What's New

Annual Meeting at Pine Creek

September 2011 Maiden Rock, WI - On September 22, 2011 more than fifty members and partners of West Wisconsin Land Trust attended the annual member gathering, this year at the American Legion Hall near Maiden Rock, WI nestled in the Pine Creek valley off of Wisconsin Rustic Road AA.

The location of the meeting was chosen to emphasize the protection and restoration work that has been going on at Pine Creek - a regionally known Class I Trout Stream - for decades. WWLT began work on preserving land in the Pine Creek Valley in the late 1990's, accepting several conservation easements and later acquiring two fee parcel lands first in 2002 and then in 2005. All of this work was done with assistance from partners and supporters, including funding from the WDNR Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. In 2010, WWLT transferred the fee parcels to the WDNR. Throughout this time, WWLT has been working closely with the WDNR, Trout Unlimited and others to return this important fishery to its previous splendor.

At the annual meeting, Executive Director of Gathering Waters, Mike Strigel, and John "Duke" Welter of Trout Unlimited and a former WDNR Natural Resources Board member, noted the importance of partnerships in achieving conservation results on the land. Referencing the ecological importance of Pine Creek, Duke Welter quipped that because of its many springs from the surrounding bluffs that cross over the rural and rustic roads in the valley that "Pine Creek may be the only place where you can road-kill a trout."

Members also enjoyed a tour of the multi-phased restoration efforts of Pine Creek led by WDNR staffer John Sours, who oversaw the restoration activities.

Pine Creek was listed in the national Trout Unlimited magazine as one of the top 10 "Waters to Watch" in 2009, for the restoration efforts of the rural trout stream with native brook trout. WWLT continues to hold conservation easements in the valley and to work with partners on the restoration efforts of the creek.

WWLT Board of Directors Adopts Strategic Direction

August 2011 - This past spring and summer, the board and staff of West Wisconsin Land Trust engaged in a series of comprehensive planning sessions with the support of Gathering Waters and leadership from interim Executive Director, Jane Prohaska. The end result was an exciting new document charting the future of the organization.

“West Wisconsin Land Trust will continue to work to preserve the natural character of western Wisconsin by building the organizational structure and securing the financial resources needed to efficiently, effectively and permanently protect and manage the land and conservation easements in its care.”

Importantly, the mission of WWLT will not change. WWLT remain committed to protecting the natural character of western Wisconsin. However, the WWLT Board of Directors did expand upon this by adding a renewed vision statement highlighting the future the Board sees for WWLT and the region and establishing a set of values which will guide WWLT in its work.

The plan also emphasized the perpetual work that accompanies the past protection of lands already under the care of WWLT. This includes the stewardship, defense and annual monitoring of the conservation easements it holds and the management of the lands it owns outright. This work will remain foremost in WWLT's priorities.

“West Wisconsin Land Trust will continue to work to preserve the natural character of western Wisconsin by concentrating its efforts first on managing and monitoring the land it owns and the conservation easements its holds and then on protecting other identified lands in the three ecological landscapes of the region as resource allow.”

Another highlight of the strategic planning process was the emphasis on the ecological landscapes in which WWLT has and will continue to focus its future conservation work. With a continued commitment to the western counties of Wisconsin, the new plan better describes the natural aspects of this area by describing 3 ecological regions: the Lake Superior Coastal Plain, the Northwoods, and the Mississippi River Blufflands.

This plan will hopefully provide the Board and staff with the ability to strategically focus resources on the conservation work that is most important to WWLT and guide the organization as it fills an important niche in protecting the lands we all love in western Wisconsin.

Full Version of the Strategic Plan

Nearly 4,000 Acres Protected Along Lake Superior Tributary

August 26, 2010 Superior, WI - Douglas County and The Conservation Fund announced today the protection of 3,995 acres along the Nemadji River, safeguarding habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife, enhancing the quality of local water resources and providing recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.
Nemadji Map

"These are incredible additions to public lands in Wisconsin that will now be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come," said Governor Jim Doyle, who promoted the project today at the Superior stop of his Northwoods tour. "Our natural resources are one of the main reasons why people want to live, vacation, and move here. They are why businesses want to locate here. The future of our state is closely linked to our natural resources, and I'm pleased that, today, that future is looking even brighter with the protection of the Nemadji River."

"At nearly 273,000 acres, the Douglas County Forest is the largest and one of the finest county forests in the state of Wisconsin," said Jon Harris, director of forestry and natural resources for Douglas County. "This addition complements the goals of the Douglas County Forestry Department and will increase the benefits our forests provide to our environment, our economy and our Northwoods quality of life."

The property consists of forestland, wetlands and streams that are home to a number of wildlife species including gray wolf, American marten, wood turtle, bald eagle and a variety of migratory birds. It also includes six miles of frontage on the Nemadji River, which contains a significant component of western Lake Superior's fishery habitat. The tributaries entering the Nemadji River on the property feed the river's warm water sport fishery where approximately 51 species of fish either live or traverse its waterways.

"The Nemadji River is a remarkable resource and we applaud Douglas County residents and the county supervisors for recognizing this as an opportunity to enhance the quality of life for all Wisconsinites," said Tom Duffus, upper Midwest director of The Conservation Fund. "We couldn't have done this without the state and federal support and the cooperation from Wausau Paper, who has been a great steward of the land for a century." The St. Louis River Estuary is identified as an area of biodiversity significance in the Binational Blueprint for the Great Lakes and greatly impacts the health of Lake Superior and the city of Superior's drinking water supply. Protecting this property enhances the quality of the St. Louis River Estuary - one of the nation's largest freshwater estuaries, which will be designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in October 2010.

"The Lake Superior NERR will support integrated research and education programs that increase the understanding of freshwater estuaries and coastal wetlands. This research and education will help address coastal management issues important to our Great Lakes coastal communities, such as non-point source pollution, climate change and invasive species," according to Becky Sapper, Lake Superior Freshwater Estuary Outreach Coordinator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension. "The protection of these lands along the Nemadji River will benefit the St. Louis River Freshwater Estuary and enhance the opportunities of the Lake Superior NERR to do research and education programming." A six-mile portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail Corridor traverses the property, linking Pattison State Park in Wisconsin with Jay Cooke State Park in Minnesota. The property also provides the public with opportunities for hunting, fishing, trapping, crosscountry skiing, paddling and other types of passive recreational experiences.

The Conservation Fund and Douglas County purchased the land from Wausau Paper, headquartered in Mosinee, Wisconsin. The Conservation Fund will assign its interest in the property to the county, which will be the long-term owner of the property. West Wisconsin Land Trust played a key role by initiating the project. Funding for the purchase came from a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, which was secured by The Conservation Fund, and a grant to Douglas County from Wisconsin Department of Administration's Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.