Nearly Four Decades of Protection
From a handful of neighbors with a vision to 9,100+ acres protected — here's how we got here.
How It Started
In 1986, a group of Door County residents saw what was coming. Development pressure. Farmland disappearing. Shorelines changing hands. They knew that without action, the places they loved would be lost.
So they formed the Door County Land Trustees — a small, local, volunteer-led organization with one goal: protect the land.
They started with a single conservation easement.
Today, nearly four decades later, the Door County Land Trust has protected more than 9,100 acres of forests, wetlands, farmlands, and shorelines. We've grown from volunteers to a professional staff of 12, supported by over 2,800 member households and 250+ active volunteers.
But the mission hasn't changed: protect Door County's exceptional lands and waters — forever.
Milestones
The Early Years (1986–1999)
Door County Land Trustees is incorporated. First conservation easement signed.
First major land purchase: 60 acres at Kangaroo Lake. First Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund grant.
Dan Burke becomes first full-time Executive Director. Annual membership program begins.
Name changes to Door County Land Trust.
1,000 acres protected. First Annual Membership Gathering.
Growth & Momentum (2000–2010)
Bay Shore Blufflands purchase: $1.2 million, 180 acres. Largest project to date.
Stewardship Endowment established. 2,000 acres protected.
$1 million federal grant (with Nature Conservancy and Ridges Sanctuary) for coastal wetlands.
3,000 acres. Named "Land Trust of the Year" by Gathering Waters.
20th Anniversary Capital Campaign raises $2.2 million for 20 Special Places.
4,000 acres protected.
Three Springs (421 acres) and Clay Banks shoreline (90 acres, $2.4M value) — largest projects yet.
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal (332 acres). 5,000 acres protected.
A Decade of Expansion (2011–2020)
25th anniversary. 6,000 acres.
Grand View Scenic Overlook opens. Schwartz Lake at Shivering Sands (483 acres) — largest project in Door County in 50 years. 6,500 acres.
Chambers Island initiative begins. Niagara Escarpment water quality project launched.
7,000 acres. Major wetland restoration at Ship Canal and Heins Creek.
Executive Director Tom Clay succeeds Dan Burke. Land Trust Accreditation earned.
Chambers Island becomes largest preserve. 8,000 acres on the horizon.
8,000 acres protected. Chambers Island BioBlitz: 560+ species documented.
Pebble Beach protected in partnership with Village of Sister Bay.
Preserves stay open through pandemic, offering solace. 9,000 acres approached.
Recent Years (2021–Present)
Accreditation renewed. Shoreline at the Edge published. First Stony Creek corridor purchase. 9,000+ acres.
Sigwald Jacobsen Natural Area (62 acres) donated on Washington Island.
Milestones to be added.
Milestones to be added.
Part of a Growing Movement
In 1950, fewer than 50 local land trusts existed in the United States.
Today, there are more than 1,700 — and together, they've permanently protected over 47 million acres of America's most treasured landscapes.
The Door County Land Trust is proud to be part of this movement. What we do here matters locally. But it's also part of something much larger: a national commitment to conservation that grows stronger every year.
The Story Continues
Every acre protected. Every easement signed. Every member who joins. It all adds to the legacy. Be part of what comes next.