Door County Land Trust

Stewardship - dclt maintained more than 28 miles of nature preserve trails with the help of volunteers. Staff and volunteers completed annual monitoring of each of the 42 nature preserves and natural areas and each of the 78 conservation easement properties. Treatment of invasive species was completed across 267 acres of wetlands, shoreline, fields, sand dunes, and forested habitats. New populations of state-listed threatened and endangered species were documented. Dozens of bluebirds, tree swallows, and kestrels fledged from nest boxes monitored with the assistance of volunteers.

Outreach - in addition to nature preserves which are free and open to the public for outdoor recreation, dclt offers educational publications to provide information on environmental conservation and strengthen local environmental protection efforts. In 2023, dclt made available to the community and distributed more than 75,000 educational print materials including nature preserve maps, newsletters, and phenology calendars. Video, website, and social media offered resources for the public to learn and engage. Tree give-away events distributed more than 2,000 native plants free to the public. Citizen scientist volunteers helped collect data on pollinators, bats, birds, amphibians, fish, and water quality. A variety of guided experiences on dclt's nature preserves provided participants with greater knowledge of the landscape and how they can take action.

Acquisition - dclt completed 4 conservation purchases, 2 Land donations, and 3 conservation easement agreements, protecting a total of over 406 acres of Land in 2023. The conservation easements protect over 1,200 feet of rocky shoreline on the bay of green bay and 40 acres of early successional forest. The purchased property contains a variety of rich, biodiverse habitat, including ridge & swale complexes, coastal wetlands, and over 1 mile of streambank. The two donations protect 150' of lake Michigan shoreline in clay banks and provide an important buffer to the boreal rich fen in coffey swamp state natural area.