Photo by Dan Eggert 2026 Conservation & Stewardship Campaign
A Rare Chance to Protect Little Sturgeon Bay
338 acres of working farmland, clean water, and one of Green Bay's most important fish nurseries. Protected forever.
Double My GiftWhere the creek meets the bay
Along the southern shore of Door County, Kayes Creek and Twin Harbor Creek wind quietly toward Little Sturgeon Bay. Beneath the surface lies one of the most important fish spawning grounds in all of Green Bay. Every spring, trout, walleye, and northern pike return here to begin the next generation. Above the water, 85 acres of wetland filter what flows to the bay, and open fields wait to become native prairie alive with grassland birds.
For a lifetime, this land belonged to one family. Kermit and Cleo Franda started with an 80-acre dairy farm and grew it, acre by acre, into the 338 acres we now have the chance to protect. Rather than watch it be subdivided and sold off piece by piece, the Franda family chose to work with the Land Trust to keep it whole.
That choice is a gift. It is also only the beginning.
Why this moment matters
Working lands like these are disappearing. As they grow harder to maintain, they come up for sale, and too often they are carved into lots and lost. Once land is divided, it can never be made whole again.
At the same time, the support conservation has long depended on is falling away. After 37 years, Wisconsin's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund ended without renewal on June 30, 2026. From here forward, protecting places like Little Sturgeon Bay depends on people who care. It depends on you.
What your gift protects
- ✓ 338 acres protected forever, never subdivided
- ✓ Clean water flowing to Little Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay
- ✓ One of Green Bay's most important fish spawning grounds
- ✓ 85 acres of wetland, with fields restored to native prairie
- ✓ Working farmland kept in sustainable agriculture
- ✓ Door County's future 16th public preserve, with trails to explore
Give now, and give twice
We must raise the funds to protect this property by September 2026. Right now, every gift is matched dollar for dollar, up to $500,000, so your impact goes twice as far. Please give what you can, and help turn this rare opportunity into a preserve that lasts for generations.
Protect Door County's Wild Places
Renew your membership, start one, or make an additional gift.
We'll email your receipt here.
Your gift helps protect forests, wetlands, shorelines, and working lands across Door County.
Door County Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Your gift is tax-deductible. Secure payment via Stripe.
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Prefer to give by phone or mail? Call (920) 746-1359, or mail a gift to
Door County Land Trust, PO Box 65, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235.
