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 Wisconsin Land Trusts
Land Protection Fundamentals 
 Land Policy + Legislation

Wisconsin Land Trusts

Wisconsin is home to more than 50 active land trusts that collectively protect and manage over 200,000 acres with significant ecological, scenic, recreational, agricultural, and historic value. These land conservation organizations range from small groups operated solely by volunteers to large land trusts with multiple professional staff.

Land trusts in Wisconsin vary in the geographic scope of the conservation work they take on. Some, like the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, have identified a specific watershed within which they operate to protect the health and natural functioning of the rivers or lakes that watershed encompasses. Others, like the Waukesha County Land Conservancy, use a political delineation for their service area. Still others operate within multiple counties or in areas which overlap political boundaries.

Land trusts are run by people who understand what natural resources are important to their community. Land trust Board members, staff and volunteers bring a variety of skills to the table. They are involved in real estate, ecology, education, communications, fundraising and management of nonprofit organizations. What these conservationists have in common is an abiding interest in protecting natural resources and preserving our natural heritage. Thanks to their commitment, land trusts are the fastest growing conservation movement in the United States.

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      • Spring 2008
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parade of preserves

Upcoming Land Trust Events

Spring Green Celebration and Hike - 05/17/08
This field trip will begin with a celebration to acknowledge the recent donation by The Prairie Enthusiasts of 144 acres located just north of the existing preserve to The Nature Conservancy. The donation, made possible in part by the generosity of Tom an...
Canoe to Tenderfoot Forest Reserve - 05/17/08
Join The Nature Conservancy and trip leader John Bates, outdoor writer and naturalist, on a canoe trip across Palmer Lake to Tenderfoot Lake and the Tenderfoot Forest Reserve. Nearly four miles of undeveloped shoreline stretch along Tenderfoot, Roach and...
Hike at Quincy Bluff & Wetlands - 05/17/08
Join naturalist Rebecca Power and Julia Ela, AmeriCorps volunteer, for a hike through black oak and jack pine woods, along ancient sand ridges and dunes and through a variety of wetlands. Learn about the breeding birds of Wisconsin's savanna landscapes an...

Land Trust News


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