Geneva Lake Conservancy earned the 2020 Land Trust of the Year for their outstanding conservation work. From its humble beginnings in 1977, as the “Committee to Save Geneva Lake,” the organization has grown to protect and manage environmentally significant land in and around Walworth County, including waterways, natural areas, and working lands.

The recipient of Wisconsin’s 2020 Rod Nilsestuen Award for Working Lands Preservation is not a person, but a partnership: Making Allies for Healthier Communities.

Peter McKeever’s passion for land protection and his skills as an attorney have made an extraordinary and lasting contribution to the land conservation community across Wisconsin. His lifelong dedication to land and water protection in Wisconsin earned him the honor and recognition of the 2020 Harold “Bud” Jordahl Lifetime Achievement Award.

Charles and Dianna Colman’s commitment to protecting special places in and around the Geneva Lake area and their impressive leadership have made a positive impact in southeast Wisconsin. Gathering Waters is proud to present them with the Conservation of the Year Award for 2020!

Please take 15 minutes to call and email your representative about the Great American Outdoors Act to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

On July 22, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Great American Outdoors Act, which would fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Contact your representative and ask them to vote for the Great American Outdoors Act.

It’s our top priority to connect and support our land trust members as we continue to bring benefits to your organization through advocacy, services, and amplifying the impact of your work.

To navigate the changing and challenging terrain together due to COVID-19, Gathering Waters has convened weekly forums via Zoom for land trust staff and board members since mid-March.

We stand in solidarity with those who are calling for justice and accountability in Wisconsin and across the United States after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, along with the targeted harassment of Christian Cooper.

Gathering Waters is thrilled to report that 2019 was a big year for Wisconsin’s land trusts. Twenty-four land trusts protected more than 5,000 acres around Wisconsin.

Read an article by Madison Community Foundation highlighting the work of Gathering Waters and Wisconsin’s land trusts in the Spring 2020 issue of Madison Gives.

Geneva Lake Conservancy recently completed a large conservation easement in their service area, named the Holzinger Memorial Preserve. Read more about it in this post written by our friends at Geneva Lake Conservancy.