The Town of Westport received a $812,000 Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grant to support the purchase of a prized property in Dane County on the northside of Lake Mendota that was previously slated for development.
The Town of Westport worked with Groundswell Conservancy to protect the property in December 2022 with a conservation easement.
The Knowles-Nelson grant will be added to already pledged funds, including $1 million from Dane County, $1 million from the Town of Westport, and a cash donation by Steve and Marianne Schlecht, to purchase the 105-acre property made up of wetlands, woods, and grasslands.
“We are grateful to Steve and Marianne Schlecht and the citizens of the Town of Westport for their support. A special thanks to Senator Dianne Hesselbein and Representative Alex Joers for championing this grant. Thank you to Governor Tony Evers for making the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program a priority,” said Groundswell Executive Director Angela West Blank.
Find more details in this blog article by Groundswell Conservancy and this story by the Waunakee Tribune.
Photo by Ben Jones.
