Richter Community Forest Nature Preserve

One of the largest tracts of undeveloped land on Washington Island, the Richter Community Forest Nature Preserve protects 159 acres of northern hardwoods — and the landscape itself tells the story of what it means for a forest to be left alone.

The large tip-up mounds scattered through the preserve — the root masses of uprooted trees — are evidence that this forest was never clear-cut or tilled for agriculture. That distinction matters for wildflowers: when land is tilled, seed banks are disturbed, and it can take a century or more for wildflowers to re-establish. The abundance of spring wildflowers here is not just beautiful — it is a living record of undisturbed soil stretching back generations.

Look down and the story continues. Small outcrops of bedrock ridges and beach stone along the forest floor are remnants of a time, 3,000–5,000 years ago, when this land lay beneath the waters of glacial Lake Nipissing — the predecessor to modern Lake Michigan. As lake levels dropped, old shorelines were left behind, and this preserve preserves them still.

The Richter Community Forest was gifted to the Washington Island and Door County communities in 2001, and continues to serve as an educational resource for island school children.

Trails

A 1.5-mile loop winds through rolling terrain, connecting to the Town of Washington’s Heritage Nature Trail for extended exploration.

Getting There

Take the Washington Island Ferry from Northport.

Flora

The forest composition varies across the preserve, reflecting different management histories over the past century. Northern hardwoods include sugar maple, American beech, red oak, white cedar, hemlock, white pine, basswood, and ash. Spring wildflowers include trillium, bellwort, downy yellow and long-spur violets, Solomon’s seal, baneberry, wild sarsaparilla, and Canada mayflower.