16th Nature Preserve Proposed

Originally published in Landings Magazine in June 2026

Door County Land Trust is pleased to share an exciting opportunity to protect 338 acres of land in Southern Door at the mouth of Kayes Creek. This project has been many years in the making and offers the chance to protect one of Green Bay’s most exceptional estuaries. Here, history and ecology overlap in fascinating accounts of this now-quiet agricultural landscape. You are invited to explore the rich history of this place—and contribute to preserving its ecological values for the future.

 

The Past: An Ancient Creek

 

For approximately 10,000 years, a spring-fed creek has been winding its way through Southern Door and into Little Sturgeon Bay. It was formed when the glacial Green Bay Lobe retreated, leaving behind a network of underground springs that still seep and rise at the base of Brussels Hill, feeding the creek as it flows north through a series of bends, pools, and riffles.

Kayes Creek supports abundant life, being one of Green Bay’s most important fisheries. Here, walleye and northern pike spawn, trout swim, migrating birds rest and feed, and an unassuming green dragonfly once thought to be extinct has been discovered thriving in the creek’s surrounding wetlands. Gardner Swamp Wildlife Area—a nearby 1,180-acre property protected by WDNR—is fed by this creek and is an important habitat for waterfowl.

 

A Place Long Inhabited

 

The forested land bordering the creek extends into Little Sturgeon Bay near the site of a historic Menominee settlement. At the time, the area was known as “Chickatoek.” Historical accounts indicate that roughly 500 people lived here, including Chief Nasewaupee, for whom the nearby town is named. The Menominee fished these waters and conducted trade here. Lake Sturgeon was abundant and held deep cultural importance, while also serving as a source of food and medicine. The Menominee, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe Nations maintain enduring relationships with this region and its waters.

 

Early European Settlement

 

In 1835, immigrants Increase and Mary Ann Claflin built a home within the area inhabited for generations by these Nations. The Claflins established a trading post in the sheltered bay and raised horses on the abundant marsh grass.

Walloon-speaking Belgian immigrants escaping the European potato blight arrived in the area in the 1850s, where it is said their hope “rapidly gave way to bitterness” upon discovering the dense Wisconsin wilderness impeding their agricultural ambitions.

 

An Industrious Harbor

 

Forest gave way to industry through sheer determination. Businessman Freeland B. Gardner (namesake of the town of Gardner) opened a steam-powered sawmill, shipyard, lime kilns, and the county’s first grist mill (saving the Belgians a walk to Algoma) on the site of the original Claflin settlement here in 1856.

 

The wilderness surrounding the creek became, for a time, the busiest place on the peninsula. Up to 400 men were employed by Gardner during the early 1870s. For years, vessels were leaving Little Sturgeon Bay once a day during the season to bring loads of lumber and lime to rebuild Chicago after the fire of 1871. The area was so populous that they formed the county’s first baseball club, the Empire Base Ball Club, which battled Sturgeon Bay’s Peninsula Base Ball Club in their first game on July 3rd, 1869—losing 63 to 92.

 

The Present: A Pastoral Landscape

 

19th century industrial changes eventually caused the closure of Gardner’s empire. After a stint as an ice-harvesting harbor, Little Sturgeon Bay and its surrounding lands became the quiet agricultural countryside that it remains today.

The winding creek that flows out to the bay is now surrounded by patches of farmland, swamp, and forest. For some years, Kermit and Cleo Franda operated a dairy farm right next to the creek. The Land Trust recently connected with the Franda family, hoping to preserve the pastoral beauty and ecological values of their land.

The Future: A New Nature Preserve

 

Today, there is an opportunity to protect this land. Fruitful discussions between Door County Land Trust and the Franda family have presented the possibility of saving their land for conservation and protecting the creek. The Land Trust is now raising money to make this project a reality.

You can help write the next chapter of this storied place. By donating today, you are protecting the newest nature preserve, Little Sturgeon Bay Estuary Nature Preserve. Here, 338 acres of high-quality stream habitat, wetlands, and scenic open spaces can be saved for ecological benefit and public recreation.

 

Give to the Vision

 

Valued habitat for trout, walleye, and bass, as well as breeding and nesting grounds for migratory and grassland birds can be saved. With your support, tilled areas can be restored back to healthy wetlands, helping protect water quality. Native prairies and nature trails can be installed to create a diverse and beautiful landscape.

Give today to make a difference in Door County. Your support will help restore agricultural fields to native habitats, protect fish populations, safeguard clean water, create new recreation opportunities, prevent future development, and preserve the stories of this exceptional place. Help protect a thriving future for this historic landscape with a donation today: Give to Conservation & Stewardship – Door County Land Trust