Photo by Lucia Hodkiewicz Fall 2026 · Conservation & Stewardship
Save Land in Your Neighborhood
Help protect 14 properties and more than 950 acres by the end of 2026.
Protect Door County's Wild Places
Renew your membership, start one, or make an additional gift.
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Your gift helps protect forests, wetlands, shorelines, and working lands across Door County.
Door County Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
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Doubled by a $650,000 match
Your Donation Today Will Help Save…
- properties from Washington Island to Southern Door
- total acres
- new nature preserve with trails and recreation
It is an exciting time to be a part of the Land Trust, as four decades of momentum have built towards a truly meaningful milestone. With the recent addition of a new 100-acre land protection opportunity in Southern Door, the Land Trust is now poised to protect 14 properties totaling over 950 acres by the end of 2026!
Not only is this the most acres the Land Trust has ever attempted to save in one year, but these opportunities are also widespread across the peninsula, with properties located from Forestville all the way to Washington Island.
“Part of our mission has always been to make land accessible,” said Cinnamon Rossman, Director of Charitable Giving. “We believe the community should have places to recreate and connect with nature no matter where someone lives or visits on the peninsula.” Now, with your help, a record amount of land can be saved in a single year, expanding land protection throughout Door County.
Donors like you make this possible. The expiration of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund this past June put a big speed bump in the Land Trust’s ambitions to accelerate land protection. “We have been pushing to keep up the pace of conservation because once these places are gone, they’re gone,” said Cinnamon. “Without Knowles-Nelson funding, we are relying heavily on individual donors—the people who love Door County.”
A few of the areas you can help save!
One of the opportunities donors can support this year is the addition of two adjoining properties just south of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve. Combined, they total more than 135 acres and protect a remnant boreal forest and the headwaters of Strawberry Creek, which is vital to the salmon fishery of Lake Michigan. These shoreline coastal wetlands are home to rare plants and offer prime migratory and nesting bird habitat for boreal species passing through or raising their young here.
Another opportunity is the latest addition to this year’s roster of land protection: 100 acres containing black ash swamp, where a complex of unique forested wetland habitat supports an abundance of wildlife including white tailed deer and many macroinvertebrates.
New Nature Preserve in Southern Door
- 338 acres protecting Kayes Creek in Little Sturgeon Bay.
- One of Green Bay’s most ecologically significant fisheries, being the Bay’s only known location where musky reproduce.
- First Land Trust nature preserve in this area of Door County.
As you know, the Land Trust also aims to protect a new nature preserve this year as the Little Sturgeon Estuary Nature Preserve. The deadline for this 338-acre project has been extended to continue securing funds, with a new planned closing date of December 16th. This project will draw down the Land Trust’s land acquisition reserves, so your support is vital to the success of this project and all 13 other projects slated for 2026.
A $650,000 matching challenge gift has been generously pledged by Kent Thiry and Denise O’Leary in honor of nature and their family’s four generations in Southern Door. With their pledge, your gift for land protection will be doubled! Please give today and help make this a record year for land protection!
Door County Land Trust is a local, accredited 501(c)(3) that has protected 10,600+ acres. Your gift is tax-deductible.
