountains!

We’re Packing Our Bags for Rally 2011!

At last count over 25 Wisconsin land trusts have registered for Rally in October.  We’re really excited that so many of our member land trusts are seizing this excellent opportunity to learn from each other and the national faculty that make it all possible.

As we announced on this blog last week, Gathering Waters Conservancy was able to offer eight Rally scholarships this year.   We’re pleased to report that we’ve added to this number through our Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program partnership with the Land Trust Alliance.  The following groups received an Alliance scholarship:

• Bayfield Regional Land Conservancy
• Kettle Moraine Land Trust
• Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition
• Milwaukee Urban Gardens
• North Avenue Marketplace BID 32
• Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust
• North Central Conservancy Trust
• Ozaukee Washington Land Trust
• River Revitalization Foundation

All told, at least 17 Wisconsin land trusts are receiving some well-deserved assistance with Rally costs. Thanks go to the generous donors who make LEAP possible.

We can’t wait to see each of these Wisconsin land trusts and more at Rally in Milwaukee on October 13-16.  You’ll have endless opportunities to learn in workshops, get outside together, share with colleagues, and hear some pretty spectacular plenary speakers including Milwaukee’s own Will Allen while we’re there.

If you haven’t already, here’s your chance to register.

We promise you’ll get your money’s worth and feel reminded of why we love our important work.

LEAPing on Over to Rally

GWC is proud to announce that we’ve awarded scholarships to eight of our land trust members to attend Rally, 2011, the national land trust conference in Milwaukee this fall.

The land trusts receiving scholarships include:

• Baird Creek Preservation Foundation
• Baraboo Range Preservation Association
• Driftless Area Land Conservancy
• Glacial Lakes Conservancy
• Northwoods Land Trust
• The Prairie Enthusiasts
• Tall Pines Conservancy
• West Wisconsin Land Trust

We’re awarding these scholarships as part of our commitment to making land trusts stronger through the Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program (LEAP).  These scholarships have been awarded through our LEAP universally-available services.  We’re also working on customized services with six land trusts right now and plan to bring more into the program later this year.

Now more than ever we’re committed to standards of excellence in land trust work.  Click through to support our efforts to help land trusts protect the places that make Wisconsin special.